<p>kevinsm329 -</p>
<p>If you are still around, go to the International Students Forum, and read everything that b@r!um has written on finding aid as an international applicant. Right now your best bet may be to take a gap year. DO NOT TAKE ANY COLLEGE CLASSES DURING A GAP YEAR!!! That will probably ruin your chances for admission in freshman status, which would mean that you will not be able to get the best aid package. </p>
<p>Spend some time in the Financial Aid Forum as well. Read through the threads on Guaranteed Merit-Based Aid. If your grades are good enough to qualify for some of those scholarships, work on your SAT and ACT scores to bring them up to the range you need for admissions and money. By the way, if you had looked at the Financial Aid Forum sooner, you would have known that NYU is famous for giving lousy aid packages to all but a very small number of students. Even if you had been admitted there, chances are that it would have been utterly unaffordable. </p>
<p>Talk with your family about the money. From your other threads you appear to be in California. Find out if you qualify for in-state tuition and fees there. A commuting distance CCC or CSU might be affordable.</p>
<p>Lastly, unless your family is already in line for a green card, you need to consider which major and/or college is most likely to get you a job when you leave the US after completing your studies and any OPT time. Students who major in the subjects that you are considering have almost no chance (as in truly very nearly impossible) of finding employers who will go through the expense and hassle of an H1B (work) visa application. You need to be ready to find a job in your home country, or elsewhere outside the US.</p>