So here is the deal with my life: I was born in America which makes me a citizen but i grew up in a french speaking country in Africa(guinea) and spent 16 years of my life in a french school.Last July, i got enrolled in a high school in Pennsylvania so that college applications would be easier since my dream is to get into one of the US top colleges.But recently i feel going back to my country because i am not satisfied with the high school education. But in my country SAT and AP classes are not offered which really count for TOP COLLEGES, there arises my question: Is it still gonna be easy to get into college with scholarships when i go back to my country and come back again to the united states?
Guys i need your advises ASAP
Can y’all answer please?
Most top colleges (top 20) give very little to no merit aid. Most likely aid would be financial if they deem that it is needed.
There is financial aid based on need and on merit. Scholarships are usually merit based financial aid and they are given to the top students with High GPA’s and High Test scores. Need based aid, will depend upon your families finances such as Income/Assets.
Since your country does not have AP, this will not be held against you however, if a US college requires SAT or ACT scores, then you will still be required to take these exams.
You are a US citizen, so you will be able to apply for Federal aid (FASFA) if you are eligible but you will not a resident of any state if your family lives in Guinea so you will be paying out of state costs for many of the public schools in the US.
It is up to you and your family what they feel is in your best interests to remain in the US or go back.
thanks so basically if my analyzes are good to stay in an american high school is better than going back to guinea
what if you get a good SAT score and solid GPA?
Having a strong SAT/GPA is always good. Top colleges won’t usually have merit based scholarships, but rather need based. Still, a good portion of colleges give merit based scholarships up to full rides. Given your background, you might fit the ideal Questbridge applicant which will give you up to full rides at top schools.
Get a copy of “The Art of Crossing Cultures” by Craig Storti. You have been here just about exactly the right amount of time to be at the bottom of the cultural adaptation curve, which means you quite probably are at the point in time where you will feel the most unhappy here. In about another month or so, things are likely to look better, and if you last for a full year, chances are that you will begin to actually feel comfortable. cultural adjustment is going to be something you deal with for the rest of your life. Wherever you live, and wherever you study, there will always be some things that aren’t quite right. That just comes with being a bi-cultural person. Fortunately, you also will be able to find some things that are more right in each place!
All that said, you need to know that colleges and universities are used to recieving applications from students who have studied in more than one country, so if you do go home, you can apply to any place here that you feel like. You need to get the best grades that you can so that you have more options when you apply here. You don’t need to take any AP exams if no AP classes are offered where you live. You will want to take the most rigorous program available in your high school - if your school there leads to a natioanl exam like the French Baccalaureat, you will need to pass that exam with a good score. With that kind of exam you might not need to take the ACT or SAT. But if you do need one of those exams, you don’t need to take a special class for them, you can find lots of practice tests online. Google for “xiggi sat prep” to get some useful ideas.
How much money do you need to get in order to be able to go to college here? Are you only interested in"top" places, or is it more important just to study in the US? If you can’t come to the US for college, where would you study instead? Is the political situation in Guinea stable enoigh for your family to feel that you are safe there as a US citizen?
@bugaddict where do you get the info that the OP is a good QuestBridge candidate? Just because someone grew up in Africa doesn’t imply that they are poor. The OPs family may be rich, middle class or poor. We don’t know.
I was assuming this because he was heavily implying that he was poor on his need for scholarships. I apologize if I offended anyone.
our baccalaureate usually happens in JUNE and college applications deadlines are in the early MARCH. I am interest ted in TOP colleges and i felt staying in the united states would be better and easier so i stayed this year in junior year but my high school is not that great even though i am in 3 honors classes and i feel to be self taught.
When i was in guinea i was doing pretty well and even had the opportunity to learn english there before i got into the United states. I got enough credits to become a senior but i chose to be a junior in order to learn more but as the years go on i realize that my education in Guinea was better than the one i have in the current high school over here.
I did look up online and saw that TOP universities like Harvard always look at your SAT score which has to be extremely good, your GPA, AP classes and your extracurricular activities and in Guinea They do not offer AP classes neither SAT and extracurricular activities.
Our national Baccalaureate is really tough but if i have to go back i will have to take in JUNE 2019.
And by the way i am registered for the SAT in may 5th to see how far i can do.
Some additional informations: from my transcript i have all the required credits to graduate this year
my real inquiry is Staying in the United States better than going back to Guinea?
Do whatever feels most comfortable to you. What everyone here has been saying is that you technically do not need AP/IB classes to get into the top schools, meaning you could go back to Guinea and be alright. When it really boils down to it, you should take care of yourself! 
Lots of students who study in French system and International Baccalaureate schools apply to colleges and universities in the US every year. You don’t have to finish your Bac before you apply to college. The admission decision will be based on your grades for all of secondary school including your year here, any tests required by the college/university, and your predicted grades for the Bac. (Of course if you fail your Bac, then your admissions offer might be rescinded, but you don’t plan on failing it, do you?) The counselors at the EducationUSA advising center in Conakry can explain the application process for students from Guinea to you. https://educationusa.state.gov/centers/educationusa-conakry
If you do not already have nearly perfect grades and test scores (practice test scores are reasonably good predictors), and teachers who will write excellent letters of recommendation for you, the “top” places might not even be possible for you. Even if they are possible, your chances of admission there are not good because so many other excellent students will be applying. What places are your “matches” and “safeties”? What does the guidance counselor at your current high school suggest? If you aren’t the first student to transfer into that high school from outside the US, the counselor is likely to have some idea about your options.
If you have the right credits to graduate from high school here in the US this year, you could go ahead and do that. Then you could go home to Guinea for a gap year while you apply to colleges in the US and elsewhere, and while you do some paid work or volunteer work that would give you ECs to write about in an application, and help you figure out what you want to do with your life.
Wishing you all the best!
thinking of doing some paid work as a teenager would be impossible in guinea but i already started working in the united states!
My report cards from guinea plus the one from this year will give me a GPA of 3.9 or above.
I certainly talked to my counselor and she said she would rather enroll me in AP classes and prepare me for the SAT/ACT than graduating this year and going back because i want to do my college in the USA but she said IT’S UP TO ME! and i’m still confused about what to do
You should be preparing for the SAT/ACT sooner rather than later so that you can take a first test this summer. If you need to, you can retake it in September.
Does your counselor have experience with getting students into the top institutions you are interested in?
Your situation is a bit uncommon. @MYOS1634 may have some ideas for you.
Do you have to live in PA? Is it possible to move to another state?
i am taking the SAT in may
PA is the only place i can stay while i am not with my parents