<p>I would appreciate if you can help me with this subject because I'm frustrated with this.</p>
<p>I'm an international student who got accepted to a very good college (Manhattanville College). However I cannot pay for the full cost of attendance, which is about $53000
I applied for all the scholarships available and I also applied for financial aid. However, the most they could offer me was $31000. They even said on the award letter that this was the highest offer they made in the 2013 academic year, and I feel kind of honored (in some way, even though it's still a small amount for me). I sent an email asking if there was any possible chance for me to get a little more aid, but unfortunately they told me they can't because they already offered me the most they can for international students.
I asked them if I could get loans from them, but they told me they do not give loans to international students.
I already spent DAYS looking for any way to afford this education. I searched on Fastweb, IEFA, and the EducationUSA website, but I didn't found anything.
Right now my parents can just afford to pay $5000 each year, but that sill leaves me with $18000. Does anyone here knows of any outside scholarship I could apply to? I really need this! I CAN'T ask for a loan in my country because two reasons:
1. My dad asked for a loan when we were on financial crisis and he didn't payed it on the time span. He took like 10 years to pay for the loan, and I think he still owes them.
2. My family doesn't owns a house. My dad pays a monthly rent, and EVERY single bank in my country asks for a collateral (which is the house) when asking for a loan, and since niether I nor my dad owns a house, we can't ask for a loan.</p>
<p>Can anyone here give me some advice or aid, please? I applied to 10 other colleges, and I was rejected to all of them because of financial reasons (Even though some were full-need, they told me they couldn't afford to give me a lot of money). However, Manhattanville was the ONLY one to accept me and offer me the most they could, and I feel like I can't disappoint them. I know many wise and experienced parents, or alumni with same troubles, or even some international students on my same position will read this, and I BEG all of you: please help me. I don't know what else to do or where else to look.
I really would hate to miss the opportunity to study in the USA. I spent my life-savings on the TOEFL, SAT, and Admission fees. I wasted $400 from my savingas (my dad couldn't afford this) and watching how this money was spent uselessly really hurts me a lot.
Is there anything I can do?</p>
<p>Thanks everyone and I hope you all have a nice day.</p>
<p>Guille, the reason there is no response is because there are no answers. There is no aid available for young adults wanting to go to a private college other than from the college itself which has given you all they are willing, and any private scholarships that you can research through Fastweb which are fiercely fought over if they are of any size and the few if any for international students. This is a luxury and there are limited funds for it that colleges reserve. </p>
<p>In order to have a better chance to get money to study here, international students need to be the absolute top of the top to get merit money. That means looking for lesser known schools looking to boost their numbers. There is a thread started by Momoftexas about seraching for these full ride scholarships in the archives here. If you want to give this a go again next year, that is the route to take. Manhattanville College is too mainstream to have a high likelihood off giving full rides to anyone but the top of the top. I know a number of non international kids who go there and they are strong students, not getting any merit money. They don’t have to start paying for kids until they get to some very high test scores.</p>
<p>If it makes you feel at all better, Manhattanville is not a very challenging or selective college and not worth $53,000 in a million years, so you aren’t missing out on some great opportunity. Chances are you will have better and cheaper options in your home country. As far as not “disappointing” them is concerned, they are not that invested in you. People turn down offers all the time, and when you decline, Manhattanville will immediately fill your spot with someone from their waitlist and never think about you again. I know that sounds harsh. but it’s the truth. I’m sorry for your disappointment and wish you the best with your alternative plans.</p>
<p>Manhattanville is a lovely school that is worth every bit of the $25K that it iis charging the OP, in my opinion. He is to be congratulated for getting that kind of merit money as they do not tend to give out large awards. I know a number of talented young people going there. If the OP can get that much out of M, he can certainly get some full rides at some other schools. I suggest next time, making sure the schools have full rides to offer. The Momfromtexas threads are great in that the methodology she uses to come up with full ride schools does cover the fact that the school has to indeed have that to offer. Also make sure the awards are available for international students.</p>
<p>Well, Manhattanville does have a pretty campus, but its acceptance rate is well above 50%, which puts it into the “not very selective” category by most measures, and its mid-range average SAT’s were mediocre for both Critical Reading and Math. I don’t doubt there are some talented young people going there, as at any college, but the school also has a large contingent of rich kid slackers who are basically bring housed there for four years by their indulgent parents while they party. (I own a business in the area and see these kids all the time.) So while OP could have crafted a decent education for himself at Manhattanville, at the same time it’s not the kind of school that should leave OP brokenhearted that he can’t attend. It would be interesting to know his stats and how he came to apply to Manhattanville, a school that isn’t on the radar for most internationals.</p>
<p>Thanks EVERYONE who commented here, even though I have no chances like @cptofthehouse said lol</p>
<p>Taking in consideration what everyone of you said, I can synthesize the idea that I really won’t attend the USA this year… So I guess I should stop bothering with this kind of posts?
It’s just… I really don’t like the idea of staying here after all I did. I’ve heard stories about poor kids on the news who got offered full-rides on the USA because of their effort, but I guess that doesn’t applies to me. Again, I apologize for the post everyone!
I went and talked with the USA Embassy and the EducationUSA agency in my country (through email) and they also told me I was wasting my time asking or searching for this kind of money. </p>
<p>Also, it’s not that I feel obligated to attend Manhattanville. It’s just that from the 10 colleges that I applied it was the ONLY one to accept me and offer me the most they could on financial aid. Manhattanville made me feel optimistic even though I got tons of rejections before that. All the other colleges (which give more FA than Manhattanville) rejected me because they don’t want to give me a huge amount of money.
