<p>Hey. I moved to US from China when I was in 6th grade. I am applying next year and I still dont have permanent residency. </p>
<p>I know as an international student, getting accept to any college is difficult in the US. I am also kind of discouraged since most colleges that offer Financial aids are those competitive ivy schools. As an international, it would definitely be even more difficult to compete with people ALL around the world from that pool.</p>
<p>My grades are okay, I am currently top 1 or 2 as junior and I believe my SAT would be decent (at least 2250+). I have done research in university and I will be up to 300 college level in math by next year. I also volunteer and involve in clubs and sports.</p>
<p>It is just that I get a gloomy feeling -- even though I know I shouldn't -- that everything I do probably would not directly contribute to my application. I don't know why and it really bothers me since it is discouraging me to participate in these activity that I imagine which wouldn't benefit me in the future.</p>
<p>Does safety school exist for international student in US? I could not imagine apply to a Chinese university now since my knowledge is definitely not up to par with their standards. </p>
<p>I am still a junior and this worries me to death because I keep learning that people in my situation getting into such a perplexing predicament. </p>
<p>Offer some comments that could help me sleep at night?</p>
<p>can you apply for permenant residencey or would that require you to give up your Chinese citizenship (or do you mind giving that up?) not sure about the process cause I was born a US citizen</p>
<p>Dig out your passport. Look at the visa in it. Then pick up the telephone, and make an appointment with the international admission office at the college/university/community college closest to your home. The admissions officers there will be able to advise you on whether you can study in the US on your current visa, or whether it would be necessary for you to convert the visa to an F1. They will also be able to give you some ideas on your chances of admission at that college/university/community college, and your financial aid possibilities.</p>
<p>Once you have this kind of basic information, you will feel more confident about the whole college application process. Since you will graduate from a US high school, believe me, some college/university/community college somewhere in the country will accept you! If money is an issue, you may want to look long and hard at the community colleges and public universities in your state of residence. In some cases international students are granted in-state status for tuition and fees based on years of residence in a given state, and/or based on graduation from a high school in that state. You need to find out if this is possible where you live.</p>
<p>That's why we are applying to a couple of safeties.
And don't worry, if your college list is reasonable, you'll be able to get into at least one of your match schools.</p>
<p>Do you have any status ? Perhaps it is best to ask an immigration lawyer. Community colleges may be a viable option if you can't clear up your status before graduation.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Dig out your passport. Look at the visa in it.
[/quote]
Many students here don't have a valid visa. It may be the case here.</p>
<p>To the previous poster, I do not loath Chinese school by any means. All my parents and relatives have graduated from Chinese school and now they are very successful individuals. The only reason I am not interested is because despite my Chinese is proficient, but I am way behind in other stuff taught from the Chinese system. I do not want to exert any more effort on catching up with it. </p>
<p>unholy and others, please dont even begin to attempt to judge me, you dont know what my life is. If you try to exert some effort on researching the numbers, then you would know there isn't many people in my situation when you put people like me into the masses. I reckon no more than 10000 in 1 the normal applicant pool, probably even as many as that in the international pool. </p>
<p>Don't try to pass judgment on what you call "Fob", if by any mean you think they are inferior, then you are wrong. This may be my prejudice, but take any "fob" out there, they are twenty times better than the second or third gens. Life was not a cakewalk for us because when we come to this country, our parents abandoned their stable jobs in the original country and took up wages below the minimum wage line. We lived in a shabby 2 room apartment for 4 years before we moved to a 3br apartment. Our only income was my father's 1000 dollar scholarship per month. So dont even begin to think how life is so much easier for people like me.</p>
<p>If you still haven't caught my concerns, then I will state it clear for you. My parents sacrificed too much already, it doesn't seem right if I couldn't get into a decent school. I don't study enough like the previous poster imagined where I would have all the SAT books available and memorize 1000 words a day. I study sporadically, but definitely more than most of my American peers. I am doing all I can. I just want my effort to be well worth it.</p>