Asking for 0 financial aid, Dual Citizen...

Applying to College
1

<p>Hello everyone!</p>

<p>I am currently in a dilemma, considering that I hold a US passport and also one from a Latin American country (I will not mention the nation due to privacy), I am asking myself if I should apply as a US or International Applicant. </p>

<p>I am not asking for ANY financial aid, thus I believe it much more reasonable to apply as an International (given that the majority of the schools are not need blind towards international students) as it could give me an edge during the application process.</p>

<p>Besides that I have really good grades, extracurriculars, and have lived abroad for almost my entire life. What I'm trying to say is that I'm not using my financial status as my only resource, as I have everything that every other competitive applicant to the top US schools has.</p>

<p>So my final question is: Should I apply as a Dual Citizen or an International (asking for 0 financial aid)?</p>

2

<p>Dual citizen no question. All internationals are grouped toegether, us citizens are generally have race distinctions, I’m assuming you are Hispanic, and that would give you more of an edge.</p>

3

<p>You should apply as a US citizen. While applying as an international might give you a “leg up” against the rest of the internationals, please note that the number of spaces open to internationals is miniscule compared to the number of spaces available to US citizens.</p>

<p>Your odds of admission as an American are greater than your odds of admission as an international. And you can apply to schools without regard for how they treat international applicants.</p>

4

<p>Hang on, you said you have passports. Passports are not citizenship. I’m a US citizen and don’t have a passport at all, so you can’t talk about passports as if it is the same thing as citizenship. Were you born in the US? Do you reside in the US? If you weren’t born here, are you a legal permanent resident or have you been naturalized? Talk about your citizenship or residency status.</p>

5

<p>@yoskis, @Chedva: Thanks so much for your responses!</p>

<p>@TheKillerrAnna: Thanks! I was born in the US, I’m an American Citizen as well as a citizen of the Latin American country. I currently live abroad, in a different Latin American country.</p>

6

<p>Do not apply as an international.</p>

7

<p>Hmmm… I was expecting to hear that applying as an International was much more favorable… Wouldn’t the perk of not applying for financial aid as an International applicant outweigh the bonuses of applying as a Dual Citizen?</p>

8

<p>@barrk123: Thanks for your response! I would appreciate it if you could elaborate and explain your reasoning :)</p>

9

<p>In general, admission, financial aid, and merit scholarships for undergraduates at US universities will be significantly more favorable for US citizens than for international students.</p>

10

<p>Thekiller:</p>

<p>No, you are not a US citizen if you do not have a passport (or arent eligible for one). You are a US resident. Citizenship IS defined by holding a passport.</p>

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<p>@ucbalumnus: I’m NOT applying for financial aid. So wouldn’t it be better to apply as International?</p>

12

<p>You cannot apply as an international. You are a US citizen. You must indicate that on your application. Period.</p>

<p>Your high school record will be evaluated taking into account the type of school you have been studying at, and the opportunities that are available to you where you live. Some colleges and universities will require that you complete the paperwork that is designed for true international applicants. Others will have specific paperwork for US citizens educated abroad. So email each place, let them know you are a US citizen living and studying outside the US, and ask them what their requirements are for your applications. Do not be surprised if each place does things differently.</p>

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<p>

  1. It is harder to get in as an international
  2. Some schools charge internationals more
  3. Many merit scholarships aren’t available to internationals</p>
14

<p>You’re banking on the thought that a full pay international applicant has an advantage over a full pay domestic applicant. That is completely wrong. 100 out of 100 times, the full pay domestic will be in a better situation than a full pay international.</p>

<p>Plus, if you have latino heritage and a US citizen, you may receive URM boosts – unavailable to any international applicant.</p>

15

<p>@T26E4: But how will colleges know that I’m paying full tuition if they are need blind towards US applicants?</p>

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<p>Colleges that are need blind to US don’t care if you are full pay, so it doesn’t help or hurt you. International that are full pay are common, so it would not help you. It would only hurt you because there are not many spaces for internationals compared to US citizens. How many times can we say this? Get it through your head that your thinking is incorrect. Read the accurate responses again, starting with Chevda.</p>

<p>But it looks like you have no choice anyway, read happymomof1 again.</p>

17

<p>

You can be an American citizen and not have a passport. You cannot have an American passport without being an American citizen.</p>

<p>Ergo, having a valid American passport means that you are an American citizen.</p>

18

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</p>

<p>Actually, there exist a very small number of people who have US nationality but not US citizenship. Such people may hold US passports.</p>

<p>[Certificates</a> of Non Citizen Nationality](<a href=“404 - Page Not Found”>404 - Page Not Found)</p>