Mike Said:

Why is the media not talking about Obama's momma?

We Answered:

His mother was a white woman who was left by her black husband. She remarried to an asian man who took care of her and her son. The media doesn't want to talk about that.

Francis Said:

nervous wreck on deck ! help ?

We Answered:

I would say you have more of a likelihood of acceptance than not, but as you pointed out, your SAT score will be your down fall. 1880 is low for top private schools. I can't give you a percentage because you never know with private schools anyway as they turn away "perfect" students with GPAs over 4.00 and a perfect 2400.

On a side note, none of your AP classes will get you credit at Stanford. And since your family makes less than 100,000 a year, you are entitled to free tuition at Stanford should you get in.

I wish you luck and hope you don't stress over it too much. Take a deep breath and concentrate on your senior year and relax just a tad.

Kathy Said:

Hi every one there do you know where can I can get a free schoolar ship?

We Answered:

The University of Southern Mississippi offers great scholarships . . .they paid for my entire Master's Program and paid me a monthly stipend!! They have great programs for international students!! I have attended/worked at 4 colleges and they have the best that I know of!

www.usm.edu

Frank Said:

MIT international students?

We Answered:

I'm not at MIT, but I' an academic, and several of my friends have gotten degrees from there. First of all, MIT is definitely a world-class institution. That means that they accept the best students from around the world, and you would certainly not be alone as an international student if you are fortunate enough to be accepted. Of course South Africans have studied there before. I would venture to say that there are few countries from which they have not had students at some point in their history (except, of course, for new countries, perhaps).

There is no such thing as "the scholarship". Each student is evaluated separately for financial aid and the appropriateness of consideration for various scholarships. Although I would guess that most domestic students, at least, receive some form of financial aid, the same is not usually true for international students. The university may offer a scholarship or other form of financial aid to an extraordinary international student, but there is certainly no guarantee that each student will get any money, let alone a fully-paid scholarship. At private institutions, international students (other than perhaps a few "stars") are seen as a source of revenues, not charity.

I do notice that you are 21, not 16 or 17. Does this mean that you already have a baccalaureate degree and are applying for a graduate program, or would this be your first university degree? That does make a difference. If you were going for a doctorate, there are often things like stipends, research and teaching assistantships which cover the costs, and these are NOT available to undergraduate students. On the other hand, students going for master's degrees are generally LESS likely to get financial aid than are those going for undergraduate degrees.

As to jobs, that depends on the type of visa you would have. Assuming you would have a student visa, you wouldn't be able to work anywhere but on campus, and again, your ability to find work there would depend on the type of degree you are pursuing. If you are a graduate student, the chances for work as a research or teaching assistant, tutor, and the like are regularly available. They don't pay especially well, but they are there. Undergraduate students without work-study provisions in their financial aid packets may not find it easy to get jobs on campus, since there would be others more reliable and with more substantial skills available to take those jobs. It is also difficult to predict the effects of the economy on the availability of jobs. I would guess that right now, with a shortage of jobs in the private sector, there would be more competition for on-campus jobs. That may not be the case as the economy improves, and it is difficult to know where things will stand 18 months from now and beyond.

Ellen Said:

Chances for Georgetown, Brown and Stanford ?

We Answered:

I suggest that you read over actual student reviews of many people who attended there and see what grades, test scores, and extracurriculars they had to get in successfully. You also will get lots of information about the school you will not get in a college guidebook.

http://www.studentsreview.com