<p>I was born in China and came to America when I was 8.
Unfortunately, I still have not received my green card and will be graduating next year.</p>
<p>Do I have a disadvantage( compared to Chinese born Americans) when applying to colleges?</p>
<p>I heard that some colleges would not care on whether or not I am an international student, but compare me to my surroundings instead.</p>
<p>Thank You</p>
<p>You are an international applicant for financial aid purposes unless your state of residence offers in-state tuition and fees because of the length of time you have been living there and/or because you will graduate from HS there. Talk with your parents about just exactly how much money is available for your education, and make your list accordingly.</p>
<p>Academically, you classify as a domestic student, and you will be expected to have a transcript and ECs that are very similar to those of the US citizen students who you have been in school with since you got to the US. The only adjustment for your coursework would be ESL classes (depending on how long you have been here). Also, some institutions may require that you present a TOEFL score. Check each website carefully. </p>
<p>You need to find out if you can pursue college-level work with your current visa status. It may be necessary for you to convert to an F-1 visa. Even if you don’t need to, you may prefer to do so because it will almost certainly improve your work eligibility.</p>
<p>Wishing you all the best.</p>
<p>I mean acceptance into colleges, not financial aid.</p>
<p>My understanding from your post is that neither you nor your parents are permanent residents. So most likely you’ll be treated by most (and possibly all) universities as an international student. At selective colleges the admission rate for international students is significantly lower than for domestic students.</p>
<p>Perhaps there is some way you and your parents can accelerate getting permanent residence status. It would make a huge difference for you in terms of your admission chances.</p>
<p>Yes… this is a long bump…</p>
<p>But who am I being compared with? I am in the international pool… but my grades and everything are domestic ._.</p>
<p>I donno which colleges to apply to… I know I should lower my standards if I have a major disadvantage compared to domestic students :(</p>
<p>You are an international applicant for financial aid purposes. This puts you in a very tough, competitive, group.</p>
<p>Go ahead and apply to the places you would like, but be certain there is at least one institution on your list that your family can afford without financial aid. It is entirely possible that your financial safety is not in the US. A Canadian or Australian university might be more affordable for you.</p>
<p>If you don’t need aid, you’ll be treated like a Chinese American.</p>
<p>Ah, alright.
Thank you guys.</p>
<p>I hope I won’t need financial aid…
Mm… my parents can provide for my first two years.</p>
<p>Can I like not apply for financial aid in my application, but apply for aid after 2 years in college?
Asking since applying for aid as an international student lowers my chances.</p>
<p>
Congratulations on your full integration into American youth culture.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>It is just plain stupid to use up all of your college funds in two years. It is highly unlikely that there would be any aid available suddenly after those two years.</p>
<p>How much money, exactly, do your parents have set aside that will let them “provide for my first two years”? Is that 40k which would pay for two years at in-state costs at a public U, or is that 100k which would pay for two years at many privates? If it is 100k, that could be spread over 4 years and cover just about the entire cost of attendance at a number of less-expensive public institutions. If you have a good community college that you can commute to for two years, even at out-of-state rates, it still is likely to be an economical option. That way you could have the bulk of your college funds left over for when you transfer to a 4-year institution.</p>
<p>You need to sit down with your guidance counselor, and ask for advice about your situation. If he/she hasn’t worked with any students in your situation yet, he/she has professional colleagues at other high schools who have. Those people may have good ideas for you.</p>
<p>
How is that international? If you have a social security, you are not international at all. If you are holding F1 - which doesn’t make sense at all (because you came here at age of 8, which is not eligible for F1 =_= ).</p>
<p>
Let’s be honest. I am Chinese too, and I am a CBC. I am from Hong Kong, actually.</p>
<p>What happymomof1 said is right. You are considered as a domestic student.
However, the actual pool that you are going against is the local pool, if you decided to apply to a school outside your city or state. For example, if you are from Cali and you want to apply to Columbia, you are competing against the New Yorkers, as well as thousands of others across the country.</p>
<p>Yes, youre at disadvantage, but mainly for financial aid purposes. I dont think that your immigration status will influence admissions decision (in most schools). You wont be able to apply for financial aid (you cant file FAFSA) in state schools. If admitted, youll have to come up with money on your own. In some states you can get in-state tuition (10 states). You can also start in your local community college for first one-two years, get good grades, and then transfer, or commute to local university and save a lot of money on room and board. Its really depends on where you live.
Some private colleges (LACs) have limited money available for international students (yes, competition is greater than for domestic students), but if youre a competitive applicant everything is possible. You will need to fill International Application for Financial Aid (can be found on CollegeBoard or college web sites) where you and your parents have to provide information about your income, assets, and expenses for the last tax year. Be honest with admissions in private schools: if you need financial aid, then say so. Its no use to be admitted, if you wont be able to attend for financial reasons.
Trying to change the status to F1 student visa is probably not a good idea. You will be able to work on-campus for very limited number of hours/week. Besides, you will have to prove that you dont have immigrant intent in order to get F1 visa, and after college, youll have to go H1B visa route (youll have to find an employer that sponsors H1B). If your familys already applied for change of status (green card) and youre included in this application, you might be able to get work permit and use it for employment (unlimited) until you get green card.
Make your list of schools wisely (typically colleges with higher percentage of internationals have more aid available), research schools policies toward financial aid for internationals.</p>
<p>Good luck with your application process! You have a lot of options.</p>