Application Season Has Finished!

On Friday 15th January I submitted my last application...ever!

The University of Georgia was the final application to be sent and while it's somewhat of a relief knowing that there are no more essays to write or forms to fill in, it's also very nervewracking knowing that the situation is now out of my hands.

The lastest I will hear back in early April so I have until then to patiently wait for the results. Of course, I'm not actually going to be patiently waiting for the results (I'm not sure what kid would!), I'm going to be frantically checking my admission status online every day in the hope of an update!

This coming Saturday is also my last exam. I'm sitting the SAT in the hope of improving upon the 1920 that I scored in November. After that there really won't be anything I can do to help my chances...I'll just have to wait.

If anyone reading this is in the same position as me, I wish you good luck!

Certification of Finances Forms

Most international students applying to study in the USA will need to prove they can afford it. Firstly, they need to do this so the university knows that they are not wasting an acceptance letter on a student who ultimately cannot afford to enroll. Secondly, you will need to demonstrate sufficient finances when meeting with your Visa advisor to get approval for an F-1 Visa.

The form that universities require is known as a 'Certification of Finances' and requires the student to state where the money will be coming from (ie. personal savings, family contribution, governmentsal sponsoring, scholarships etc) and then will require the Sponsor to sign and verify. The obstacle that I discovered with these forms is that most universities then require an official signed bank statement that confirms the sponsor can indeed support the student.

Unfortunately, there are many international applicants out there that will struggle to pay the enormous price tag that can sometimes escalate over $50,000 per year. I am one of those applicants and I am relying upon school scholarships to be able to attend. Certification of finances forms do not take this into account and, from personal experience of ringing each and everyone of my college choices, schools will not accept that you can only attend with one of their scholarships; there simply aren't enough to go round.

What to do? Well the honest answer is that I don't have a fool-proof plan for every eventuality. What I did was speak to all my family members and ask them to sponsor me. At the end of the day, they won't actually be contributing any money because I'll only attend a university where I have received a scholarship and I can actually afford to go. But for the sake of the certification of finances form, asking family members to 'pitch in' might just do the trick.

For those applying to schools that offer need-based aid to internationals, the information above is much less relevant. In this case, be honest on your certification of finances. Sit down with your parents and figure out what you can viably afford to pay. Of course, it's not guaranteed that the college will pay the rest, but at least when they do come back with a Financial Aid offer, it'll hopefully be a realistic one.

I'll post soon with a list of colleges that are viewed as the 'best' for international need-based aid. Unfortuantely these colleges also tend to be the most competitive!

New Year and a new acceptance

Yes that's right, 2010 got off to a pretty good start in my opinion! The other day I received notification that I had been accepted at Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA and yesterday I found out that I have been awarded the 'Deans Scholarship' of $15,000 a year.

The work is still far from over, however, as I am continuing with my application for Occidental College alongside preparation for the Jan 23rd SAT Reasoning Test.

I've also been researching the University of Georgia (yes, I know it's a bit late to be adding colleges to my list, but UGA looks to be a good option). The town of Athens (Georgia, not Greece!) is a typical college town and I'm really excited to be applying there, despite its status as a late addition. Unfortunately, my parents won't pay another $60 application fee, so this ones coming out of my own pocket...but I do think it will be worth it.

Heres a word of advice: Applications can be costly (especially considering the international surcharge that is often applied) so it really is worth spending some time selecting the colleges that are worth the money applying for. I've made quite a few late additions to my list and it's proving to be quite costly.

There are however a number of colleges that offer free applications, whether it be in general or only if you apply online. These are great options for safety schools as there's nothing lost in appling. Off the top of my head, I can think of three:

• Drexel University - Philadelphia, PA
  
• Marquette University - Milwaukee, WI
• Drake University - Des Moines, IA

I'll post a more complete list in the near future.

Anyway, Happy New Year.