I see 65k (tuition, fees, room, board, insurance) - 45k (merit aid + grant) = 25k (estimated family cost). WIth the DC subsidy I would have exactly 13k left, and I could probably get a majority of that through some scholarships. I just received an acceptance letter from UMBC, but they gave me no aid.
I will talk to my mom and see what I can do about my grades. My grades right now this quarter are mostly Cs, As, and Bs, I will aim to raise them now since I know that will help my situation. And I know Wilson is a great school my mom’s mindset is I spend 3 years at my hs I should be graduating from it. I had enless discussions with her about this, and she does not care. I will try to raise my grades, it should not be that hard since they are low due to many outstanding assignments. All I have to do is find time to the assgs.
I know my GC should have provided different information. I am frustrated because she is aware she is my only resource yet misguided me, and now I am in this mess. I will call Ithaca and see what happens. I will see what I can do about making more applications, the problem that I am seeing is that these schools are not providing much aid because it is so late into the process, and they already gave aid to many students. I will still apply, though, just because I have nothing to lose. Thank you and I will try to make the best of this situation.
I am considering taking a gap year and then going to Ithaca or like you are saying MoCo CC to UMD. It will help me save up for it and be easier due to my citizenship situation. Do you know if transferring out of Itacha to a a higher ranked school would be easier?
I feel it is unfair that I cannot attend any of my top choices due to circumstances outside of my control( my PARENT’S income, my parents dragging me here to the USlol). I could figure something out financially by that time and attend GW/American but as a commuter which would save up money. That might be easier to do, but I have no idea if that doable or even realistic this is why I am asking you.
Can you take a gap/deferral to Ithaca and work for the year? This way you could save some money and apply for scholarships. If you let Ithaca know this, they may be able to help with more aid. I think the rest of your options would be there if you applied again next year, so I would use a deferral for Ithaca.
Yes, I am considering this and will see if this option is viable for me. Thank you.
In real life this is very very unlikely to happen.
Fwiw (I know- not much right now!) CC is full of kids who can’t afford the schools they got into. It’s not fair to any of them, but it is a tough reality about the US college system.
As for the move, I get that. I have been the parent that drags their kids to different countries. Fwiw, my guess is that your parents feel some of the same pain as I did with mine: it is heartbreaking to see your kid in pain that you have precipitated. But like most parents, they are doing the best they can with what they have to work with- and that is what you have to do also.
I still think that your best bets are either Marymount or MoCo CC this September. Go, get perfect marks. Start looking for internships from Day 1. Be a star. In a year take stock of where you are, what your status is, what your finances are.
Do you think that taking a gap year is a bad idea? It might make it easier because my US immigration status will be clearer.
You don’t need to be a US citizen to get loans. You do need to have built a good credit score.
Transfers get lousy aid (except at their instate public university, sometimes and not always: small merit scholarships may be available to a student who attended an instate Community College, based on cc GPA.)
So, yes, you could transfer out of Ithaca, but it’s far from a given.
It’d take you working full time for 5 years at $15/hour, not spending a penny of it, to afford 2 years at GWU or AU full price. Your mother would always need some of your wages, so in all likelihood itd end up being 8, or 10, or never. So, it’s not a good plan.
Once you’re a permanent resident or citizen, you qualify for federal financial aid and your odds of admission change. Have you read the link I posted above (Reject train going full speed)? If you haven’t, read it. Perhaps give the link to your mother, too.
As you said yourself, none of the solutions are optimal. Which one do you favor?
Why do you assume I would have to pay full tuition at those institutions?(GW & AU), I would be eligible for need based and federal aid which would make it more affordable and viable. My mom by that point would not need my wages then (I do not feel like explaining why).
After getting so many replies telling me transfers get lousy aid, I think that transferring would not be a good choice, so I am left with two options. One being to get my senior grades up, defer at Marymount, and then reapply to other colleges after my gap year is over (if I don’t get enough aid or any acceptances, then at least I have Marymount as a back up).
