<p>Right now I am in a situation that I think a lot of other International Students might be in. I have lived in the U.S. for the last 9 years, but we still don't have our green card so I'm considered an International Student and therefore can't receive any federal financial aid. As of now, I've gotten into some of my top college choices - but got no merit aid at all. Frankly, my family simply can't pay that much. Once our family gets our green cards, I will qualify for federal financial aid but that won't be for another year or two. So... what is my best choice? Which would be most feasible/most helpful for my future?</p>
<ul>
<li>Stay at my in-state school (Colorado University or Colorado State)</li>
<li>Take crazy loans and go to my top choices (So far, Villanova, Rochester and Bucknell)</li>
<li>Take a year off to go to community college, then go to my top choices. After one year of junior college our green card should hopefully be here - and i can count on federal aid to help me pay. (Just wondering... is this even allowed/possible? Like, once your admitted can you say I'm going to wait a year to actually attend)</li>
</ul>
<p>Thanks! I know this is a long question, but any incite AT ALL would be appreciated. Please!</p>
<p>"Frankly, my family simply can't pay that much. Once our family gets our green cards, I will qualify for federal financial aid but that won't be for another year or two."</p>
<p>Do not for one minute expect that you will have your green card by a certain date. Way too many people find out that their applications are delayed, or even rejected. Plan to attend a school that you can afford now. This means your in-state public or your local community college.</p>
<p>Do not take out "crazy loans". You have no way of knowing now if you will ever be able to pay them off. And, if you need a co-signer for your loans, you may be sticking that person with a crazy amount of debt after you don't get your green card, lose your current immigration status, and get sent packing. It has happened.</p>
<p>One option for you while you wait out your change of status would be to accept admission at your favorite college/university, and ask them to allow you to defer your actual enrollment for a year. You could use that year to work (assuming you can under your current status) or participate in a volunteer activity. You may be able to take one or two classes at your community college or local public university, but you would not be able to enroll full time. Ask each of the colleges/universities that you are interested in how this could be handled.</p>
<p>But before you commit to a Gap year, check with your immigration lawyer about how this would affect your status. Each visa category has its own rules. Also, check with your parents' health insurance carrier. Some will not cover you once you are 18 if you are not enrolled in school full time.</p>
<p>you should be worrying about finances before applying. many schools offer aid to internationals too. now, the best thing you can do is going to in-state, and try to transfer next year. btw, you'll have then much time for research - if you have good grades and scores, you can find a private scholarship.</p>
<p>I'm in an International Student, and although I don't live in the States, our situation regarding Financial Aid is the same. In my opinion, you have two options:</p>
<ol>
<li>Work your arse off and go to a top school that offers FA to internationals</li>
<li>If you're certain that your green card will arrive in a year, take a gap year to either work or do some worthwhile stuff that will strengthen your application - that way, even if your green card hasn't arrived, you will be better placed to get into a uni that will give you FA</li>
</ol>
<p>How realistic is taking a gap year to take some courses at a local junior college and volunteering/working...? I'm fearing i'll be way out of touch with the effort/work required at a top college.</p>
<p>I'm in a similar situation, and as someone said. DONT EVER EXPECT TO GET YOUR GREEN CARD ON AN EXACT DATE!</p>
<p>I was SUPPOSE To get mine this spring, but my parents had a tax issue, foreclosure and the process has been on full halt until that's clear.</p>
<p>So it'll probably be another year before I get it and even then, IDK how it'll work.</p>
<p>This is what I'm doing:
-Working my ass off in part-time jobs,
-getting a good summer job
-3.5 k in scholarships thus far, APPLYING to 30 scholarships.
-Probably taking a loan (with a co-signer who is a US Citizen(no more than 5K hopefully)
-Working privately as a tutor once at UCI</p>
<h2>sometimes u gotta do what u gotta do, and applying for national, state and local schoalrships can be a bit hard. </h2>
<p>OMG! I'm in a similar situation!!! I've been in the US for more than 8 years! and we are at the very very last stage before actually getting a Green Card.
But... who knows when that'll happen!!! It's so frustrating!!!
I'm not sure what I'm going to do either... I might have to go to my state university... since I actually got a couple of merit scholarships from there... but that's definitely what I don't want to do!!! I want to go out of state, since... the state university is like less than 5 minutes from where I live!!!
My parents wont be able to pay for my college tuition if I get accepted into my top colleges... especially since they are ignoring my college education and wants to use all the money they have to buy a house... NOW!!! right when I'm going to be going off to colleges! NOT GOOD!!!
I don't know what to do... except to apply for as much scholarships as you can right now!
The worst that could happen is you go to your state college and transfer in 2 years! maybe then you'll have your green card!!!
GOOD LUCK!!!</p>
<p>haiku - that sounds like a good plan, unfortunately with my status i'm not allowed to work... but, where did you find 30 scholarships to apply to?</p>
<p>sarangjae - that is almost indentical to my problem... one of my state schools is pretty much "down the street." And i really dont want to transfer after going somewhere for 2 years... if i decide to go to a state school ill probably just stick it out for 2 more years.</p>
<p>Money is always a problem!!!
especially for us that can afford it!!
It's sad how all the big scholarships that I could have applied for, those that are not for a specific college, YOU HAVE TO BE A CITIZEN! If we can't even apply for those, how are we going to get all the money?
Loans aren't really a good idea...
but... if you really raelly want to go to those schools... it is a possibility though.</p>
<p>I'm working privately, also known as self-employed and under the table money.
