<p>*i don’t know specifically how much money my parents make, and if i asked i would get beaten into the ground. however, **i suspect that my dad does quite well with the auto shop **and since we’ve live here (in New York) we haven’t really had any seriously tough economic times.
*</p>
<p>The part in BOLD is going to be a significant problem if you’re applying to schools for financial aid…1) your parents earn too much …2) your parents may not cooperate with paperwork. </p>
<p>Even if you can get your parents to agree that you can go to college, it’s unknown that they will pay the “family contribution” that they will be expected to pay.</p>
<p>So…you need a strategy.</p>
<p>1) Apply to a few top schools that give financial aid just to see what happens.</p>
<p>2) apply to a few schools that will give you HUGE merit scholarships for your stats. If your parents won’t pay anything, then “good-but-not-huge” scholarships will not be enough.</p>
<p>I wonder if one reason the parents don’t want this child to go to college is because they don’t want to pay several thousand a year for that. :(</p>
<p>your parents seem to be primarily concerned about hard work and the profits from your dad’s shop. I can tell you are very intelligent as getting a 2300 while living in a household where college is viewed negatively is an impressive feat. Here in Louisiana, there is TOPS, which means that if you meet the academic requirements (not difficult to meet at all), you qualify for a free college education at a public school here. You deserve a good education and your parents aren’t aware of the hard work in higher education. Hard work is a must to succeed anywhere, whether it is starting a business or getting a good education. I would recommend for you to sit down and have a talk with them. Tell them respectfully that you realize that they want you to be part of the family business. Thank them for coming to the US as that has brought opportunity. Explain how that you are one of the best students in the US (use SAT score as example) and your hard work brought you there along with your intelligence (thank them for giving you a good brain). Now plead for them to let you use that advantage by going to a good college and then finding a good job where you use your mind, not your body at work. </p>
<p>My parents aren’t immigrants, but they also did not go to college and they had the same attitude as you when I announced I wanted to apply. “Why should you go? Everyone else in this family has been successful without going to college. Besides, 4 years is too long to study. You should go to work, devote your life to God and marry a nice Christian man.”</p>
<p>Talking to them did no good, so instead I applied to schools that I knew I could win scholarships from or that I could pay for with loans and state aid. My mom eventually relented a little when she saw how hard I was trying, and helped me to apply to schools that were in commuting distance from home (and by “help” I mean she paid the fees).</p>
<p>Just apply, and apply broadly, to schools that give big merit aid for people with high SAT scores. There’s a sticky thread somewhere around here with a list of those schools. My parents weren’t 100% happy when I decided to go - especially since even though I was within commuting distance, I won a scholarship that allowed me to stay on campus and did - but they eventually got over it.</p>
<p>Also, do solicit the support of your teachers and guidance counselors. In my case their help was invaluable in helping me navigate the system, because my parents couldn’t really.</p>
<p>But I just want to mention that this:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>is a little inaccurate. If you enlist in the military, you have to serve your time FIRST before you can go to school. Under the Post 9/11 GI Bill, you have to serve for at least 36 months (3 years) if you want full benefits. Most military contracts are 4 or 6 years of active service. But it’s still a viable option if you are a permanent resident. Another option is an ROTC scholarship, in which they will pay for you to go to college and then you will serve as an officer in the military, probably for 4 years active. All of the branches have one except the Coast Guard.</p>
<p>And both economics and physics are VERY practical majors, with the potential for lucrative careers in either.</p>
<p>There is almost no difference between your options as a permanent resident, and what they would be as a citizen. The only place where this would matter that I know of is for some scholarships that are specifically designated for citizens. Most merit-based and need-based aid treats permanent residents and citizens the same.</p>
<p>New York State, and New York City, have a large number of excellent public universities, so it is almost certain that you could commute to college from home if your parents wanted you to. Some of them have sizable merit-based scholarships. One that you should investigate is [Macaulay</a> Honors College - About Macaulay](<a href=“http://www.macaulay.cuny.edu/about/]Macaulay”>http://www.macaulay.cuny.edu/about/)</p>