<p>Living abroad is helpfull; maybe you can use it in your essay? </p>
<p>Does your teachers have an internet connection and an email account? Then they have acccsess to the common app. You just send them an email via the interface, they get an invitation, register there and fill in the questions. </p>
<p>If you get accepted at Harvard/MIT you don’t have to worry about money anymore. They provide need-based financial aid for international students as well. You hand the last tax reports of your parents and yourself in and they calculate what you are able to pay. The rest is paid by the college (maybe you have to work like 8h/week on campus)</p>
<p>PS: May I ask where you lived in South Africa?</p>