<p>Your best bet might be to concentrate on schools that are very low freight to begin with, both private and public. SUNY schools are very inexpensive for OOS students. Flagler and York in PA are both schools that have a very low cost of attendance. There are others. This puts you less at the mercy of the very convoluted FA system and gives you a place to start. There are also very competitive schools such as Cooper Union and Olin that offer free tuition. We would need more input about the boys’ stats and interests to be fully useful.</p>
<p>The only year we paid American taxes while living in Germany was the year the grant was from an American organization. When the income was from Europe we didn’t owe anything.</p>
<p>Goodness me, my head is completely spinning. You all are full of ideas and I’m in a tiz…Ok…point by point:
Boys have had SS# since birth
Boys are academically strong (they know their writing needs some work though)
Boys will be taking the ACT in April
We’re shooting for Fall 2009
No family over there but some friends in Ca. (too expensive in Ca.)
Boys want to get out of NZ as opportunities are “thin on the ground” here
The adjustment might be a bit rough as the culture is quite different here
I am doing my best to get that elusive Saudi position but do not know when that will be, so am parenting and working (teaching ESL) as usual. This could go on for some time and I will be pursuing the elusive scholarship.<br>
You guys are incredible…I’ve certainly come to the right place for information.<br>
Thanks</p>
<p>While you are looking into options, you might want to check into Un. of Auckland and/or Auckland University of Tech in New Zealand. The cost is going to be substantially less than almost any US arrangement. </p>
<p>Both are members of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities and one is also a member of Universitatis 21. </p>
<p>These organizations provide some student exchanges between them. APRU members include Un. of Oregon, Un. of Washington and Un. of British Columbia.</p>
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<p>Whew!! That timeline sure helps. Re: types of schools, you need to consider other things like urban/suburban/rural, large/small, public/private, religious/secular, weather, location, etc. AND you also need to consider the interests of your guys. Are you hoping they will go to the same school? If so, do they have similar strengths and interests, or will you be looking for someplace that offers a large variety of majors from which to choose.</p>
<p>I just wanted to be sure the OP knew that application fees could be waived in situations of financial hardship. With two kids applying, this may give you more flexibility. Also, in terms of CA being more expensive, if you’re looking for need or merit-based FA, the base cost of the school becomes less relevant and the amount of FA guaranteed throughout the four years more relevant.</p>
<p>OK…now I get to the really subjective part of the equation. The boys are very interested in computers and science, the classics, one is into history and military history. We’ve had some chats with an American psychiatrist who was practicing here for a yr. and after talking with them he recommended a Liberal Arts College as they don’t quite know, yet, what they want to be when they grow up. He was most enlightening, especially to the boys, as they have no idea what is ‘out there’. NZ is a very provincial, limited, insular kind of society and I believe that a smallish school would be best for them. I think they should go to the same school as they are very close. Boys would not accept a religious school. This is a very secular country. I’m thinking of a place where they might be looked after a bit more than the usual ‘take a number university’. That is another issue I wanted to put out there for you all.<br>
So Calif. might be a possibility? They have godparents who are a bit ancient but lovely in Sacramento. I have a brother who never contacts me in Ventura. My best friend lives in Monterrey. She would be helpful.
