Immigration status affecting ECS, advise needed to approach common appsAnswered
As a person on an h4 visa, I can't legally do many things.
I could not apply to many programs—ex: MITES, NASA, SAMS, no research or business programs. But I still persevered and got into one local program. However few weeks later I found out I couldn't do it, because of my immigration status. Plus the paid programs are way too expensive and I did not want to burden my parents.
I can't do any sort of work. For example, I can't apply for any normal teenage jobs such as babysitting, tutoring, or working at a fast food chain. Then this summer I had the idea to try freelancing, but I later found out that H4s cannot do any sort of freelance.
To add I live in a toxic dysfunctional household which I do in some way has affected me in my extracurriculars and mental health. I have been prevented from many opportunities I had gotten into. I think might I have burnout and social anxiety.
I can't use FAFSA or many other scholarships.
There are many other small nuances I cannot do which are too long for me to write.
I have done things that I could do, but tbh they don't seem prestigious or valuable enough , compared to what other of my peers have gotten or achieved. So I was wondering if I could mention my situation in anyway on the college apps or is the essay the only portion? Is there anything I can do to make the most of my situation on the common apps? Because I lowkey feel like it's unfair for colleges to expect things I can't even do.
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1 answer
You will have multiple opportunities to explain your situation. There is also usually an "additional information" free response portion. You can clarify your situation more thoroughly there. You must also indicate your citizenship, nation of origin, years you've lived in the U.S., and much more on the common app.
They understand that not everyone has access to hundreds of internships and paid programs. Think of all the rural and low/middle-income students applying, especially those in high schools that don't typically feed into college. Seems like you're in a competitive high school environment, which is conflating your idea of achievement. For college admissions, the general sentiment is that you need to be personable, amenable to learning, and to have done well in the context of your specific childhood.
That said, from what I've heard, they aren't too sympathetic to mental health issues unless you've resolved them fully. But they do like diversity a lot, so if you have unique views on a lot of situations/ an interesting way of thinking about the world, that would be a good thing to write essays on.
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thankyou :)