^ no. there’s no way HKim can earn 16k between now and August with a minimum wage job. 8k perhaps, working overtime graduation-August and part time now till graduation and that’s way optimistic. Most students can make 3.5-4k.
HKim should continue the research work + find a paid job, for sure.
HKim, have you met your GC
Even $3-4 thousand (over the summer) can be tough. My daughter worked baby sitting /nanny type jobs last summer for 2. 5 months in Chicago and made $17-20 /hour. Working jobs back to back and still came close to those marks. This was being paid directly no taxes taken out etc. He’s not going to find those types of wages.
@twoinanddone I want to make some things clear. The money my brother sends over and what my aunt may helps us with is reported under the other/untaxed income section of the SAR. l’m not exactly sure how this works on a system level, but my family’s intent isn’t to undermine the system and try to rob money off of other students. Maybe I misunderstood what you said. Although my father is currently looking for work - he’s 50, can’t drive at the moment, but has his associates and experience as a dental technician; right now a lot of our money is going towards getting my green card.
No, we would not be able to afford UAlabama unless we can close the gap significantly, a $16,000 gap. If I work full time, 9 hours for 5 days for 3 months, I can earn around $5-6k, $7k if I work that during the weekends that is a big IF and would limit how much research and other extracurriculars and services I could be doing as well as what it would cost between commutes and how taxes work (though that shouldn’t be too high).
The whole point of a green card, although as many of you have mentioned, yes, isn’t certain, is to close that $16,000 or $20,000 gap to something we can afford. That is the main thing. Its purpose, although does significantly affect, isn’t to gain an edge as a domestic applicant. It’s to apply to a lot more less selective schools that we couldn’t otherwise afford without FAFSA. Nothing is certain, and we don’t know how different this application round would’ve been with a greencard; it could’ve been the same or it could’ve been slightly better.
@MYOS1634
I have asked my counselor if there may have been anything wrong with my application, sent test score, LOR, and etc, and he says from what he has seen, there isn’t anything that jumps out to him.
He said to not worry about those materials; he’ll have his new GC LOR and my teacher LOR ready for the coming fall - application fees will also be waved (he is almost certain our school will be able to waive them).
I’m speaking with him today regarding what insight he may have recieved from the Case Western phone call.
@HKimPOSSIBLE Maybe follow up with Berea and ask if an interview is forthcoming? It will convey your interest in the school at a minimum. And if the news is not good, at least you will know.
Fingers crossed for Case - also a very fine school.
@HKimPOSSIBLE I’ve only recently been following your journey, but I have skimmed through most of this thread and looked at your stats (which are extremely impressive!). I understand that you ‘held back’ a few schools to apply to after your citizenship/green card status was more solidified. However I’m curious why didn’t you apply to Vanderbilt? Very strong with their need-based financial aid and it is open to select international students (which is how you would be classified there). Maybe I missed something.
[quote]
I want to make some things clear. The money my brother sends over and what my aunt may helps us with is reported under the other/untaxed income section of the SAR. l’m not exactly sure how this works on a system level, but my family’s intent isn’t to undermine the system and try to rob money off of other students. [/quot]
Since you don’t file FAFSA, you don’t have a SAR. It is unlikely you’ll have to report any money your brother provides or your aunt, because you/your father will either be Auto $0 or simplified assets.
My point was that you need to make money. Volunteering and working for non-wages from relatives is fine for people who don’t need money. You NEED cash money so you can pay it to colleges for room and board. You are lucky to have a DACA card/SSN so you can legally work.
You may not need to earn $16000 to pay room and board. Pick a cheaper plan. When you get your GC, you can borrow the $5,500 loan, and if your father doesn’t qualify for the Plus loan, you can get an additional $4000. If you’ve earned money between now and Aug (or maybe Jan start) you’ll have enough money. If you don’t work, you’ll have fewer options.
Or live at home and go to community college, do well, and get a Kemp scholarship to transfer in two years. That’s what a lot of DACA students do.
