Need Advice On Situation

Transfer Students UC Transfers
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<p>Hi! I know a lot of people ask for advice, but I couldn't find anyone in a similar situation. This may turn out to be a long thread, so please bear the length!</p>

<p>I'm an undocumented immigrant student who was attending a 4 year private university in the east coast. My father had the funds and agreed to pay for my tuition. My first semester at that university was fine, but during the second semester when the economy went downhill, my father mentioned difficulties paying for my tuition and asked me to take a year off. I agreed, and for the remainder of my second semester, I worked and studied, which brought my grades down significantly. As an undocumented immigrant student with no financial aid and possible loans, this was the only option that I had.</p>

<p>During my year off, I stayed in the east coast to do volunteer research for a year and work part-time. Finally, a few months ago, it turned out that my father's business was doing well; instead, he was committing adultery and did not want to support my family anymore. Readers of this topic can guess the rest.</p>

<p>Anyways, so now I'm packing my bags after having discovered my fathers refusal to support me and my family. I plan to attend SMC this summer and apply for transfer admittance this fall to UCLA as this is my cheapest option. Is this possible/probable if I obtain stellar grades at the CC? I do have a possible essay in mind, and I have research and extracurriculars that I've been working on for years now.</p>

<p>Also, my university was kind enough to put me on a cheap payment plan, but they will not release a transcript until I pay the full amount. With no support from my father, I obviously cannot pay for the entire sum for a few years; my mother, who supports four children, cannot afford the lump sum of a private university but can help me pay for my tuition at SMC and, in the future, at a UC. Will my chances of being admitted be lowered since I have a debt with another university? How will admissions view this situation?</p>

<p>Also, I was wondering how my lack of transcripts from my private institution will affect my application and chances of being admitted. I'm guessing that without a transcript, I must take those classes all over (although I do have a lot of AP credits). Will they mind my lack of transcript if I take all the fundamental courses over anyways? Is this actually beneficial for me since my grades dropped during my second semester? I really don't know how this will affect my application, so I would like any feedback on what this entails from anyone.</p>

<p>Thank you!</p>

<p>P.S. I don't know if this matters, but my older sister attends UCLA.</p>

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<p>You’ll need a transcript. End of story. Otherwise you have to take those classes again. Also, undocumented immigrant? As in you are in the US without a visa? Better get that taken care of before La Migra finds out, esse.</p>

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<p>have you talked to a lawyer regarding your status? im pretty sure you will get zilch in terms of financial aid from ucla if you do attend. it WILL cost you as much as a private university.</p>

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<p>Is “undocumented immigrant” synonymous for “illegal immigrant”? I’m just asking because your post has caused me to start researching the topic.</p>

<p>Here’s some interesting information I scooped up:</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.tcla.gseis.ucla.edu/reportcard/features/5-6/ab540/pdf/UndocImmigStud.pdf[/url]”>http://www.tcla.gseis.ucla.edu/reportcard/features/5-6/ab540/pdf/UndocImmigStud.pdf&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://articles.latimes.com/2009/feb/02/local/me-freshman2[/url]”>http://articles.latimes.com/2009/feb/02/local/me-freshman2&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>And everyone is probably going to tell you one or more of these 3 things (SFwarrior already has):

  • Talk to a UC College Counselor
  • Get legal or sort out the legal situation PRONTO
  • This is NOT going to be a fast process at all- it will likely take you a few years, by which time you may be able to pay off the tuition</p>

<p>Good luck, though. I’m not saying not to try, if it’s what you want. I’m just saying don’t expect it to be quick or painless.</p>

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<p>Your situation is pretty complex. The admissions process of the UC’s is reasonable, so I don’t think your past will hurt you. The best thing to do is sit down with any counselors or UC reps that you can. They’ll answer all your questions, and they won’t be guessing (like most of us would have to, given the uniqueness of your situation).</p>

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<p>james is also right, you will need ALL of your transcripts. I would first try to settle the legality of your stay in this country. now im no buff on immigration law but, assumption being you got here on a tourist visa, and you mention AP credits, plus the fact that you have attended college, I can deduce you have long overstayed the visa. you are probably a paperless illegal. get this straightened out with a lawyer ASAP. i wouldn’t worry about ucla admissions as much as getting deported by ICE.</p>

