<p>When I applied this fall to the US college system I learned that applying for financial aid as an international student is a big detractor from an application. So I applied to schools known for giving big financial offers and the schools I was going to apply to anyway. UIUC, UIC, NU, and Wash U were my original list. The new ones were the Ivy minus UPenn and Brown. I was only accepted to UIUC UIC and waitlisted at Cornell and WashU. Lucky me I recieved my greencard 7 days before decision day and all colleges that I called on that day said they would not review my application as a resident. Sorry for such a long backstory but now I am wondering is it worth accepting a 30k loan offer from UIUC or 0-5k cost of Harper my local CC since my Harper grades will transfer as Pass/Fail i believe with no GPA transfer. I hope to transfer after one year to NU where my aid will be determined as a resident instead. My real question is the loan worth it if I am looking at transfer to schools like NU for BME or other big 10 schools and WashU and cornell known for BME. Also is CC looked poorly upon for gradschool as in med or masters in engineering. My family income is 63k with an EFC of 7800. If my HS stats are needed I can provide those. Sorry for typing this quickly.</p>
<p>Thanks,
littleindia70</p>
<p>If you are definitely going to make a try to transfer, you’ll be in fine shape at a community college. If you can go loan free there, it would really be nice as you may have to take some loans out in subsequent years. I think that the green card is going to make a big difference in acceptance next year. You might even want to just take enough courses this year to remain a freshman instead of a transfer student because a lot of colleges are not need blind for transfers even if they are for freshmen. The push is on freshman admits. Some of those schools on your list do guarantee to meet full financial need for freshmen.</p>
<p>Although I am currently a year younger I would not like to set myself back a year and would prefer to get as far ahead as I can perhaps even enough credits to be near junior standing with ap credits. I am going to be taking Calc 3 and lin alg at Harper for 9 credits this summer and am currently shooting for 40 credits by the end of the year if I go to CC.</p>
<p>You can’t borrow 30k anyway, so UIUC is out.</p>
<p>Your community college is a better deal. Make an appointment with the transfer counselor so that you are sure to plan your schedule so you are most likely to be admitted to one of the colleges/universities that you are interested in.</p>
<p>I hope ULUC comes up with money for you. You sound like you are certainly ready for a high level, challenging curriculum. Were your test scores top level too? Because truly as a freshman, you would have a better chance at great aid at a top drawer school, though it may be too late if you already have a lot of cc credits. That green card really changes the picture in terms of admissability and financial aid.</p>
<p>This is what I recieved.</p>
<p>Federal Work Study $3,000.00
Fed Direct Parent PLUS Loan $21,268.00
Fed Direct Loan Subsidized $3,500.00
Fed Direct Loan Unsubsidized $2,000.00
University Loan-Sayers $2,000.00
OSFA Resident Tuition Waiver $1,260.00</p>
<p>Also these are my stats:
ACT: 34 twice
SAT II: 800 Bio E, 800 Bio M, 800 Chem, 800 Math, 800 Physics, 770 USH
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1
AP (place score in parenthesis): Human Geo 4, World 5, Euro 5, US 5, Bio 5
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Chem, AP Physics, AP Calc BC, Creative Writing, Folk/Myth
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Bunch of awards Math Team, WYSE, SciOly, Scobowl
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): SciOly, Scholastic Bowl, Math Team
Volunteer/Community service: Altar Service Leader
State (if domestic applicant): IL
Country (if international applicant): India I guess, but I live in the US
School Type: Public</p>
<p>You got very little money from them. It’s all loans other than the $1260 waiver and work study which you will have to work to earn.</p>
<p>Can your parents afford the PLUS that the school is asking them to take? Do they have green cards too? </p>
<p>It’s really up to you and your parents if this is an affordable option. That is what is crucial. Will IL give you instate rates–I thought they were for those who have been in state for a period of time. </p>
<p>As a rule, OOS publics are not generous with financial aid. I really think if you had had your green card at the start of the process, you would have had some good possibilities. Being international brings down admissions and aid chances substantially.</p>
<p>What can your parents afford to pay? That is the figure you need to know. UIUC has given you a ridiculous, unaffordable aid package. You need a cheaper school for this year OR you need to take a gap year and reapply for 2012. Your grades and test scores are excellent. You are competitive for good merit-based aid. Take a look at the threads in this forum that list guaranteed merit scholarships, and see if any of them could work for you.</p>
<p>@cptofthehouse I have lived in the US for 10 years and am receiving instate tuition. I do not understand why UIC and UIUC gave me horrendous aid packages. Well my parents are willing to pay the interest. My family also got green cards together.</p>
<p>@happymomof1 I really don’t get the concept of a gap year or how it works. Is it allowed for all institutions. </p>
<p>What my real question is: Is it worth it to go to UIUC and just pay the loans later or just go to CC for a year. I’m considering a gap year but I’m not too sure what that is or if the schools that are my top choice like NU allow for it.</p>
<p>No one can tell you that you have to go to college at all, let alone this year. The term “gap year” was invented to describe a planned year off between high school and college. Back in my day people just said that they weren’t going to college just yet.</p>
<p>The important thing to know is that some colleges will consider you a transfer applicant if you take even one class after high school graduation. Since the best merit aid is offered to freshmen, you should be very careful about the number of college classes you take in a “gap year”.</p>
<p>Your aid package from UIUC is unaffordable. It is essentially 30k in loans that will translate to about $350 each month for ten years. That is equivalent to the payment on a new car. You also have no evidence that your aid package would improve at UIUC in the future. Don’t do this to yourself and your parents. Either start out at the community college, or wait to start college next year when you have found a place that your family can afford.</p>
<p>Illinois residents have been complaining about the state of affairs regarding the state universities a lot this year. A shame because about15 years ago, UIUC was a good deal among state schools in the US. But I don’t think you are alone in getting a bad financial aid package. The thing is, almost none of the state schools guarantee to meet need, and the % of kids who get full need met is not good.</p>
<p>If you can qualify as a freshman applicant next year with a green card, you may have much better prospects. Especially if you take the SAT1 and score well. Some of the private colleges that guarantee to meet need are not out of your range. As an international student with need, your chances were very small. But you cannot have too many college credits from community or other college when you apply, or you become a transfer student, and they are often not guaranteed to have need met even at many schools that guarantee to meet need. </p>
<p>Call U of IL and ask if they will let you take a gap year and defer admissions. Sometimes schools do, sometimes they don’t. It’s not as though you are losing a lot of money with the aid package they are offering you. Do some community service work, find some research project, work and save some money and re apply next year.</p>
<p>If you are truly intent on going and your family supports this decision and will take out those PLUS loans or come up with the funds, then there you go.</p>
<p>Thank you so much I’ve been trying to push for the community college route but my mother feels that I should go to UIUC for one year since it has a very solid BME program and then hopefully transfer to NU which is my plan if I go to Harper anyway.</p>
<p>thanks so much for the help happymomof1 and cptofthehouse I’m going to community college for sure, but shooting for as many credits as I can get. I’ll just hope that the colleges I apply to next year give good aid to transfers.</p>