<p>I am a US permanent resident living abroad considering to apply to a university for the spring or fall 2014 session. My dream is to get into a top ranked computer science program like those of UIUC, Purdue, Ohio State University, Rutgers, UT Austin, UMichigan, Stony Brook, etc. Although my initial plan was to apply for fall 2013 I couldn't get everything ready before the deadlines and so I couldn't apply. I then decided to apply for spring 14, but later found out that there are very few scholarship and financial aid opportunities available for freshmen entering the spring, and apart from that there is the big disadvantage of missing the first semester experience and taking extra burden in the later semesters. So fall 2014 seems like the only option left for me. However, given that I will graduate from high school in June 2013, it would mean that I have to simply sit idle at home for more than a year. I do not really want to waste such a long time and so I have decided to get into a small and low tuition in-state college in spring 14 and then apply to the universities listed above as a freshman for fall 14. I do not want to transfer any credit since transfer students do not have as much scholarship or financial aid opportunities as freshmen do. The purpose of getting into a small college in spring 14 is mainly to have some basic idea on computer science and prepare myself better and get myself accustomed to college education and life in USA since I have never lived in the US before. In the meantime I will retake the SAT to increase my chances of getting into my dream universities( right now I have a score of 2030 and I want to improve on that).
Do you think my plans stated above are good? If not, what are the alternatives I could take? I am totally confused and some advice would be appreciated.</p>
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<p>Taking a gap year doesn’t mean it has to be non-productive.</p>
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<p>Have you checked the fr/transfer definitions for each of the schools? Colleges vary in who they consider a fr vs. transfer applicant, and as little as 1 post-HS college class can make you a transfer applicant at some schools; others have credit or time limits.</p>
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<p>For definitions of fr vs. transfer applicants, what matters is that you TOOK the classes, not that you want CREDIT for them. You don’t have a say in whether or not you receive credit from past college coursework, that is up to the school where you matriculate.</p>
<p>You are currently living outside the US. Where will your parents be when you are in college? You may not have any state of residence, which means that you would be classified as an Out-of-State student at any public college or university anywhere in the nation. This is something that you need to sort out.</p>
<p>How much can your family afford to pay for your education? That will ultimately decide where you can attend. Talk this over with your parents. You may need to find a place where you can live and work and study part-time.</p>
<p>Living abroad in legal permanent resident status is very tricky. It is very easy to lose that status if you are outside of the US for too long. For that reason alone, you should try to be in the US as soon as possible. There are decent colleges and universities that are still admitting applicants for this fall. If you apply now, you could start at one of those places and then transfer later in your program. Here is one place you can find colleges and universities with late and rolling application dates: [List</a> of Late Deadline Schools- Locate Colleges with Late Application Deadlines at Petersons.com](<a href=“http://www.petersons.com/college-search/late-deadline-schools.aspx]List”>http://www.petersons.com/college-search/late-deadline-schools.aspx)</p>
<p>If you do need serious amounts of aid, spend some time in the Financial Aid Forum, and read the threads on guaranteed merit-based aid. You have missed the deadlines for many of those programs, but some still have money to give out if you just take the time to contact them.</p>