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<p>Call the UCs. This is a ****ing complex situation and I doubt junior college counselors would have any idea on how to handle this. Don’t waste time telling them the whole backstory because it’s irrelevant. Ask about the transcript situation and ask about your immigration status. The UCs are the only place you’ll find your answers.</p>

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<p>agreed. Definitely call a UC rep, only AFTER you get your status sorted out. From what Ive read you are in much greater risk of deportation. I’d read up on this document; <a href=“http://www.criminalandimmigrationlaw.com/public/Deportation_Grounds_Checklist.pdf[/url]”>http://www.criminalandimmigrationlaw.com/public/Deportation_Grounds_Checklist.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>I’d like to address the negativity regarding my immigration status… Firstly and foremost, I’m a Korean national who moved to the U.S. when I was 2 months old. I’ve been here ever since, but it turns out my father did another idiotic thing: he didn’t renew our visa or apply for permanent residency. I don’t know what “La Migra” means… but please don’t assume that I speak Spanish.</p>

<p>As for the cost of attending a UC, under the AB540, as long as I’m a California resident, I qualify for in-state tuition, so the cost of attending a UC is no issue. I do know the full ramifications of being an undocumented immigrant (please don’t use the xenophobic term “illegal alien”, although I’m not sure how left or right the posters on this forum are…), and currently the only way to obtain a legal stay in this country would be for my marrying a citizen or other processes of the sort. Anyways, let’s ignore the fact that I’m an undocumented immigrant; the only reason I had brought that up was to explain my difficulty paying for my private out-of-state institution, and there is currently no method for someone in my situation to adjust their status without marriage or magical immigration reform. Thanks for all the concerns…</p>

<p>Anyways, so since there is no way to circumvent my inability to obtain transcripts, how will the fact that I’m currently paying off my old school affect my admissions? Also, will my taking classes all over due to my inability to obtain a transcript affect my application negatively?</p>

<p>Edit: Reading this topic makes me a bit edgy, but I’d like to note that I do in fact worry about my immigration status frequently. However, it is an issue that I can solve while simultaneously attending school, so please don’t worry about it. I’d like answers to the aforementioned questions to be free of concern towards my immigration status unless relevant.</p>

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<p>FiveKey- I find your post eloquently and intelligently written, I am sorry that you are in such a situation and also sorry that many people are mis-informed about undocumented students and cannot answer your question sufficiently.</p>

<p>I wish i was informed enough to help you but all i can offer is an answer to the question, "will my taking classes all over due to my inability to obtain a transcript affect my application negatively? "</p>

<p>The University of California wants to see all university/college coursework even if they have been re-taken at a different school.</p>

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<p>It’s really quite simple. If the UC knows you’ve attended another university then you MUST give them the transcripts. It doesn’t matter if you start all over and take very single class again, you still need to provide transcripts. </p>

<p>I’m not an expert so I’m not going to say you’re wrong regarding the immigration status part but how can you be an illegal immigrant and be a legal CA resident. I’m pretty sure it’s a little more than providing an electricity bill with a CA address on it.</p>

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<p>Please dont take offense to what I posted. The only reason I brought up your immigrant status is due to financial aid reasons. Yes, you can get in-state tuition if you are a California resident. However, have you read the qualifications in order to establish residency here? </p>

<p>Adult students (at least 18 years of age) may establish (begin the 366 day durational requirement (physical presence coupled with intent) residency for fee purposes in California if they are a U.S. citizen, permanent resident or other immigrant, or a nonimmigrant who is not precluded from establishing a domicile in the U.S. This includes nonimmigrants who hold valid visas of the following types: A, E, G, H1, H4, I, K, L, N, NATO, O1, O3, R, V, or TPS. Adult students cannot derive residence from a spouse or parents. </p>

<p>That was pulled verbatum from the University of California guidelines for residency status. Seeing as how you haven’t clarified exactly what your status is, I assumed you aren’t a holder of one of these visas that would grant you residency…</p>

