<p>I'm an int'l student whose visa expired a year ago, and my greencard is currently under process (it doesn't make sense to reapply for a visa because a visa and a greeencard take almost the same amount of time to process). I intended to transfer for Fall 2010, and have acceptances, but I applied for bank loans (don't qualify for those non gov't, interest free ones--i can't file a fafsa and TAP in ny is only about $400 for me) and i didn't get approved (bad credit, outstanding parental debt,etc...i knew we shouldn't have bought all those sofas). this means that when i have to pay my tuition before the start of the semester, i will need to pay everything upfront--tuition,room, meal plans,etc-- which i can't pay. And I have poor, indebted relatives as well....</p>
<p>So is there anything I can do at this point? I did not apply for fin. aid at any of my schools because I knew I wouldnt qualify and I was counting on getting my loan approved. Or do i need to reapply for transfer?</p>
<p><em>Sigh</em> I'm kind of upset that I spent so much effort filling out the apps for it to turn out this way.</p>
<p>Any suggestions? Can I explain this to the schools I was accepted to so far and tell them I'll reapply in a year when/if finances are better?</p>
<p>oh nooo ahhh i hope you pull through this situation okay… I’m an international too, where are you from? where did you get accepted? and if it’s not too personal to ask, what were the circumstances that enabled you to apply for a green card? i’m not sure if there’s a way you can write to the schools you got into and maybe explain your financial situation and make an exception of allowing you to defer for a year? essentially since your green card is on its way it’s legal for you to not be in school for a year right? sorry if i’m not really helping. hope you get through this though!</p>
<p>Have you spoken to the financial aid counselors at the schools you’ve been accepted to? They may be able to offer advice. Not all schools require you to pay their tuition up front. I believe some schools have payment plans where they break up the cost of tuition, though breaking up $50,000+ over the course of a few months is still ridiculous.</p>
<p>I think I saw somewhere that you’re in Macaulay, right? Were you not eligible for merit in any of the schools? Anyway, get those talented fingers writing, go nab those outside scholarships!</p>
<p>college_ruled: only negative to deference is that you can’t attend college during that time, so that means a year of not taking class…</p>
<p>i’m a transfer student, and i didn’t receive any merit aid for vanderbilt (which i might negotiate, because my numbers are well into the 75th percentile) and for cornell I got a gauranteed transfer for spring 2011, but even 20K is really hard for me to pay unless i work full time starting immediately and my parents chip in half their paycheck (my folks are seriously poor and really bad at managing finances–argh!), which would get in the way of my studies.</p>
<p>@thewoman: the restuarant my mom worked at sponsored her application in 2001. the first form in the process got approved, approval for the second form is imminent, and i’m hoping to get my interview during the late summer or early fall, with my greencard in early winter/early spring, if all things go well.</p>
<p>this is unbelievable. everyone in my extended family is a citizen already (even my grandma! and she got her citizenship within 4 years of her visa!), except my parents and I who are still twiddling our thumbs for permanent residency. <em>headdesk</em> honestly, i have no idea what’s going to happen to me in the next 5 years w/ regards to grad school/med school. i’m getting gray hairs over this >.<</p>
<p>Call up the schools, explain your situation, and see what they say. At the very least ask if you can defer your admission for a year, stay on your full ride in Macaulay for that year, and then transfer as a Junior at which time you may pay with a loan or apply for fin aid as a permanent resident (if your residency issues work out by then, that is). I don’t really know what else to suggest – you must be frustrated. I hope everything works out for you. At the very worst though, staying in Macaulay won’t be too bad (especially since it’s free); despite the many faults of the program, the school really does have a lot to offer if you take full advantage of it. Also, with your stats, you can always look forward to going to a great grad/med school.</p>
<p>i wasnt plannig to go to vandy, but since they offer merit aid, i’ll call them up next week and ask for a) merit money given my situation or b) talk about reapplication and how they would see it if option a doesnt work out. for cornell, i highly doubt i can work out a deferral of my GT for fall 2011, and i definitely cannot get merit money. i was thinking of withdrawing the rest of my apps, but if i get anymore acceptances i could ask for a deferral. at this point i have to see what northwestern will do, b/c they offer merit money, although very very little to the cream of the transfer crop.</p>
<p>Vanderbilt is pretty awesome with aid, plus I’m sure if you ask they’d probably give you the option of deferring your acceptance! I think it’s possible they don’t need you to file another transfer app next year as long as you don’t matriculate in another school before that time. You’ll just have to talk to one specific guy in the admissions office and file with him a reapplication and it’ll be handled separately from the regular transfer pool. Did you get into Northwestern already? Also, where are you originally from?</p>
<p>NU does come out till mid may at least i think, b/c the deadline is this saturday. altohugh if it was between vandy and NU, i would pick NU although vandy is awesome too, i just like the evanston/chicago area better</p>
<p>One thing to say - I’m not sure if I would count on definitely being able to get a loan in the near future, the credit requirements are only getting stricter, with many of the loans requiring students to start paying the interest immediately. (Salliemae being one)</p>
hope you get through this though!</p>