My summer job is provided by a friend's mom and I plan to work as private tutor to High School students. I'm really good with Spanish, Bio, and other AP-tests and close to UCI there's university high and other schools which I'm sure there'll be people who want help with their AP Spanish, AP Biology, or AP-something tests.</p>
<p>Also, I found 30 scholarships thanks to Fastweb.com, ***************** and just searching intensely online, most of them ARE for international students or those which don't require any citizenship or residnecy. Some even for students who are undocumented. The "big beefy ones" I applied to are purely Essay contests that don't require any citizenship, just damn good essay writing.</p>
<p>SarangJae-----------
I applied to some which require citizenship, but after contacting some of them, they allow me up to two years to get my citizenship so I can retrieve the money if I win them.</p>
<p>Also, loans aren't a "bad idea" if you plan to use them for one or two years and also depending on how you'll finance your expenses.</p>
<p>I'm planning to get a 4K-10K loan and having a friend co-sign for me.
I'll began to pay in one year.</p>
<p>I'm working privately, also known as self-employed and under the table money.
My summer job is provided by a friend's mom and I plan to work as private tutor to High School students. I'm really good with Spanish, Bio, and other AP-tests and close to UCI there's university high and other schools which I'm sure there'll be people who want help with their AP Spanish, AP Biology, or AP-something tests.</p>
<p>Also, I found 30 scholarships thanks to Fastweb.com, ***************** and just searching intensely online, most of them ARE for international students or those which don't require any citizenship or residnecy. Some even for students who are undocumented. The "big beefy ones" I applied to are purely Essay contests that don't require any citizenship, just damn good essay writing.</p>
<p>SarangJae-----------
I applied to some which require citizenship, but after contacting some of them, they allow me up to two years to get my citizenship so I can retrieve the money if I win them.</p>
<p>Also, loans aren't a "bad idea" if you plan to use them for one or two years and also depending on how you'll finance your expenses.</p>
<p>I'm planning to get a 4K-10K loan and having a friend co-sign for me.
I'll began to pay in one year.</p>
<p>haikumarukuchan: Citizenship part scares me off...
I'm not exactly sure about this
but as far as my knowledge goes
you have to wait 4 more years after you get your green card then you can apply for citizenship!
which is definitely going to be over 4 years for me... since I don't have a green card yet.
Even if it's less than 4 years... who knows how long this thing really is going to take?!
It was settled at one point, then they changed things, and moved everything back!! so... getting a green card... I have no idea how long that's going to take.</p>
<p>Shiven: apply for local scholarships that you can take out of state... or do whatever with... as long as its for school!
those aren't really big... but if you get a bunch of them... it adds up!
I'm applying to a bunch... or as much as I can.. I'll see where that gets me...</p>
<p>Yes, it's something like that. For green card usually it takes 2 years for someone to do it, they have to have documentation, good moral character, etc. and so on. It's easier if you have one or two relatives who are already citizens or residents, my parents are both residents and it should've been easier but it's taking longer than wanted.
I don't really want my citizenship, I could care less, lol. I want to go to Cuba too... lol, can't do that being a US citizen. But I definitely want to be a permanent resident.
Why not just marry someone?</p>
<p>Yes, it's something like that. For green card usually it takes 2 years for someone to do it, they have to have documentation, good moral character, etc. and so on. It's easier if you have one or two relatives who are already citizens or residents, my parents are both residents and it should've been easier but it's taking longer than wanted.
I don't really want my citizenship, I could care less, lol. I want to go to Cuba too... lol, can't do that being a US citizen. But I definitely want to be a permanent resident.
Why not just marry someone?</p>
<p>"My parents wont be able to pay for my college tuition if I get accepted into my top colleges... especially since they are ignoring my college education and wants to use all the money they have to buy a house... NOW!!! right when I'm going to be going off to colleges! NOT GOOD!!!"</p>
<p>Each family has its own financial limitations, and its own financial priorities. Your parents may finally be able to afford a home in your area after many years of saving up for it. In this case, they should go ahead and get it now while they are able to do so. If they pay a mortgage instead of rent for the next 20 years or so, they will have the home paid off when they retire and you won't have to be helping them pay rent at the same time you are trying to raise your own family or buy your own home or help pay for your kids' educations in the future. </p>
<p>There are many ways for you to get an education, nowhere is it written that you "have to" go to your first choice school. Nowhere is it written that your parents "have to" pay even one cent toward your college education. Once you are 18, they aren't legally obligated to support you at all. You need to get real about your affordable college options. If that means community college for two years and then living at home and commuting to a public university, so be it. There is an entire generation of professionals (including some Nobel Laureates) who graduated from the City College of New York City back when tuition was completely free. Most of them were the children of immigrants. Most of them lived at home and took the subway or the bus to class. Many of them studied at night. Most of their parents were struggling financially. If they could get a good education at that institution under those conditions back then, you certainly can get a good education wherever you end up right now.</p>
<p>"I want to go to Cuba too... lol, can't do that being a US citizen."</p>
<p>You can go to Cuba as a US citizen. There are certain restrictions on travel to Cuba, but people do it all the time.</p>
<p>There are any number of Cuban-Americans who travel there every year or so. Going as a regular tourist is more complicated. The US State Department has rules that you need to follow in order to travel there directly from the USA. Some people also opt to travel there from a third country (usually Canada or Mexico).</p>