<p>To further drive my point home, your immigrant status has everything to do with paying for UCLA. You mentioned financial difficulty, and as such, paying in-state tuition at UCLA would be significantly less of a burden to your unfortunate mother than full-blown OST/Non-Qualified Tuition.</p>

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<p>Thank you janethedoe and MantisTobaggan. I do understand that transcripts must be provided, but what about people who are unable to obtain their transcripts from previous schools? Does this imply that applicants who fail to provide transcripts are automatically rejected despite any barriers to obtaining said transcripts?</p>

<p>I’m not an expert either, but I think becoming a California resident is as easy as living in California for a few years. I’ve lived in California for 18 years, so somehow I’m a California resident. Many states have bills similar to California’s AB540, which entitles undocumented immigrant students of California in-state tuition. I guess this is a discrepancy between federal law and state law. As a final note, my older sister does receive in-state tuition under the AB540.</p>

<hr>

<p>SFwarrior25: Here is a link towards the previously mentioned AB540 of California - <a href=“http://maldef.org/education/public_policy/ab540/[/url]”>http://maldef.org/education/public_policy/ab540/&lt;/a&gt;
People in my situation are entitled to the in-state tuition of a California resident as long as they satisfy that criteria. Yes, paying for tuition has everything to do with my desire to attend a UC; I don’t think any logical person would desire to transfer to an equally expensive institution of higher education if they were financially unable to do so. I don’t know why, but I’m starting to get the impression that you assume that I haven’t done much research…</p>

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<p>^^oh…well u graduated from a CA hs. nevermind. hahaha. congratulations, you qualify for in-state tuition. :)</p>

<p>ps. im not a d ou che, everyone here will back me up on that. I was just trying to be helpful</p>

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<p>If your sister is the same status as you then I guess it works out. It didn’t really make sense to me because the UC application always required a social security number or something like that.</p>

<p>About the transcripts, the letter of the law says they’re required. I really have no idea how they’d treat your situation but calling them is the only way to find out. But it might be a real possibility that they’d force you to pay off your debt and acquire the transcripts before giving you a chance for admittance.</p>

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<p>i vouch for SFwarrior25 he is a cool guy :slight_smile: as a matter of fact all posters who replied in this thread are Aces in my book <3</p>

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<p>not me. i’m kind of a dick sometimes</p>

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<p>SFwarrior25: I don’t think that you’re a “******”. Unfortunately, I feel as if I failed to provide enough information in a clear, coherent way, so I apologize. Thanks for your help!</p>

<p>MantisTobaggan: People in my situation simply write “AB540” in the social security field of the online application.</p>

<p>I guess the only way to truly know how to handle my transcript dilemma is to speak to a UC official. It was worth a shot asking on this forum, but perhaps there is still someone out there who knows the answer!</p>

<p>On the other hand, does anyone know how retaking courses would affect the evaluation of an application? Do admissions officers usually view them in a negative light?</p>

<hr>

<p>AintThatABeach: Aw, that wasn’t a nice thing to say. :(</p>

<p>janethedoe: I don’t dislike anyone on this forum so far. I guess I give that kind of vibe out. :(</p>

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<p>well it really depends on your transcript situation. if you’re allowed to send them your transcript somehow then you wouldn’t need to retake your courses. if you can’t send it and they still allow you to apply/be admitted then they would just see them as regular courses and wouldn’t know whether or not they’re repeats.</p>

<p>if your question is regarding repeating failed courses at a junior college: i’m pretty sure most UCs don’t factor in the failed grade for your GPA if you re-take it but they’d still see it on your transcript so a lot of them could be a negative on your application</p>

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<p>FiveKey, way to throw out the big words and all, but since So Cal is FULL of foreigners, it’s pretty cocky of you to call ANYBODY on here xenophobic… especially since most of us are trying to help you even though we don’t have to. AND if you had mentioned AB540 in the beginning, that probably would have cleared up a lot of our questions for you. So in the future, a) be nice to people who are helping you, b) be more thorough and clear, and c) have a coke and a smile! :slight_smile: I can understand why you’re testy, but you’ll get through this. It won’t be easy, but you will.</p>