<p>Hi guys!
I am one of the (many, many, many ...) international students who applied to Yale SCEA. However, my situation is a little bit different from that of most international applicants; I've actually been living in the US for 9 years now, and have attended a US school for the duration of that time. I was born in India (hence, Indian citizenship), and lived in England for 4 years before moving to Texas. Although my family applied for (and was approved for) permanent residency over 5 years ago, we haven't yet secured the proper documentation and, as such, my applications reflect my status as an "international" student (I have an H4 visa).
I'd really appreciate it if someone could tell me how this would affect my admissions decisions -- obviously, the international applicant pool, especially to the Ivies, is ridiculously competitive, but would living in the US for so long increase/decrease my chances in any way? My stats are decent (2380 SAT, 36 ACT, 4 740-800 subject tests, 6 APs with scores of 5s), as are my ECs, essays, recs, etc.
Thanks, I appreciate it! </p>
<p>I know you want to figure out your chances, but even if you were a 100% US citizen, someone looking at your stats would say "make sure you choose some non-top-15 schools that you’re pretty sure you can get into. No one (NO ONE) should set their sights on those top-15. Be happy if it happens. </p>
<p>Oh no, of course … Yale is one of the many schools I’m applying to. Don’t worry, I’m not so cocky that I’d only apply to top 15 
. I’ve already been accepted to my two safety schools, so I’m trying to channel my energy towards my reach schools right now!
My question, however, was specifically about my political/geographic status. This is not a “chance me” thread; I’m just trying to figure out whether my living in the US for the past 9 years has any bearing on my admissions decisions. As in, would I be compared to people applying from my region, or from India? Would this affect me positively or negatively? </p>
<p>Not sure for the others, but I know Cornell assesses students based on their region where they completed high school, you will be compared with other students from your area. However, international applicant pools are much more competitive due to an invisible 15%'approx. quota so in that case, it wouldn’t matter whether you lived in the US or not. Permanent residents and US citizens have an advantage I guess</p>
<p>This will make a big difference if you need to apply for financial aid. A good number of schools simply refuse financial aid for international students or are not need blind. You will have to choose where you apply very carefully if in need of financial aid. Best of luck with your applications.</p>
<p>Thanks so much! 
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