<p>Hey everyone. I'm facing a bit of a dilemma. I was checking the common app to see what I would need to fill out, but I can't quite figure out a way to fill in the information about my family.
Little backstory: </p>
<p>Parents divorced in 2003. Mother got my rights, but she fled the country in 2009 and I haven't had contact with her since. Therefore, in 2010 my father received parental rights, but he passed away in January 2014. Ever since then I've been officially put in a foster home with my grandmother considered as my foster parent.</p>
<p>So how should I fill out the common app? What I've figured out so far is: Put in Divorced in 2003, living with parent #1. Then when I fill in parent #1's info, I'll mark the ''no'' in the Living section.</p>
<p>For parent 2, should I put in my grandmother or my mother? I haven't had contact with the latter in 5 years, and I don't even know what citizenship she currently holds. However, if I put parent 2 as my grandmother, then in the household tab I wouldn't be able to state the relationship between parent #1 and parent #2.</p>
<p>OR. Other option: put Parents marital status as Widowed. Fill in #1 as my grandmother and #2 as my grandfather, who isn't living anymore. However, that makes it seem as though they're my biological parents...</p>
<p>I'm just so confused. Welp please!</p>
<p>My sincerest condolences on the death of your father. My children’s father (my husband) died when my oldest was 10 so I know how devastating it is. </p>
<p>For the app, here’s how I enter the deceased parent. </p>
<p>Parent #1 - Father’s name (deceased) Then leave the contact info blank. </p>
<p>For your mother, I would put </p>
<p>Parent #2 - Mother’s name - Address- unknown, marital status - divorced, citizenship unknown. </p>
<p>There should be a separate section for your address. which you would fill with your contact info. </p>
<p>Good luck. </p>
<p>@bouders Thank you. Could you tell me if this seems ok?:</p>
<p>Marital status: Divorced since 2003
Permanent home with: Parent #1</p>
<p>Parent#1: Father, deceased.
I entered the information about college, degree, occupation. </p>
<p>Parent#2: Mother, living. I left email and phone blank, address: unknown. I need to put in her Occupation and her Employment status - they are questions that require answers. There is no unknown on either of those: What do I put? Should I do “Other” for Occupation and “Unemployed” for status?</p>
<p>Thank you again and you, too, have my condolences for your husband :(</p>
<p>This is GC territory - you definitely need to tell your story to your GC who can give a fuller explanation in their part of the application than you ever could. I suspect this will also have a huge impact on financial aid, and you’ll need to consult with an expert on that as well - I have no idea if a foster parent, even a grandmother, is expected to contribute anything.</p>
<p>@MrMom62 I would talk to a GC, but I’m an international student and my school doesn’t have a counsellor at all. I can’t talk a principal or teacher about the matter either, because pretty much nobody from the faculty knows how the common app works due to the lower number of seniors wanting to attend colleges in the USA.</p>
<p>Do you reckon I should talk to the school I’m applying to ED and ask for their guidance for filling out CA and FA. Then using their guidance, if I’m not accepted ED, send FA+CA to the RD schools in the same way ED school would have wanted the documents?</p>
<p>Thanks for the reply!</p>
<p>I believe that if you are a foster child per a governmental agency, you are considered an independent student and only your personal assets and income are considered for the FAFSA.</p>
<p>@oldmom4896 That’s right! Because I’m international I can’t fill out the FAFSA, but I do have to fill out the CSS. From what I’ve read if you’re a foster child you can be considered independent. However, I will need to look into this further because I’m not sure if I’m 100% considered a foster child and I’ll need to ask my social worker and translator. </p>
<p>From what the court says: No contact with mother for 5+ years, father is dead, and my status is “placed” at my grandmother’s. She doesn’t have parental rights (as in, for example: she cannot give me permission to go beyond the country’s borders by myself), but she’s responsible for giving me a roof and she can sign as my guardian whenever some documents need to be filled out.</p>
<p>Do you reckon being a foster child is similar in the USA? Or am I something different? </p>
<p>Someone007, I think you need to write to the admissions and financial aid offices of the colleges where you are applying. Just be aware that very few colleges give a lot of aid to international students.</p>
<p>There are international boards here on CC that may be also helpful.</p>
<p>It does sound like you fit the criterion of foster child but I am no expert.</p>
<p>Just for the record, the most important thing about you is you are international - not revealing that changes everything about any answer anyone could give you. Please state that up front in any other posts.</p>
<p>Everything we know here for foster kids likely pertains to how U.S. Federal Aid treats U.S. students for FAFSA. As an international everything is up to the school how they want to treat you for aid. But the school won’ determine how you fill out the CA. You should at least know what your legal status is in your country. First you say you are ‘officially’ a foster child, then you say you don’t know. One doesn’t usually list grandparents as parents even if you live with them especially not dead ones, or list foster parents as parents. It seems to me you list your father (deceased) and your Mother. Then you put whereabouts unknown and an explanation that you live with your grandmother since 20xx in the additional information section and what your legal status is.</p>
<p>Common Application help is very poor. Here is one thing:</p>
<p>Don’t Want to List Parent Info</p>
<p>Many colleges collect this information for demographic purposes. Even if you are an adult or an emancipated minor, you will need to list this information. If you are a minor with a legal guardian (an individual or government entity), then please list that information as well. If you wish, you may list step-parents and/or other adults with whom you reside, or who otherwise care for you, in the Additional Information section.</p>