The other option is deferring at American or Ithaca. Once I receive my green card my aid would be increased (I would be eligible for federal and need-based aid), and might be to afford them. I am unsure if the second option is a good plan to be honest, but if it is a bad one than I have the first one.
@InfoQuestMom No,you don’t just need a good credit score to get private loans. You need to have sufficient income to be a qualified person to get a private loan. Or very sufficient collateral. Many U.S. loan vendors and banks will not lend money to folks who are not U.S. citizens because of the concern that they will go back to their home country and those loans won’t get repaid.
Having a good credit score will work for a Parent Plus Loan…but this student doesn’t qualify for any federally funded loans.
The student will not likely qualify for private loans in their name only because they have no collateral. And insufficient income and work history. The student will need a qualified cosigner.
@BelknapPoint what did I miss?
I’ll tell you why I assume so. My son graduated HS in 2020. I would have needed for him to receive a lot of FinAid for him to attend a private university. Like you, he had good overall GPA+SAT, but not spectacular, so it was unlikely he would receive huge Merit Aid. One year ago, we went through the college application process with the same goals as you, except we did not have the even greater obstacle of citizenship issues that you have.
We applied to dozens of colleges/universities. I learned a lot about what percentage offer the amount of aid you need, for students who don’t have 3.9 GPA and 1400 SAT. I researched literally hundreds of colleges, including AU and GWU. We toured AU three times, and GWU once. I’ve done my homework on those schools.
Is it possible one of those might award you a full ride? Anything is possible. However, there is no way you should assume it is likely. In fact, it is highly unlikely. What I’ve learned is that even the schools that close the gap of expense will expect that student to contribute the Pell Grant and most will expect you to take out your $5500 student loan. If either is unavailable to you because of citizenship status, it makes the hill a little steeper, especially at schools with FinAid outlooks similar to AU and GWU.
The way to surmount that hill is not to focus on only 2 specific schools. You need to widen your scope. Apply to more schools. You, like my son, do not have the stats to make it likely at most private colleges. Possible, but not likely. That means you have to do more work to create more opportunities.
Most private universities of the sort you refer to (American, GWU, Ithaca) have total costs around $60K-$75K/yr, which includes Tuition+R&B+RequiredFees+Books but not including travel costs and other life essentials like clothes, toiletries, etc. Only a small percentage of universities guarantee to meet the full financial need of accepted students, and the vast majority (I’d guess 95%+) of those are unlikely admittances for students who don’t have 3.9 GPA and 1450+ SAT.
Even if you eventually qualify for the full Pell Grant and take the full amount of your student loan, that totals about $12K-$13.5/yr. That will leave a gap of $48K-$65K/yr to be paid to attend a private university. It is extremely unlikely you will be awarded grants/scholarships from AU or GWU in that amount. It’s fine to include those two schools in your overall plans/dreams, but those two schools should not be viewed as dependable possibilities. Counting only on AU and GWU to meet your financial need is like counting on the lottery to provide your retirement. It is not a good plan. You need more options.
It’s nice that Marymount is a backup. That provides one backup. If you’re completely satisfied with Marymount, you should stop reading now and make plans to attend. If you’re ok with Marymount but would like another option or two …
I know it’s not fair to be expected to shoulder all this as a high school senior, but this is where it stands, so let’s get to it. You’ve done great so far.
I hate sounding like a broken record, but I really want you to be able to attend college this fall. If you can get admitted to AU, you can get admitted to other private schools, too. However, don’t make the assumption that because you got admitted to AU with Fr-Jr grades, that you’ll be accepted to similar schools after a gap year when they will definitely take into account your Sr year grades with Cs and Ds there.
I want you to make the most of this chance. Keep pushing.
I will keep applying to more schools and scholarships. I will see if attending school in the fall is a good choice but I believe a gap year is a good choice for me. If my deferences are permitted. Knowing myself and my circumstances I know if I take a gap year I will enroll to a college by the time my gap year is done.
