<p>Hi,</p>
<p>I came to USA last year and will be graduating from high school in 2012. Am a senior now! So i will be applying for colleges from this year. </p>
<p>My question is will I be considered an International student by the colleges! I will be applying to SUNY and private colleges including some Ivys! </p>
<p>Also, what advantages will i gain as an international student and what disadvantages will I have to face.</p>
<p>Thanks in advance!
Action</p>
<p>Do you have a green card or US passport?
If not then you are an international student.</p>
<p>I don’t have a green card neither a passport. I’m a permanent resident. Also I have been approaching things as if i was a domestic student, what should I do now? How should I be approaching college admission and financial aid? Help!</p>
<p>Regards
Action</p>
<p>Yes, you will be considered an international student. The advantage is that your chance to be accepted by US colleges is the highest. The disadvantage is that your cost to attend US colleges is also the highest. Without knowing your scores of ACT, SAT, I am not able to chance you for getting financial aid from US colleges.</p>
<p>
Permanent resident = green card holder. What’s your actual visa status? </p>
<p>If you are in a status that generally allows you to establish a legal domicile in the US (e.g. a permanent resident visa and some visas in the A, E, G, H1, H4, I, K, L, N, NATO, O1, O3, R, V, or TPS categories), you might qualify for in-state tuition in your home state. Otherwise you would have to pay out-of-state tuition as an international student. Check the exact rules for in-state classification!</p>
<p>If you are not a permanent resident, you are also ineligible for federal financial aid. That means that you probably wouldn’t get any financial aid at public universities. The Ivies and a few other private universities do have some limited financial aid for international students, but the international financial aid pool is even more competitive than general admission. </p>
<p>One more thing to check is whether you need TOEFL scores to document your proficiency in English. You’d think “duh, how would I graduate from an American high school if I don’t speak English?” but some universities do ask of TOEFL scores from all applicants who have attended an English-speaking high school for less than 4 full years.</p>
<p>When you apply to college, you will need to be able to provide formal documentation for your high school level studies in the country/countries where you studied before coming to the USA. Find out from each college that you apply to what they need. Some might ask you to have your records professionally translated and/or evaluated. Others will do that work themselves.</p>
<p>Ask the admissions office at each college that you apply to, whether or not you need to send your TOEFL score. A few of them will require a TOEFL even if all of your education has been in English, but your first language wasn’t English.</p>
<p>Every one thanks a lot for all the responses. Really appreciated.</p>
<p>@b@r!um, I came here on asylum bases. Im a permanent resident but dont have a visa and havnt applied for green card yet. My sisters are studying in CUNY collages and they are getting aid from FAFSA & TAP. One of them is transfer.</p>
<p>Also, I am preparing for the SAT, but the CR section seems a lil hard to me. The TOEFL English is easier. Math is fairly easy for me. Well as I have one year left (am a senior), What do u suggest I should be doing. Take TOEFL or SAT? Also I am considering applying to a couple of Ivys, what do u suggest would be most beneficial for me in terms of Admission to good prestigious school in this short amount of time. </p>
<p>Im really confused about what exactly should i be doing; am new here as well as have relatively no time to prepare for what I want to achieve. </p>
<p>Help is really appreciated and thanks in advance.
Action</p>
<p>Okay, if you are a permanent resident, you are a domestic applicant. Ivies and the like will require both TOEFL and SAT scores and 2-3 SAT Subject Tests. You want to take either SAT or SAT Subject Tests in October and the other one in November. Be aware that the registration deadlines are coming up shortly. (If you are struggling with the SAT, you could consider the ACT as an alternative. I personally found the ACT a bit easier because it puts more emphasis on grammar than vocab.)</p>
<p>And don’t be afraid to approach your guidance counselor with questions about the college admission process!</p>
<p>Your residency and citizenship determines your status.</p>
<p>Most colleges differ, but only a little. If you hold a US Passport, Green Card, or other form of American Nationality, you are Probably domestic.</p>
<p>If you have lived in the US for all of High School, you’re probably domestic. </p>
<p>If you have a student visa, are homestaying, or have been in the US less than 3 years, you’re most likely International.</p>
<p>Thanks for the great and prompt responses! U guys are really helpful! </p>
<p>@b@r!um, K so im a domestic considering my status, but it doesnt change the fact that English is my second language and Ive been here since only a year n a month. Is it possible for me to apply to Ivys and privates like NYU without sat reasoning, and only toefl and SAT IIs? If yes, would it be a disadvantage for me to give TOEFL instead of SAT? Also I know im totally out of time, so taking my situation into consideration, what would you suggest?</p>
<p>@Nin10dude317m I am a permanent resident on asylum bases, will be applying for green card. But ive been here only since a year and a month.</p>
<p>Many thanks n regards
Action</p>
<p>Asylum basis normally makes you eligible to file the FAFSA which means you are domestic. This is good, because it means you can get better financial aid.</p>
<p>Each college and university posts on its website which exams are necessary. If you can’t find it, contact the admissions office and ask them. You are in a special situation. Some places will not require the ACT or SAT if you send the TOEFL. Others will want the ACT or SAT as well as the TOEFL. You do have to ask each college and university separately about this.</p>
<p>So me being considered a domestic, I’ll be treated the same way as other domestic students if I dont explain my special situation. Other than calling the admission office and asking them for the requirements suiting my situation, what should I do while sending the admission application to the school that will make them realize my situation and make them treat my application differently. </p>
<p>Regards
Action</p>
<p>You should email each admissions office, and ask them what to do about your foreign academic records. They will tell you what they want you to do. Do not be surprised if each college and university tells you to do something different. Just follow each institution’s instructions when you apply to that institution.</p>
<p>You want to be treated differently in what way? </p>
<p>As far as the language requirement and standardized tests are concerned, colleges will see from your academic records that you have only recently come to the US. If I remember correctly, most colleges also inquire about your native language and how long you’ve been learning English if it was not your first language.</p>
<p>By saying about being treated differently, i meant that they will know that im a domestic student but new here, so they will weight other subjects like Math and Physics more than my english scores. Like If I give TOEFL as well, they will consider more of my TOEFL and SAT II subject score than the SAT reasoning CR and Writing score considering the fact that im new.</p>