It’s going to depend on the type of loan. A non U.S. citizen with an unsecured loan is more problematic, because the borrower is a higher risk to leave the country and be outside of U.S. judicial process. A loan secured by collateral is different. It’s generally harder to take the collateral with you outside the country (like with a loan secured by real estate or a car). An education loan is only secured by the goodwill of the borrower and the likelihood that the borrower with a degree in hand will find gainful employment with a salary that can be used to repay the loan, and if necessary the salary can be attached through judicial process - something that can’t happen if the borrower leaves the country,
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If you’re a permanent resident (“green card”) or a citizen most top schools will consider you. It can make all the difference.
(Have you read the Kimpossible thread? If not, it’s an essential read.)
BTW, working full time to help one’s family is considered one of the strongest EC’s there is. Equal to winning a national science competition or being a nationally ranked athlete.
Some top universities would be very low-cost *if you’re a domestic applicant * (run the NPC, say, on Dickinson College and come back to let us know what the result is, or whether that amount would be affordable).
Internationals are in a different pool.
You’re clearly qualified academically, as per your acceptances at AU and GWU,
but 1° there’s the financial issue linked to your classification, international v. domestic
and 2° your 2nd semester grades need to go up.
(We’re talking a C v. A costing you tens of thousands of dollars. BUT… that only applies if you’re classified as a domestic applicant.)
If you have Cs and Ds 2nd semester senior year these universities may be affordable for a domestic applicant, it doesn’t matter anymore because they become offlimits academically, regardless of how prestigious your HS is.
Neither AU nor GWU “meet need”. Even with maximum merit you’d still have to pay 20+K (that’s if you win the Frederick Douglass Scholarship, deadline Dec 1. You have the curriculum rigor but your grades need to be excellent. And of course winning that scholarship is far from a given).
Questbridge will consider you, regardless of status, if you graduate from a US high school; you can apply test-optional but can only select test-optional colleges (a lot of their partners will be test optional for Fall 2022). Being selected for Questbridge means a full ride scholarship to an elite institution. It also means you cannot have anything but A’s this semester.
(If bringing those Bs and Cs to A’s is a matter of turning assignements, prioritize the assignements with the most weight and go down that priority list till you have a shot at an A. I understand it has impacts upon your family so you’ll need to discuss this with them. For instance, if you can get free breakfast/lunch at school, as well as any sibling at their own school, that’s a little bit saved for your family that can go toward something else and switch a few hours of work to a few hours of hw. In addition, do you know if you’ll be getting the $1,400 “rescue” checks, since your family is here legally?)
I understand you’re in pain. It feels unfair, it IS unfair. But if you let that engulf you, it’ll block you from getting what you need. I hope you have an outlet, though, and have a way to express that pain (by talking with friends or anything creative or physical activity…) but… you have to hold on a little bit more. It’s a very difficult and confusing situation you’re in and you’ve responded with maturity and poise to the posts here as well as to the challenges thrown at you.
You’re not alone though: We’re here to help.
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If your intention is to transfer, I’d go with the two-year school. You’re going to save money, and you’re more likely to transfer. Another factor is what you’re planning on majoring in. There are some majors, like music performance, where you’re better off at a four-year.
I will try to raise my grades so that I can maintain my GPA. I will probably end up with mostly Bs and Cs because of the first semester, but that is much better than the track that I am on right now (Mostly Cs and Ds). I will put an update here when I figure out whether taking a gap year and reapplying is the best choice for me.
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I would strongly urge you NOT to take a gap year, thinking that you can work to earn and save for college. College is expensive, and the amount that one can earn as just a high school grad is low. Plus, you say that your mother needs you to contribute to the household expenses. And you say that your grades right now are not fantastic.
You need to keep moving forward. Call Ithaca college and explain to them that you only have the 10K/yr that DC will give you. Ask them to meet the rest. See what they can do for you. Otherwise, it’s community college, transferring to U Md as your best bet, with a move over the line into Maryland to become in-state in time for the transfer.