I am assuming by your reply you presume I will have to pay the full COA at AU and GW. Both schools are close to me and I will only have to pay for tuition. I will be a commuter but those schools are still expensive and I have no idea if that even changes anything. After applying to more schools I will determine which option is the best, assuming I get into a school with enough aid (unlikely though because I am international) but there is no harm in trying. As a hs senior this situation is stressful but I appreciate your outlook since it helps me.
You are in a stressful situation, and your replies here have been thoughtful and articulate. We are all rooting for you, keep us updated, and finish your semester strong.
You hit the high points. A risky borrower will be much less likely to get a loan, at least any loan that doesn’t have outrageous terms.
Your best bet is to go to Marymount without a deferral. I think you are hyperfocused on top schools and shouldn’t be. Breaking in to IA will be tough. Even if you can afford GW or AU, you will be competing for internships with students with stronger academic profiles than you. There is a lot to be gained by going to a school where you can earn top grades and be a big fish, work closely with faculty as a top student, and land those hard to get opportunities. Plus, no debt and being able to save some money will allow you to take those unpaid internships you’ll need.
Given all the details you’ve shared, I no longer think you gain anything by either taking a gap year or starting at the community college.
We’re definitely all rooting for you, but as a parent and educator, I caution you about putting too much thought into the blame game. It’s true that life is unfair, but it’s unfair for most people at some point or another, students included. The details change, but it’s unfair. Your parents sound terrific - like they are doing the best they can wanting the best for you. They likely can’t control their income and parents only drag their kids anywhere because they think it’s the best for them at the time. It may well have been. We don’t know the details.
Regardless, all parents make mistakes, none of us can go back and correct any via hindsight, and all humans have to play the hand they are dealt in life.
I think you’re playing yours well. You’ve made some mistakes (as you’ve admitted) with grades, etc, but are determined to fix what you can. You’re openly looking for advice and wisely considering the options being proposed. You have a lot of life experience now that can guide you, both yours and those giving you their thoughts. I think you will do well wherever you go. It might not all work out the same way you’re hoping it will, but with determination manifesting itself via work (academic and otherwise), I think you will do well regardless of which of your paths you opt to head down as long as you choose one of them.
Just don’t spend much time dwelling on unfairness or blame. At some point you might become a parent too and you’ll see that none of us are perfect, because you’ll want to be, but then life will happen. 
Yes, but lack of US citizenship is a minor thing compared to every other factor institutions look at. Our lack of citizenship was never a factor for my family to qualify for loans. As long as you have a valid visa and everything else is fine, you are good to go.
I am not blaming them with an ill intention. I love my parents and appreciate everything they do for me and have always done for me. I am simply expressing my frustration. I never spoke negatively of them, but simply stated the reasons that are out of my control and unfortunately my parents’ income is one of them. I understand how it could have come off as if I was blaming them. Please do not misconstrue my words.
Frankly this is all a lot for me, I have no idea what to do, and I am just trying to get some advice. Anything to help me out. I will try to change my perspective and accept the fact that a top institution is not something I can afford. I want to attend one since it would greatly help me with social mobility. But life is unfair, and that is the way it is and I have to learn to accept that. If I work hard I will figure something out.
No doubt there - and you’re handling it well.
I’ve seen students do quite well with their lives regardless of where they went to college. Most either can’t afford or can’t get into top schools, so they go to lesser known state schools or wherever they can get money. What makes them successful if the determination to do well. They seek out professors to build relationships. They keep their eyes open for opportunities. They don’t stop when they get one (or ten) “no’s,” but press on until they get a “yes.” They are kind and have good people skills which pays off opening doors. You can do the same.
FWIW, I never thought you disliked your parents - few work full time to help people they don’t care a lot about. I mainly didn’t want to see any semblance of regret getting into your mindset because I’ve seen students, unfortunately, get hooked on some reason or another and ending their quest assuming things are impossible. They aren’t. They just look different than originally thought. Time to move to Plan B to reach your goal.