<p>So I came to the US at the age of 8 under my dad's work visa. I completed my high school here, but we still do not have our green card. I was wondering if I would be treated as a URM by colleges? It is a special situation because I will be applying as an international but i have studied in an American high school. </p>
<p>Any response is appreciated. Thanks!</p>
<p>URMs have different meanings between colleges. Race, income, location, and special situations like yours are definitely considered in the application process. </p>
<p>Your best shot at getting the correct answer is contacting the admissions offices of colleges you are interested in directly. I don’t even know if you have to apply as an international student because you have lived in US. </p>
<p>Good luck! </p>
<p>I will be sure to do that! Thanks</p>
<p>No, you would not be. There are few schools that admit Mexicans on a need-blind basis (the University of Pennsylvania, for instance–probably for diversity.) At most schools, you will be competing with the international pool. Of course you’re better off than an applicant from China but you would still be competing with international students. If you do not need any financial aid, however, you would be in a very good position.</p>
<p>OP, have you applied for DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals)? If not, DROP EVERYTHING and google it right this minute. You must document your residence in the US through school and medical records and fill out an application form – it is not even very expensive. If accepted (most kids are, providing they supply paperwork proving continuous residence) you can get a social security number, and become eligible for in-state university rates where you live. </p>
<p>International95, Do you think international admitions are harder than regular admissions? </p>
<p>Momcinco, When my family and I heard about this program we were thrilled, and we immediately contacted a lawyer. We were pleased to hear that we met all the requirements, but to our surprise we did not meet one. This being that we came to the United States LEGALLY!! It is extremely unfair because we are punished for trying to do things right! I still appreciate your help and do you personally know any other option? Thanks</p>
<p>There is an agreement between public universities in Texas (and, I think, Florida?) and Mexico. Look into it. I don’t know exactly how it works.</p>
<p>It is MUCH harder to get into a college as an international applicant. If there is ANY way for the lawyer to help you become a permanent resident, do it right away. It’ll make your life much easier.</p>
<p>You WOULD be considered URM at many colleges, but you’d still be part of the International applicant pool for financial aid. You would be considered alongside students educated in American schools for admission, but with internationals for financial aid.
Look at the percentage of Hispanic students at the colleges you’re interested in compared to peer institutions in the area and target the colleges that are lower than their peers, or low in absolute percentages.
Would you be full pay?
The biggest obstacle is that there is a limited pool of money for international applicants and you’re not eligible for federal aid (loans, in particular), so the competition is fierce - depending on the school, divide the admission percentages by two or three to have an idea of your admission odds.</p>
<p>How does financial aid work? Do you list how much you will need? My dad earns enough money to support our family of 7 completely but he is currently paying for my sisters college which is 35,000. I would need some sort of financial aid but not a full ride. </p>
<p>What you should tell us is how much you are able to pay. Being able to pay half the cost of attendance puts you in a good position at many schools that offer $$ to internationals, but it gets trickier if you need more aid.</p>
<p>The college will tell you how much you need if they meet full need for internationals (there are many that offer aid to internationals but the competition is fierce – we are looking at 10% odds or below). You will have to do research on this though. Look into Lake Forest, Knox and Lewis & Clark. Not particularly difficult to get into (as long as you have a 3.6 GPA or above and about or above 2000 on the SAT), even for internationals who need aid, and they offer up to half of the cost of attendance (i.e can you pay 30k??). </p>
<p>Where does your sister go? This is also important because we need to know if her college would offer her more/any aid since you have to go to college too.</p>
<p>I can pay around $30,000. My sister attends Baylor University. So colleges look at how much money you need and the less you need the more likely you are to get in? Below are my stats in case they help.
STATS</p>
<p>SAT- 2160 (First time, I am studying all summer to bring it up to at least a 2300)
ACT- Not taken but will
SAT II
Chem- taking june
Spanish- taking june
Math II- taking june</p>
<p>Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.93
Weighted GPA: 5.23</p>
<p>Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/663</p>
<p>AP (place score in parenthesis): Spanish IV(5) Spanish V(5), Human Geo (4), World History (4) Waiting on results for Art History, Chemistry, Environmental, Computer Science, and English Language</p>
<p>IB (place score in parenthesis): None</p>
<p>Senior Year Course Load: Ap Studio Art, Ap Calculus, Ap European History, Ap Economics, Ap Government, Ap Statistics, Dual Credit English IV, Ap Biology</p>
<p>Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
● HOSA 3rd place Area (9), 2nd place State (9), National Attendance Award (9), 2nd place Area (10), 4th place State (10), 1st place Area (11), 2nd place State (11), Attenting National Conference this year
● Science Fair Exhaust Filtration: 2nd place Area, 1st place Regional, 3rd American Meteorological Society, 1st American Association of Women Geoscientist, Member of the Engineering Council of Houston, 1st National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, US Stockholm Award, Exhaust Filtration II 1st place Area
● Gold Medal National Spanish Exam for 2 years
● AP Scholar
Subjective:</p>
<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): HOSA (Treasurer, VP), Spanish Honor Society (Treasurer), EETO (President), Memorial Hermann (Shift Leader)</p>