It would be one thing if you were in the top 1% of your class, at graduation, and had >99% test scores, and fantastic letters, and fantastic awards, and this had just happened by chance, AND you were going to have more achievements in time for the next application year, AND have a green card by next November. But that is not the case. In fact, your current poor grades would make it LESS likely for you to have a better outcome next year, reapplying.
You need to move forward with the options you have. Start school in either Virginia or Maryland at a community college with an articulated transfer program to U Md College Park, or U Va. Of take the offer at one of the 4 yr colleges, if you can swing it. But move forward. I am really afraid that if you take a gap year to work, you may find it very difficult to get back on the path towards a degree and a career.
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Actually you can if you are here on a legal visa. Your SS card will carry a Not permitted for work notice though.
@adara2 -
How is online school working for you? Montgomery College announced at the end of February that classes will continue to be remote through the fall semester of 2021 except for certain sections that require live hands-on training (automechanics, carpentry, some nursing and other science classes, etc.). If infection rates in Montgomery County fall low enough, it might be possible for some other courses to move to campus at some point in that semester. But right now everyone is just preparing to stick with remote instruction.
So if online isn’t your best way to study, a gap semester or year could make good sense. @MYOS1634 has good advice for you above about Questbridge. Check the subforum for that, and also read through this thread for more useful ideas. Reject Train Going Full Speed HKimPossible took a gap year, made a different list, and ended up with the money needed.
The best PhD student my husband has mentored so far took the community college (2 community colleges if I’m not mistaken) to 4 year regional university route due to cost. He came from a single parent, very low income household and it was the only option available to him. He had to work all through his college life. He is now making great money and starting a family of his own. Social mobility, thankfully, is still available to people without the red ribbon of prestige attached. I wish you the best of luck OP!
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@adara2 : How is it going?
Have you been able to talk with your mom about the need to cut work hours so that you can bring your grades up to protect your ability to go to college (and because, literally, a C v. a B can mean thousands of dollars in scholarships, gone.)
Would you be be able to check with your attorney to see how likely it is that you’d be approved for PR within a year?
I have good news! I was able to find a solution. I now work part-time. We were able to figure it all out last weekend and my grades have gotten significantly better since I have had some time to work on my assignments.
I talked to my attorney, and she said how quickly I get my PR is fully dependent on the courts. The courts are slow because of the pandemic, but she told me she guarantees me I will get it within two years, she is not so sure about one due to the pandemic.
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Excellent!
And congratulations on sorting this out with your mom and turning your grades around so quickly while still working part time.
Since there’s no guarantee you’d get your PR in a year, the safest bet probably is choosing between Ithaca and an affordable CC, hoping that in 2 years you’re both a permanent resident of the US and a resident of a state (VA, MD*) that has a solid transfer agreement with a university.
(*I suppose the general DC area could become a state, too, but it wouldn’t really help you wrt university since the 8K scholarships is due to DC residents not really having a choice, UDC being recognized as so universally bad and limited in offerings.)
Would your “DC grant” cover tuition at a VA or MD CC? (such as Montgomery, Prince George, or NOVA)?
You need to choose between Trinity Washington and Marymount. Do not turn down full rides! That is a HUGE gift!
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Hello Adara,
I dashed off my prior post before I had read through the entire thread. You have received some terrific advice, and some that is conflicting, so I can only imagine how confusing this must be.
There is so much I would like to say to try and reassure you that this can all work out. You’ve already made so much progress in just a week!
Please do not listen to the popular opinion in DC and MoCo re “bad colleges.” We live in an area with a lot of intellectual snobbery. It is important to carefully weigh the two full aid options before you. The risk of taking a gap year is that you may not return to college or find another free ride like you have now at Trinity DC and Marymount.
Are you aware that there are 28 Trinity DC alumnae and / or current students working at the Department of State right now? There are thousands of Trinity DC alumnae working in DC, including Nancy Pelosi! I’ve attached a jpeg from a LinkedIn search I ran cross-referencing Trinity DC and the State Dept.
