I cannot argue because I agree that connections are used all the time, and that’s ok.
Connections are fine…but getting jobs and opportunities that you are not qualified for…is what I mean.
It happens. I get it…it happens where I work…but it doesn’t mean I like it lol
No. OP is legally present in this country on a non-immigrant visa (I’m guessing an H4).
Barring extreme personal connections (which this OP doesn’t seem to have or we wouldn’t be having this discussion), I don’t think anyone is getting a position without demonstrated proof of merit. A strong alumni network or student network may get a foot in the door, but after that it is on the individual.
My opinion is based on my personal experience, my family’s, as well as my kid’s. Connections are not a “done deal”; you must prove yourself. So I believe too much emphasis is being given to these imagined connections, in the OP’s case. They are certainly beneficial but that’s only a first step.
I do not think this is true. DD who is instate, got scholarship at UMD and accepted to 19 of 21 schools got only 6k scholarship at St. Mary’s. Website states 18k max OOS. I doubt there woud be much for international. And cost is about $50k OOS. So we are talking 30k not 20k to attend in the best case scenario. Also St. Mary’s is a small public and does not have much resources.
Tuition and fees are $15k in state so that’s a bit more than half.
Their merit also appears in some instances to require a test. Your student was TO I believe or was I forgetting ? So she might have been precluded from some opportunities if she didn’t submit a test.
At many state schools tests are required for better merit.
Nothing wrong from my perspective. The “ick” factor for me is when people lie about it and make the kid sound like they earned it.
For example the kid who gets the job at the wealth manager his family uses or the kid who gets an internship at his dad’s former employer are fine until the story is framed to suggest it was all about the kids hard work and merit.
If honest about the circumstances and the kid in turn works hard, I don’t see anything wrong with it.
Agree with you…
But with all of that comes a lot of privilege! Many do not have those connections.
Thanks for clarifying! It was something had heard from a parent I know and didn’t have time to check out today! (Helping my D move to her internship city today… I really should not tempt myself to get on CC when I’m running around doing a dozen things 
) Glad the OP won’t go on a wild goose chase for nothing.
DD had 30+ credits from instate CC with GPA 4.0. So she was considered for top possible scholarship.
Tuition is $12k+3k fees+14k room and board. So 6k scholarship made no big dent.
For OOS it would be much more. $45+ with 18k scholarship is way over 20k. She would be lucky with all hidden cost to be at 30k.
This is veering a little off topic…but maybe the discussion can go to this thread.
@not and others. Here is a whole thread about how kids got internships. Some used connections. Others did not.
My opinion…connections get you TO the door but not necessarily through the door. Getting through the door is on the student…unless their parent owns the company.
One thing you quickly learn if you attend a decent-sized US research university for undergrad is that you do not in fact take your classes with random students. In this case, pre meds are a self-selected, not random, group to begin with, and the ones who stick it out for long are an even more self-selected (and sometimes grader-selected) group.
In general, the students who for cost reasons go to less selective universities than would have admitted them tend to find each other. Honors programs, difficult majors, certain labs, certain activities, and so on.
That doesn’t mean I would never consider this sort of thing when choosing a college–among colleges that are comfortably affordable, and otherwise suitable. But I do think some people imagine much more of a difference than they would really experience, particularly when comparing decent research universities and such.
@not already said she doesn’t have a visa to work, and that may also exclude her from some internships. I don’t know how a co-op school like UCinn would handle that.
Yes it is a good idea to run NPCs, but be careful if those are set to include some federal aid, which @not will not be eligible for (at this time). Some schools don’t have them for a variety of situations (international, transfer students) but only for domestic, freshmen students
Have you thought about going back to your home country for undergrad? To a Canadian school?
I do think you would be offered the opportunity to apply for the Morrill Scholarship at OSU and with that you would get OSU in budget. I’ll also be honest though that you aren’t super competitive for it with your ECs but being from Eastern Europe could be the hook that helps you the most as that is likely not a commonly represented region for this scholarship. But I don’t think you would be assured getting admitted to Honors (your SAT is your academic stronghold but they put more weighting on class rigor and admit closer to a 4.45 weighted GPA typically) but you would undoubtedly be admitted to Scholars.
Of course take your shot at your reaches, everyone has a chance and no one has a big chance, but to keep things in perspective you might benefit from perusing the admitted students threads of schools you like before you write your college essays. You’ve certainly earned the right to be proud of the work you’ve put in, but you want to avoid coming across as believing that entitles you to anything (and particularly any level of prestige). The reality is that there are many, many students putting in the work applying alongside you and most are still going to be rejected.
Only US citizens or permanent residents can apply for Morrill scholarships:
Criteria: The Morrill Scholarship is awarded on a competitive basis to students admitted to the Columbus campus for the autumn semester following high school graduation. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents of the United States. MSP seeks academically talented high school seniors who will contribute to campus diversity and actively engage as advocates and champions of diversity, inclusion, social justice and academic excellence on campus.
Colleges won’t “ding” students financially for savings that are in recognized retirement accounts – ie, 401k, 457b, IRAs. If the majority of your parents’ 800k savings is in one of these types of accounts, you are in better financial shape for receiving need-based financial aid than you might otherwise seem, at the colleges that are generous with need-based financial aid. However, I don’t know if this is true for international students, or what happens once you become a permanent resident. (Note that money in a regular savings account that is “intended” for retirement does not get this favorable treatment).
My apologies for misspeaking, I know a recipient of the Morrill whom I must not have realized got their green card as quickly as they must have to have been awarded it. Thank you for the correction.
However, if your parents are planning to use funds from these retirement accounts to pay for college, I believe there will be tax implications, and possibly a penalty for early withdrawal. @BelknapPoint @kelsmom
If OP does not get a green card by the time she starts college, she could switch from her H4 visa to a student visa (F1). That would allow her to work on campus when school is in session, and work at internships/co-ops through something called curricular practical training.
Of course, OP should consult an immigration attorney before making any decisions about changing her visa classification.
Students on an F-1 visa can do co-ops as part of CPT as long as it’s a requirement of their degree program.
And OP needs to check in with her legal team to make sure there is so accidental or inadvertent violation of the conditions of her current visa AND her application now pending.
OP- do not take immigration advice from strangers on the Internet. There are too many ways to mess things up.