Among these are St. Lawrence University, Elmira, St. Olaf, Wooster, and 2 FULL-NEED colleges (Trinity and Colby). Please don’t tell me because my stats are poor because it’s not that. You can check on the Trinity thread that there was an international student with a 2200 SAT, 4.0 GPA and 700+ on 2 SAT Subject Tests who got REJECTED, and he was also asking for financial aid. </p>
<p>Can anyone give me the “Momfromtexas” thread that everyone is talking about? I want to take some time thinking if I should apply next year. I’ll need to retake the SAT, do SAT Subject Tests, etc, and I don’t have the money to pay for that anymore… I’ll also need to tell my parents I’ll be taking another gap time because they want me to go to college here starting on August. </p>
<p>And for the ones who asked this, here are my stats:</p>
<p>GPA: 3.8 UW (A perfect 4.0 GPA in my Senior Year)
SAT: 1980 (first sitting - 750 Math, 580 CR)
TOEFL: 101
Class Rank: top 10%
School Record: I took the IB Diploma Program (I was the 2nd highest score and I scored 7/7 on Mathematics SL and 6/7 on English B Higher Level)
I did my essay about my bullying experience, if anyone wants to know about my essay.</p>
<p>Let me ask you guys one last time: is there really nothing I can do right now? Not a scholarship, or college that will give me more money, or a loan that I could take? I don’t want that all my efforts I put this year go to waste.</p>
<p>There is nothing you can do right now that would enable you to attend Manhattanville this fall. Sorry.</p>
<p>This year’s efforts did not go to waste. You learned a lot in the process, and you have a much better idea of how to target your applications if you decide to try again in the future. Heck, you probably know enough to advise other students who are applying next year!</p>
<p>Thank you @happymomof1! I guess I won’t be able to go to the USA this year… Damnit! I’ll try to gain energy and positivism so I can possibly apply next year…
Thanks for those threads. Going to look at them once I’m not feeling this depressed.
And do not apologize please. It’s not like it was your fault or anyone on here. It was mine since I made a lot of mistakes in this year. Though, it really sucks lol.</p>
<p>Gonna tell you guys if I was able to get a full-ride scholarship at Harding University! I may be given one :).
Good luck to you too!</p>
<p>Guille:
You seem to be a good person with the right attitude. Keep this way and some day you will end up carving a great future for yourself.
My best wishes to you.</p>
<p>I completely understand your situation. I applied to U.S. colleges this year fully expecting to be rejected by 90% of them because of the “international student in need of FA” label I also call the death penalty. </p>
<p>I had a really detailed “Plan B” all planned out since last summer and I’m sorry, but you should have, too. You should have fully understood your situation and lowered your expectations so that even if things didn’t turn out so well THIS year, you’d have the confident and optimistic mind to get back on your feet and try again next year. Having a Plan B that’s both exciting and fulfilling really helps you cope with rejections and the harsh reality of being an international student wishing to study in the U.S. You realize there’s more to life than just college and there actually is no rush to HAVE of go this year!</p>
<p>Basically, my plan was to spend 6 months in Africa or the Phiippines and become an expert in the field of women’s rights and humanitarian care. With my story - plus a few months of really perfecting my SAT scores - I had planned to apply to top schools (need-blind, need-based FA like HYP), LAC’s with need-based aid (Vassar, Amherst, etc.), and full scholarship programs open to international students (like Macaulay Honors College of CUNY). </p>
<p>I urge you to do the same. Really spend the next few months becoming an expert in your field of interest. Perfect your scores. Meet interesing, wise people. And apply EVERYWHERE! The key is NEED-BASED aid! </p>
<p>Honestly, I thought I would end up just like you! And I almost did. Rejected by 9 schools, waitlisted by 1, accepted by 2 (tuition still 30k+), …but unbelievably I was given a chance at one of my favorite schools with (57k+ FA in grants). My scores were not spectacular and I’m not sure how I got so lucky but I hope my situation gives you hope. I’m sure with this year off, you will surpass your current credentials and do far better than I did.</p>
<p>Stop moping and escape disappointment as quickly as possible. You will do even BETTER than Manhattanville next year! Good luck, fellow poor int. student! There are lots of us that feel your pain and are all working hard together!</p>
<p>I also wanted to add that if you have pretty good scores (this is for next year), it is quite common to get full rides or close to it @ state schools. I have many friends with “okay grades” (2000-2100 SAT scores, 600-700 range SATII’s, a few AP/IB here and there, not much EC’s) get GREAT offers from UConn, SUNY, U of Ohio, etc. </p>
<p>Also, it is a MUST for all int. students applying for FA to apply to AT LEAST 12 schools. Usually at least 15!</p>
<p>Don’t forget to apply for few waivers when applying 2013-14 :)</p>
<p>Thanks! @skyfull
Well… my “Plan B” is a program called “Walton International Scholarship Program” which gives full-ride scholarships to Harding University to students from Central America and Mexico. Though, I don’t know if I’ll be selected.</p>
<p>At least you got in this year! That’s very good. Congratulations!</p>
<p>Right now I still don’t feel well. I mean, being rejected sure depressed me a lot and I can’t get over it, but I’m trying to gain some energy so I can apply next year.
Right now I plan to do an extensive research on colleges with good FA, study for Math II and Chemistry SAT Subject Tests, re-take the SAT I (for CR) and then apply on October.
Though, I don’t have money to pay for those tests… I don’t know what I’m going to do, or how can I get fee-waivers. Money is really a great obstacle that poor international students like me need to face. I’m trying to see what I can do right now.</p>
<p>I just hope you’re right. Hopefully next year I’ll be able to attend a very good american university. If not, then… I was stupid from the very beginning lol.</p>
There are lots of us that feel your pain and are all working hard together!</p>