I keep hoping for good news from Case…
OP has already stated that he plans to work. As I understand it, when this school year is over, he needs to go to Korea to get his immigration stuff sorted. I assume that a more consistent/traditional job would be part of the plan when he gets back.
If there were not a green card on the horizon, then the plan described above as “what a lot of DACA students do” would make sense to consider. But if OP is going to qualify as a domestic applicant in the next admission cycle, then it makes no sense to me to suggest that he start community college. He should preserve his freshman status and reapply as a domestic applicant. There is every reason to expect that his prospects will be excellent in that context.
Also, there’s really no point in our continuing to rehash what OP possibly might have done differently this past year. He will have lots of great advice to benefit from, going forward.
So I got the final Case Western Waitlist survey. I checked "Top choicec and the “Interested in Spring semester” choice. Which should I have done? Is aid and housing still availablem Pros and Cons?
Crossing my fingers toy will hear positive news from them soon.
You did well.
But don’t expect too much since you’re still in the ‘international’ bucket. It means you have no shot at financial aid at this point. Focus on next year.
(Barrage of stressful questions upcoming)
Have you arranged for your recommendation letters to be re-uploaded/updated and your GC’s rec to be updated? Have you kept your grades strong? Have you been able to ask the researcher with whom you work where you can continue next year? Is your go year shaping up?
Both of those boxes sound right to check. Have you let them know that you should become Pell-eligible when you get your green card? Waitlists are typically more need-sensitive than regular admissions, so it’s a long shot but certainly worth a try, particularly if saying yes to the spring option means that they may put you back into a new financial aid pool with a new as-yet-unspent budget. I don’t know if that’s the case but one can hope and/or ask!
@HKimPOSSIBLE Were you able to get your green card issues and all that settled over the summer as you planned? I just wanted to check in and say that I was rooting for you!
I’ve been wondering about @HKimPOSSIBLE too! And hoping things were going well.
@elodyCOH Yes I have! Sorry, that took so long to reply.
I have received my lawful permanent residency in late August and after some delays, I came home all good and sound. Hearing “Welcome home to Chicago” was surprisingly welcoming this time around after my last “inspection”, although there really was no entry interview…the officer was familiar with the town I lived in and the school I graduated (was wearing the T-shirt) so maybe that helped too haha.
Anyways, I submitted my Questbridge application with a lot of support from friends, parents, and counselors, and I’m very hopeful for this year. I will rank 12 universities that have really good pre-med tracks/resources and see where that takes me. If all else fails, I know I am eligible for the Illinois Promise where hopefully I will get tuition, room, and board without any strings attached like QB. I will for sure look into the lines of that.
As for the summer, things have been pretty good. I’ve gotten the opportunity to manage my own projects at the research center and I’ve been helping some new model aircraft pilots build and fly their planes at the field which has been fun. Fish breeding is pretty intense (for me and the fish). My grandmother is also visiting so that’s always welcome, especially since I was craving some good Korean food - even after my recent visit to Korea.
That’s great news! Please continue to update us…we are going to want to follow your story for a long time…
This is a wonderful update! Please keep us posted as the admissions process unfolds. And, let me add, welcome HOME! 
Is there any point in sending in an update of your legal status and enquiring about spring admissions at any of the schools you had previously applied to? Genuinely no idea whether there is any point, just a thought…
Getting the legal status is a HUGE point… maybe, go back and read this thread from the beginning to get a better understanding of its significance.
I understand the significance of legal status. You did not understand my question. Is there any chance of being reconsidered for spring admission at any school the OP has applied to? I seem to recall they were waitlisted at some.
There’s a liklihood that the OP was rejected at (at least) some of the schools because of the legal status issues. At least, OP will now be eligible for instate options that were unaffordable before. Also, if he is accepted by Questbridge, that opens up new posssibilities. I believe he was considered an international student before, which is highly competitive even without needing financial aid.