@collegemom3717 Yes thank you I don’t mean to be any type of aggressor here- though when I went said “normal” I meant like just plain middle to lower-middle class kids from suburban areas or cities. And yes admissions committees make mistakes and sometimes not all the qualified candidates get in. But I think that this student would easily be able to get something from schools at around VTech’s ranking- there was something mentioned about going out of state. This also just my opinion, anyways. It’s not a smart idea in general to take what read on CC as the gospel truth or as accurate reflection of what policies are really at certain universities when you can ask the universities over the phone or via email about certain policy. You also never know what opportunities OP will get. My mom got into Georgetown out of community college as a refugee from Laos - so I’ve come from that type of family. She lived in an apartment with five siblings and had to care take of them while attending George Washington, which she elected to go to because of some poor advice. OP will be fine. I mean I’m also Indian and Chinese and I’ve come from a family of scholars who have faced poverty and child abuse.