<p>Job/Work Experience: Pressure Washing Small Startup, I help my dad in doing all sort of diesel engine repairs since he has a transportation company. I restore antique wood furniture but mainly as a hobby. My most important work is a 200+ year old dresser that comes from the family.</p>
<p>Volunteer/Community service: 200 hrs Memorial Hermann Hospital, Cystic Fibrosis Fundraising (3 years), Clothing Distribution for Poor Children in Oaxaca Mx, Co-Founder of EETO or Enhancing Education Through Outsourcing (<a href=“http://www.eeto-tx.org”>http://www.eeto-tx.org</a>) We are currently raising funds to provide local student with supplies. (Raised $2,000 so far).</p>
<p>Summer Activities: Huntsman Corporation (chemical company) Internship, Memorial Hermann Doctor Shadow, Hopefully Research at Rice (crossing my fingers)</p>
<p>Essays:</p>
<h1>1- How i have always balanced my school work and helping my parents and family members. Every single weekend I due all sort of repairs, anything from changing pumps, to calibrating clutches, and doing electrical work on our companies trucks. This consumes so much of my time but I have a terrible habit of never saying “I don’t have time.” I have learned to really divide my time and make the most of it. Also about how I struggled to learn English at the age of 10 when i came to the US.</h1>
<h1>2- My research that proves that I am perfecting a design for a filter that transforms CO2 from car exhaust into a less harmful compound. This would reduce pollution significantly at a cost of approximately $7 per car. Also how i treat my research as a hobby but what I am really interested in pursuing is a career in medicine because of the hardships I see people go through in Mexico.</h1>
<p>Teacher Recommendation: I am guessing excellent or very good (many of my teachers are extremely lazy and have a known habit to copy and paste from a template they created!)</p>
<p>Counselor Rec: Very good</p>
<p>State (if domestic applicant):</p>
<p>Country (if international applicant): Mexico</p>
<p>School Type: Magnet Science Program inside a Large public school</p>
<p>Yes, because most schools that offer need-based $$ to internationals are need-aware as well.</p>
<p>That’s a pretty neat profile. I recommend you create a very broad and long list (everything from Penn/Cornell to small liberal arts colleges with strong science programs–Lafayette, Swarthmore, Harvey Mudd, Union and Bucknell if you’re into engineering and also add Carleton, Grinnell, Reed, Wesleyan if you want to study physics/chemistry/biology and stuff like that). I’m presuming you want to study STEM, btw. Check out WPI too btw–it should work out financially. You could pretty much apply to MIT and all too–you would very much be in the running, even though the odds of getting in are low. That said, you won’t know if you don’t try. You will need to apply to more schools than your American counterpart (I recommend 15, at least) to ensure you have options, although this wouldn’t be necessary if you get into a school you’d like to go to in EA or ED. </p>
<p>Also highly recommend you look into merit aid possibilities. The University of Alabama and Temple University should make good safeties in terms of getting full tuition scholarships, although you could look for competitive merit aid at schools like Northeastern too. There are lots of possibilities! You just need to narrow them down with your interests and preferences in terms of what you want from college.</p>
<p>Um, medical school? Can you afford it, though? American med schools are ridiculously hard to get into, and they cost SO much money (unless you do a MD-PhD joint program). If not I’d recommend looking into more merit aid options so that your parents can save the money instead. Now you need to proceed carefully–many of these merit aid options are limited to Americans. However schools like Temple and Alabama do extend those offerings to international students too.</p>
<p>There are two types of financial aid:
<p>Many medical schools in the US don’t admit any international students at all. Some do admit international students, but require the full four years of tuition and fees up front. If you are serious about becoming a physicaion, and you aren’t going to have a green card by the time you would be applying to med school, you might be better off going home to Mexico for your education.</p>
<p>Azul, your stats are great. However, rethink the idea of applying as an international. Read PM I sent. </p>
<p>On another subject, note that 35 K for your sister plus 30 K equals 65 K a year! Be sure to have a good talk with your parents about finances since that represents a big jump in expenses for your family. You don’t want unpleasant surprises later…</p>
<p>Your stats are good enough that you should look at private schools with good merit aid, or, if the net price calculators show good results (since there will be 2 kids in college), even better schools with need-based aid which claim to meet 100% need. The numbers (again, talk to parents!) will help you decide whether you should prioritize need or merit based. </p>
<p>I liked previous suggestions esp Lafayette. You might want to get opinions on large vs. small schools, LACs vs. universities, and geography as a way to approach putting together your list.</p>
<p>azul793 -</p>
<p>Check the rules for your current state of residence, and find out if you are considered in-state for tuition and fees at the public colleges and universities. If so, those could be affordable options.</p>
<p>Your stats are good enough to qualify you for some of the automatic merit scholarships and competitive merit scholarships discussed in these two threads. Check each of them to see if they are open to applicants in your visa status. Some are:
<a href=“Competitive Full Tuition / Full Ride Scholarships - Financial Aid and Scholarships - College Confidential Forums”>Competitive Full Tuition / Full Ride Scholarships - Financial Aid and Scholarships - College Confidential Forums;
<a href=“Automatic Full Tuition / Full Ride Scholarships - Financial Aid and Scholarships - College Confidential Forums”>Automatic Full Tuition / Full Ride Scholarships - Financial Aid and Scholarships - College Confidential Forums;
<p>The net price calculators probably won’t work for you because of your visa status, so it may not be worth your time to use them except for colleges and universities that specifically state that aid is the same for domestic and international applicants.</p>