Good Scores, Impossible Situation

collegebound8899
Sat, 27 Oct 2012 21:34:29 +0000

My parents and I immigrated to the US from Eritrea when I was about 1 1/2 years old, and I’ve lived in the same city for my entire life since then. The only problem is that I recently (as in about a year) found out that I’m not a legal US resident. Apparently, my parents and I overstayed our diplomatic visas when I was younger, and I found out when I was trying to get documentation for a learner’s permit.

I’ve lived here all my life and I definitely plan on going to college this year. Is this going to kill me in the admissions process? Is college still possible? I’ve worked so hard the past few years and I don’t want it to be for nothing.

Here are my stats:
SAT: 740 CR 710 M 800 W
AP: World Hist - 5, Psych - 5, US History - 5, Eng Lit - 4
Pending/Current: Stat, Spanish, Environmental Science, American Gov, English
GPA: 4.17 W 3.95 UW
Rank: Top 2% 14/600

I have a pretty decent list of ECs and I tend to be strong in writing so I’m sure my essays will be fine. I’m just wondering if there’s anywhere that will actually accept me because of this. I’ve heard some schools are open in these situations, but they tend to be the really prestigious colleges, where I probably don’t have a chance. Does anyone else know any schools?

Another problem is financial aid. I know I won’t be eligible for FAFSA, but my parents are poor and I can’t go anywhere without getting a decent financial aid package. Any help is appreciated! Thanks