So, here’s my situation. I’ve been living in Michigan for a long time now and all my life, I’ve always wanted to go to UMich so I studied hard, did all the extracurriculars and everything and did get into UMich on ED. I come from a lower income family (less than 25K) so I was pretty confident that I’d be able to get a need-based scholarship there so I kind of didn’t apply to any other top-tier schools.
Now, my immigration status has suddenly changed due to my lawyer’s mistake and I’ve become an international student even though I live in the US. Now I don’t get any FAFSA any aid whatsoever from any schools. I have a few options but I don’t know what one to choose so pls help as it is a major decision in my life:
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wait till next year (i appealed to the decision and my status may go back to in-state student) and then apply to other TOP schools too like USC, Georgetown etc and see which one gives you the best offer and choose from there. (idk if you can just apply again? would i have to retake SAT? am i gonna be at a disadvantage? I’m the first person to go to college from my family i really dont know anything about these and my counselors are literally of no help)
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go to a community college and transfer to a good uni later. i’d have to pay to both until my status gets fixed (there’s no guarantee that it will)
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go to UToledo as they’re being flexible about my situation and giving me some scholarships. out of 34k a year, I’d still have 20k to pay. I can work and all but idk how possible it would be to pay the rest with my work. I cant take loans. and I still want to be involved in extracurriculars and take leadership positions. Idk if this will be possible if i work 20 hrs a week.
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study abroad in Taiwan. I want to study international relations and something around it. I feel like studying in Taiwan would give me a good experience + be able to learn Chinese. I’ve found a college with English taught international relations program and the cost is the same as what i’d have to pay if i were to go to CC here. I really want to go there but it’s kinda like a mid-lower ranking school in taiwan and I don’t know if i can get into a TOP US school like Georgetown or USC or Harvard from there. Is it harder to get into TOP notch schools for masters if you have a bachelors degree from a law rank/no-name uni? I really want to do my masters back here or in UK and I don’t want to jeopardize my chances of getting in by going to a uni just bc it’s an easier option for me.
A student attending top taiwan uni advised me to take a gap year and learn chinese and then apply to a top Taiwan uni. the uni he goes to is affordable for me but idk if taking a gap year to learn chinese would help me survive the classes there. -
i can also study abroad in Spain/Germany as i have family there and it’s more affordable than paying 65k for UMich, but the same question: If i go to a not-so-known uni there but do really well, am I still gonna have the same chance of getting into a good US school for masters as I’d have if i were to get my bachelors from UMich??
I know this a lot to take in but pls help. pls. For the past three months, I’ve been suffering from extreme existential crisis and developed eating disorder, depression and about to give up on life. I’ve talked to many attornies, many counselors, and many other people but no one has been able to help me with this situation. If you can’t say anything for sure, at least tell me about your situation/experience if you’ve done any of what i’ve mentioned above. thank you.