That was what I was thinking as well. I know a lot of undergrads study abroad at some point, and I have a list of the Colleges that have a program in Tunisia, so that’s the route I was going to take. Just telling my dad I’ll get into a college here and going to Tunisia will be part of that. The part I don’t know about is how long I’d be able to be there, but he doesn’t need to know that yet lol
Just education wise, all the Tunisian kids in my generation are desperate to go overseas to study in places like the US, so I really don’t get how my dad is just flipping that when I have all these resources available here. I’m actually the first person in the whole history of my Tunisian side of the family to even get to my senior year of high school, except for my one uncle who studied in Germany. I just think they have different standards there, and unemployment is pretty sad right now.
I think the main reason my dad is pushing for Tunisia is because he is absolutely terrified of American ideals misguiding me. Just imagine, my dad, very strict North African father, who basically has sheltered me my whole life. He hears stories about these good students becoming all wild or whatnot, and I know he’s afraid of that. I have no idea how he’ll react to me going there, but it’s just something that has to be done in my case. I don’t know how I’d comfort him or make him more laid back about it, but it’s honestly really important at this point in society to go to College.
Stick with CC @Hania – there are many knowledgeable people here, who will root for you and give excellent advice. We love to help people through the college process. You have a lot on the ball and have the potential to go really far! Keep using the community. You got this!
As a first-generation student, I expect you will qualify for significant aid at both University of Oregon and Oregon State University, if it is easier to convince your parents to attend a school in state.
Both schools have good Honors Colleges. Be sure to apply for those if you decide to apply to the schools. They require a separate application. But they provide additional study abroad opportunities, among other things.
Has your guidance counselor talked to you about PathwayOregon at University of Oregon? It would cover tuition, so worth investigating: PathwayOregon | Financial Aid & Scholarships
Best wishes. No matter which school you choose, your future looks bright.
Perhaps rank women’s colleges first as it’ll likely reassure your dad?? But only if you are truly interested.
Once done with QB and UO/OSU, add Mount Holyoke and Agnes Scott, applying early to benefit from the most FA/merit scholarships, perhaps Spelman too. For maximum scholarships, apply to Honors programs if available.
Whitman meets need, too.
However, your dad must trust that he raised you right. Whatever other people’s children get up to, you won’t.
(Okay it’s not entirely true, most other people’s children were “raised right”, too, but you need to reassure him.)
At large universities, there are Honors college dorms where students are studious and dedicated. If you don’t get into UO or OSU Honors College there are alcohol free floors (called Wellness Floor or Substance free floors) though you may not want to bring that up till you hear from UO and OSU Honors.
(Also, are you trilingual? Because I believe Tunisian universities teach in French.
I don’t think they’ve even got a system to admit and enroll students from the US educational system - they’re very welcoming to visiting students though so if your dad wants you to spend time in Tunisia enrolling in a US college then studying abroad may be the only way.)
On your QB or CommonApp, you could indicate interest in an Arabic minor added to another subject (for your major). Tufts has an excellent program for instance. You can combine Arabic, French, and Psychology, too.
Finally, look into the Critical LAnguage Flagship - I don’t know whether it’d be affordable but it’s worth looking into. You combine Arabic with a subject of your choice (such as Psychology)
Ah yes, my language status lol… interesting question! I speak the Tunisian dialect of Arabic, which is a bit bizarre in comparison to other dialects, it just has a lot of different vocabulary and a lot of other countries don’t understand us (but I understand them mwahaha). I speak SOME French, but only in conversation, etc. Once you get higher up on the education ladder there, they give you mostly French textbooks and assignments, but I never went to middle/high school there, so my language abilities don’t stretch as far in French. Arabic though, stellar in Tunisian Darja, and understanding of the international fusha Arabic.
It would definitely be worth looking into for the Critical Language Flagship. I’ll definitely check that. I really appreciate your help by the way.
Thank you.
Actually, Tunisia is MUCH cheaper a place to live than America. MUCH. Actually, almost anywhere is a cheaper place to live than America, in general. The US is more than five times as expensive than Tunisia, which is fairly ridiculous. As for the travelling to Tunisia, we usually have a friend help pay for it, and it’s usually only when my dad has been saving for more than a year.