I have never paid taxes there since I left. I pay tax (do I ever pay - 1/3 of my wage and high property tax ) here but earn little money. Ta</p>
<p>A couple of good So Cal LAC’s to look at: Occidental and U of Redlands. Most of us in the states would assume that a West Coast school would be the best fit since they are closer and have a “pacific rim” vibe to the campus. One thing to think about before you assume that would be best - most West Coast colleges are very politically correct and liberal, esp with regard to race and politics. Would that be a big change coming from a “provincial, limited, insular” area?</p>
<p>Having visited New Zealand, I doubt that race is an unknown issue to OP’s sons. Also, NZ is fairly socialistic (medical and retirement), anti-nuke, anti-war (at least as a global policy), VERY green and has a female leader.</p>
<p>I think that OP will have more difficulty finding a secular campus that is anywhere near the feel of NZ. We hosted a foreign exchange student from Japan last year. He mentioned the noticable ultra-conservative, moralistic US atmosphere of the “vocal” minority (who seemed to have been out-ed with some frequency during the year the student was with us).</p>
<p>I think that a small LAC in the West like Colorado College might be a decent fit, but the cost is going to be an issue. Be aware Colorado Springs itself is very “family values,” but the College is very secular.</p>
<p>I am an American expatriate living in Southeast Asia. My son recently graduated from an East coast LAC. Your situation certainly is complicated, but I think you’ve come to the right place to untangle your sons’ options.</p>
<p>First, let me assure you that your sons’ life experience will be of interest to many colleges and universities in America. There are hundreds of good ones, so your focus right now should be more general than specific. </p>
<p>American schools like American expats: American citizens who live abroad provide international viewpoint, often increase diversity percentages and don’t have visa and language issues. Don’t underestimate the strength of this hook. Colleges, even the most selective, want interesting kids who lead interesting lives.</p>
<p>Putting the money aside for a minute, does your sons’ high school have a college counselor? Do kids regularly attend US colleges? You need to put their statistics (grades, scores, rank) in some kind of context before you start making a comprehensive list of potential schools. I know how it is to be “stateless” and in effect have the whole country (indeed the whole world) to choose from. It can be geographically overwhelming, but don’t worry about that right now. </p>
<p>I agree with your friend’s analysis that expatriate kids are often more comfortable at small or medium sized colleges. From thousands of miles away it can be daunting to learn the difference between the many, many colleges, but slow down and take a deep breath – it will be become clearer as they go through the process of elimination. By the time they are ready to apply they should have a list of about 10-12 schools in various levels of selectivity. </p>
<p>I know very little about your sons’ qualifications so this is just a shot in the dark, but some of the LACs that are popular at my son’s highschool and that have come through with excellent need based aid packages are Williams, Macalester, Pomona, Swarthmore, Grinnell. They might just start with these and if any are appealing they could expand their list according to the school’s personality.</p>
<p>The money is definitely migraine material, but again, just break it down element by element. Most likely your sons will qualify for need based aid. If they are applying as US citizens they will get the same aid as any other US citizen. There is a kind of inverse proportion at work here: The most selective colleges often have the most money to offer. For example, if they had the right qualifications, they would be likely to get more need based financial aid from Harvard than from the University of Massachusetts.</p>
<p>Merit aid is a whole other situation and if your boys are academically accomplished this is a very appealing possibility. But let’s just leave that for frosting on the cake and concentrate on need based aid for now.</p>
<p>To me, the biggest wrench in the works is your ex-husband’s income. I don’t have personal experience in this area but from what I understand most colleges are quite strict in their expectation that both parents contribute. There is a process that you need to go through to prove that the father is totally uninvolved in the sons’ financial position. You will need to get some expert advice here, for sure.</p>
<p>As far as US taxes go, the point is not whether you’ve paid US tax but rather if you’ve filed a US tax return. It sounds to me that after your expatriate exclusion would mean that you wouldn’t owe any US tax, but I’m guess that you still need to file (again, I’m not an accountant).</p>
<p>Good luck and let us know how you do. :)</p>
<p>So much to consider but thanks to everyone. Momrath your advice about breathing is sterling. One step at a time. It all can seem like a quagmire at times. Boys should be able to handle race relations coming from here. I’m looking through colleges slowly…I’m too tired right now to try to answer questions but I will be back later.</p>
<p>Am I the only one or has this happened to anyone else? Lately, since about the time I joined this site, I’ve been receiving little email ads from different colleges and this week one of my sons got a packet in the mail from Union College ? with application materials for foreign students… Did I hit some button which has opened the gates? It’s kind of OK because my son was intrigued with the reading material.</p>
<p>Doesn’t ring a bell, but it is fun to get the mail at first. Momrath is wonderfully amazing.</p>
<p>I know my D’s private elite college requires FAFSA, and D’s friends’ colleges, do, too. This is the first I heard that they don’t require them. Perhaps for merit scholarships, but for FA? I don’t know of anyone who doesn’t fill out the FAFSA forms.</p>