<p>I want to make this story short. Initially it wasn't a problem for my parents to support me with about 50k per year, however things changed because sometimes you never know how things turn out. This circumstence leads to the fact that I can't pay the fees for a LOT of universities I applied to ( all of California for example ). I really don't know what to do now, since I've invested so much time and money into SAT,Toefl and Applications.
Of course there is always the possibility to visit a CC, but I am not really sure about that thing.
Additionally I dont think that I am competitive enough to get financial aid in any form, moreover I've already applied without need for financial aid.
What should I do now ? Consider CC ? Can I apply for financial aid after I got accepted at a university ? ( Although they always want a certificate of finance before they accept you , I guess ? </p>
<p>sorry btw, I fear I've posted this thread accidentally in the wrong section before.</p>
<p>If you haven’t applied for FinAid, you should contact the schools you’ve applied and inform them of your new family situation – that even if they accept you, you’ll have problems attending due to cost. See if they’ll accept a new FAFSA and fin aid request from you. That’s the truth – nothing to be ashamed about. You should do it now before decisions are announced. Especially since you’re an international.</p>
<p>So I have to apply for financial aid definately before their decision ? but doesnt appling for financial aid kind of decrease my chances to get in since they are aware now that I may not have sufficient funds ?</p>
<p>yea thats the kicker for international students. For most schools, to qualify for fin aid, you have to apply for it before you get your admission decision. The problem is that most schools are need-aware fro international students, meaning that they take into consideration your family’s ability to pay the full cost of attendance in their decision making. That’s why int’l get rejected a lot.</p>
<p>So basically its always better to find another way paying the fees if I don’t want to decrease the likelihood to get accepted ? Your argument makes a lot of sense, unfortunately. Initially my advantage has been that I didnt need financial aid, at least I thought it has been an advantage. Maybe I should start considering CC .</p>
<p>don’t jump to that just yet. What schools did you apply to? because depending on the school you applied to you might qualify for decent scholarships.</p>
<p>Well I’ve applied to plenty of universitys ; but i guess scholarships is nearly impossible. I only have slightly above average SAT scores ( 1910 ) and a GPA of 3.3 ( although this is only an estimation since my country has a different grading system )</p>
<p>Every 9 campuses of the UC ( except Berkeley )
Chapman University
University of Alabama
Suffolk University
Northeastern University
Pace University
Ithaca College
University of Massachusetts Amherst</p>
<p>offtopic : how much money can a student earn by working ? That may be important since it could help to pay a part of the fees.</p>
<p>Working in the US with a student visa is very limited, for details go to the International Students Forum and track down b@r!um. She is the resident expert on that subject. You won’t be able to make enough money to pay your tuition and fees. At best, you will be able to pay for your books, materials, and personal expenses.</p>
<p>Right now you need to quickly contact the colleges and universities that you have applied to, and let them know that your financial situation has changed, and find out what information they will need from you in order to consider you for financial aid. Yes, this might mean that you aren’t admitted to some places that you would have been admitted to as a full-pay student, but it doesn’t do you any good to be admitted somewhere that you won’t be able to afford to attend.</p>
<p>You also need to review the money issue with your family. Which of these institutions are affordable without any aid at all? If all of them aren’t affordable, you need to reconsider your list. You might need to look at colleges and universities in your home country instead of trying to study here.</p>
<p>well provided the other aspects of your application ( essay, recommendations, etc) are good I’d say you have a good chance of getting scholarships. You should check out Drew University, my friend applied there last year with an 1850 SAT score 3.7 GPA and got a $20,000 scholarship.</p>
<p>Well I’d say to fill out the Certificate of Finances and any other Fin Aid forms required by int’l students and submit them to the schools, because you never know you could end up getting a really good financial aid package, but you’ll never know if you don’t try. If you’d like to ease your mind a bit you could look more into CC</p>
<p>if you can tell use that, perhaps we can identify some schools that will work.</p>
<p>Of course, as an int’l, you’ll have to make sure ALL costs are covered ahead of time.</p>
<p>There are some schools that don’t charge a lot. If your parents once thought that they could pay $50k per year, does that mean that they now can pay $30? $40k? more ? Less? What???</p>
<p>At the moment they can pay 42k exactly. With some of my savings , we could get slightly above the 50k , but only for the first year. Yet I have no idea how I should earn 8k each year ( or even more )after the first one. ( UC’s costs are nearly 55k)
I think University of Alabama would be an option with these funds.</p>
<p>You can find the estimated Cost of Attendance (COA) for international students right on the websites. Look that up for each of these. Don’t forget to add in the cost of two (or more) trips home each year at vacation times.</p>
<p>Check to see if any aid is offered for international applicants. If the COA is over 42k and no aid is offered, then drop that place from your list. You cannot count on earning 8k+ each year. Few US students are lucky enough to find work where they can earn that much.</p>
<p>I’m not sure where you’re from, but when you return to your country after school will employers respect many of these schools? Is it worth spending your and your family’s money this way during tough times?</p>
<p>Thats actually a good question.First of all I am from Germany and on one hand : yes, the listed universities give me a better education than in Germany, simply because my grades are only average , but the SAT kind of gives me the oppurtinity to get into better universities compared to Germany. I hope you know what I mean.
On the other hand, I dont really know if its worth to pay almost 200k for 4 year, just to have maybe the best time of life. ( and a sligthtly better education )
.</p>
<p>fendrix what are you planning on doing with your degree? I dont really think that any German companies will be super happy to hire you since most of the colleges that you applied to are not known. Similarly, you wont be able to get a job with US companies since you dont have a visa. Its much better to go to a lower uni in your country, do well, transfer for a better college and then go to the US for grad school. I know something of education in Germany, the listed universities will not (except for UCLA, but you dont have a chance there with your grades/scores) give you better education.</p>
<p>Nothing wrong with studying in Germany at a university that has an exchange program with colleges/universities in the US. You could spend a semester or a year here having some of that “best time of life”, but still finish with a degree that will actually get you a job in Germany and won’t blow your family budget.</p>
<p>b@r!um transferred to college in the US after a year or two of college in Germany. She might have ideas for you. Send her a PM.</p>
<p>there are still colleges you can apply to now. a few of them offer FA to intl’ students. use the search engine on the commonapp.
also, you can apply for spring freshman admissions at some liberal arts colleges.
certainly you may consider to enroll at a German university first and then transfer after the first or second year. seems like your family would have little problems affording tuition fees or 2-3 years.</p>
<p>I always thought, that is it MUCH harder to get in a UC university as a transfer student compared to as freshman student ?
Since I dont really know yet , which Major I should choose, wouldnt be CC another oppurtinity too ? Since I do not have to choose a major there.</p>
<p>California CC to UC is a good plan for California residents who are short on cash. Whether or not it is a good plan for an international student is a different thing. I would suggest that you contact a couple of the CA CCs and find out where their international students end up.</p>