However, the upside of the US is that it has a lot more resources and education opportunities, obviously, as well as employment opportunities, which is why I’m rooting to go to College here.
Yes, but if you achieve a Questbridge match, it will be much less expensive than Tunisia. That was my point. Unless, they are paying you to attend college there because free is - well, free. Now, that’s tuition, room and board - other things like Transport and Health Insurance may have a cost if the school isn’t including assistance.
Also, if your life will be here afterward, a degree from Tunisia likely won’t help you much career wise…which I see you noted.
Yep, after experiencing both places, I’d rather stay here than do things there. They honestly don’t have the same education-based mindset in some ways. Not to say that they don’t push their kids for good grades and the like, but past generations didn’t usually get to Middle School, much less College. I think they don’t fully understand the need for a higher education like they do here.
It’s too bad you didn’t find us a year ago. It is not too late for you to take the SAT or the ACT. It’s been very possible to safely take standardized tests for the last 24 months, so fear of disease is no excuse at this point. Today is the registration deadline for the SAT, plus you can still register for an ACT. Talk to your school counselor today. You should also be able to take it for free. You can also do a free Common app for up to 20 schools.
You need to do some intensive, rapid prep for either of them. People on here can tell you how to most effectively prep for them. The reason that you need an ACT or SAT, despite test optional, is that a good enough score will confirm your academic achievement.
Believe it or not, Harvard is a possibility for you. You’re poor, you live in rural Oregon, you have an unusual background, you’re the super-sib raising your younger sibs in an immigrant/disabled household. Harvard would give you full aid. Harvard doesn’t do questbridge, so you’ll need to put in a reg decision app.
Did you take any AP exams? If you have top scores in a few subjects, that will confirm your high academic achievement.
Harvard seems like a stretch, mainly in light of my weighted GPA which reflects my schools lack of AP classes and a B I got in a summer class. It’s cumulatively 4.12. I did take two AP exams so far, and got a 4 in one and a 5 in the other, but other than that I’ve taken mainly Honors classes.
That’s the thing - you aren’t penalized for the deficiencies of your high school. You’re evaluated in the context of what your high school offers; and in that context, you’re outstanding… and even more so because of all the responsibilities you’ve taken on at such a young age. While Harvard is a long shot for anyone, I agree that you may be underestimating yourself.
Fingers crossed for your Questbridge app! And definitely don’t be afraid to “shoot the moon” outside of QB if you don’t match in the early cycle.
I love the positivity, this is super inspiring, so thank you!!
Yeah, I wasn’t sure if some colleges would just look at that gpa and just toss it. Hopefully not! I have been told my essays were pretty strong, so I believe I have that in my favor.
About QB… I was worried about qualifying as a finalist at all. How does that part work, would you know?
Yes, it’s not a given that you’ll be chosen as a finalist, but I think you’ve got a good chance. I’m not familiar enough with the process to know whether applying without a test score will hurt, but you have so many obvious strengths - it seems to me that you’re the kind of student that Questbridge exists for. Rooting for you!
And there is literally no college that will preemptively toss an application for a 3.93W/4.12W GPA! They will think, “Hmm, did this student pursue the highest rigor available to them?” And then they will look at the supporting info from your counselor, etc. and quickly conclude that the answer is yes. No worries on that front!
I was also purusing my schools profile… How many APs do average HS’s provide? Mine has either six or seven total, but some of those weren’t really within my scope of interest (ex. AP computer science) which I wasn’t even allowed to take (my diploma is a ASCEND Med Sci, so the courses I’m allowed to take generally fall under that focus), and all the other courses that provided AP I had taken before, like I took Honors Bio in my freshman year and it’s also the prerequisite to AP Bio. Does that mean I should have taken AP Bio now instead of taking another important Science class? That was my main concern, and my advisor just went right along and flat-out told me no, I need to take Honors Physics before I take Bio again (they don’t have AP Physics). So yep, I have no idea if what I was doing was right.
Either, whichever u can, and prep like crazy. Dont worry about your lack of APs. Meet with your guidance counselor immediately, and get set for free act or sat, free common app, and make sure she will describe your record as highest rigor allowed. Also, fill her in on your home life.