@silverwoman Farmington is quintessential NE http://www.visitmaine.com/places-to-go/maines-lakes-and-mountains/farmington/. If she graduated from a local high school (Franklin County), she would get free board (just mentioning) about $4500 off. So instate would be 4.5k a year. And the kids at UMF have free skiing at the local mountain.
i havent done extensive researc into uk unis, but from what i can see there is only student loans, no other financial aid. as for a-levels, it would make sense to only need 3 years of uni since they do uni for 3 years over here. i have been unable to ascertain definite information on whether a levels count as AP courses, or college credit, or anything. it looks like no matter what you would need to just take CLEP tests or whatever to get credit for college courses. i am so lost it is ridiculous. what i think i really need is one of those uber-expensive hand holding college advising companies. c’est la vie…
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) may be a safety for you. Part of the state higher education system and a former teachers college. Situated in a beautiful part of Massachusetts that’s is less expensive to live in than the metropolitan Boston area.
Other options could be a SUNY system college, many of which are unfortunately remotely located.
Does she have no interest in Queens University Belfast? It’s one of the most affordable colleges in the UK.
There are government loans, which the student repays once she reaches a certain salary level. There are bursaries (means-tested) and maintenance grants (also means-tested).
European, non-English residents have lower rates in Wales and Scotland.
Yes, A-Levels count as AP courses (many as double APs).
Please read the OP’s other threads before giving more advice. There’s a lot more to the story.
Harvard is completely unrealistic, I’m sorry. It’s seriously not worth applying. The acceptance rate for internationals is outrageously low, and she’ll be competing with UK students who are the top in the country. Harvard currently has ~60 UK students currently enrolled at Harvard College. That’s about 15 uk students per class year. Assuming that the yield rate for international students from the uk was about 80%, that means in the last four years, ~20 students from the uk were accepted to Harvard. Of course, a lot of this is speculation, and I’m being generous in my calculations. The uk students getting rejected are the top in the entire country, and they probably have some international awards, or genius level IQs or major major hooks and they don’t even get in. The ones who are accepted are completely exceptional on a national level. Is your daughter >.1% of UK students? If your daughter wants to come to the U.S. for college, you need to be a lot more realistic about her chances. Her SAT score is low, even for someone from a low-income background, for Harvard.
I also read your other thread (thanks @Pizzagirl for pointing it out), and college definitely does not sound like what your daughter should be thinking about right now. It sounds like she’s having a real identity crisis and some sort of mental illness (most definitely depression). College, especially on another continent, away from her family, in a highly competitive academic environment, does not sound like what your daughter needs right now. She sounds like a very bright student who needs treatment from depression/mental illness. Sending her to college will only prolong and draw out an inevitable breakdown, made all the more expensive and difficult after enrolling in college. Please consider putting college on the back burner for now and making sure that your daughter is mentally healthy.
I agree with others that there are inconsistencies in the stories that have been told here. i also agree that the D needs to resolve her personal issues before even thinking about colllege.
But IMO it makes NO sense for this young woman to come to the US for school. She lives in NORTHERN IRELAND, not the Republic. Northern Ireland is part of the UK. She can go to a UK university as a UK citizen and the fees are lower than she is likely to have to pay in the US. Moreover, if those A levels are “for real,” she’s going to get into a better school in the UK than she’s likely to get into in the US WITHOUT having to take any additional test.
It seems just plain insane to me to do a gap year in the US to establish residency. In order for that to work, mom pretty much has to move to the US too. In some states, it won’t even work then. So, I gather the plan is this.
Mom and D move to the US and establish residence in a state. Presumably before doing this, mom and D have done their research and have picked out a state that has a public U D would like to attend. Mom and D will then get jobs in the US. (D can’t spend any part of the gap year doing anything out of state. In fact, it would be better if D stays at the same address as mom during that year. Wherever they live better have a long term lease. (Renting an apartment/home for a year is unlikely to qualify as establishing a domicile.)
The D will apply to college during this year. Then once she’s in, she’ll fill out the paperwork to be considered a resident for tuition purposes. She may well be turned down.
This doesn’t sound like a plan to me. YMMV.
I think the mom wants to move to the US, and wants to force the issue, if possible.
I’m concerned that mom has pinned her hopes on her D to pull them both out of poverty.