Did you know that recent Trinity DC grads have gone on to study IA at Harvard and other top schools?
Are you aware that Trinity has a BA in International Affairs and places its students in great internships all around DC? I would wager they have many guest speakers from the local community as well.
Like you, I needed a near full scholarship to attend college. I was incredibly lucky to get one at a Top 30 university. Yes, the social capital was important, but it was also in some ways heartbreaking because there is so much competition around status at elite private schools. I still see it in the alumni community and of course here in Bethesda.
The point is, you will have expenses you may not anticipate now that would make the full scholarship to Trinity a godsend. For example, I recall asking a senior co-worker to lunch when I was working in NYC. I wanted to take her somewhere that I could afford, since I had asked her, but I could not afford a swanky place. I still recall how surprised she was by my choice of restaurant.
When you travel to school, you will need money for metro or a car. You will need money for nice looking interview clothes. There are always unexpected expenses beyond just tuition and books that you will need to be able to afford.
You are obviously close to your parents. If you go to a school out of the area, like Ithaca, it would take you many hours to return home, either by car or plane or train. It will be expensive. Your parents may run into a rough spot again and you will want to help out.
Please take a closer look at Trinity DC and at Marymount. Trinity has a number of live classes this week and next. They have financial aid seminars next month. Why not check them out?
We have a saying, “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.” This means you have two good options now. Everything else is speculation.
Good luck and please keep us posted. Feel free to DM me.
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I attend Montgomery College currently. I used to attend a low-ranking institution (College of Charleston). This post may be biased, because I only began using RateMyProfessor once I got to MC, but the CC professors may honestly be better. A lot of the professors at CofC were just not particularly impressive. Also, MC is called “The Harvard of Community College” for a reason - rumor has it, it is the only CC from which Harvard accepts transfers (though this could be totally false). And lastly, the campus is really new and nice.
If you really want to join a fraternity/sorority or have that freshman party experience, go to the 4-year. But otherwise, if money is a concern and you have enough discipline to keep your grades up, I’d pick MC.
Last point, this is purely anecdotal but I went from a 2.8 at CofC to a 4.0 at MC. Same class rigor just way better learning experience for me. I’m transferring back to a 4-year this semester, hopefully American U in fact!
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I have some news which may change my situation! My school just told me that any grade below a C- will instantly be considered a P (Pass), meaning any grade below a B- will not affect my GPA, which is kind of good news.
The other news is that I am a finalist for an $8,000-$20,000 scholarship which will help me if I end up at Ithaca (where I will major in Communications) but again I am a FINALIST which means I still have one round to go and I will have my interview (last round) soon so wish me luck. But for updates, that is pretty much it. I am still lost on what to do haha but will continue to keep you all posted.
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Email immediately all colleges where you got admitted to ask how they treat external scholarships (email Montgomery cc and NOVA cc too).
B- or C- ? Both appear in your post and it makes a difference.
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Will do! And for clarification, anything below a B- instantly becomes a P grade.
Just so you know:
Some colleges consider that if you get an external scholarship, it means you have less need, and they cut their scholarship offer! Some reduce the amount of debt and work study (so that you can add them back in, especially the work study). I belive that Maryland public universities have promised not to “cut” the scholarship offer if the student wins an external scholarship but it’s always best to check directly with each university.
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Does anyone have any opinion on whether transferring out of Trinity Washington Uni after 2 years to go to another college like American/GW is a good plan? Is it a viable option?
I am considering doing that since I truly love American and GW. Because of my status I cannot afford it right now (in 2 years I will receive my permanent residency). I am okay with getting lousy aid (better than the 0 USD in aid I received this year) because either way I can find outside sources to afford American/GW.
Bloom where you are planted. If you work hard at Trinity Washington and find that you can’t find what you need academically- sure, think about a transfer. But don’t go into it assuming that you’re leaving. That’s a sure fire way to guarantee that you never challenge yourself, adjust, make friends, develop relationships with professors.
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