I have always been afraid of failure. I guess all of us, or for the most part.
I have re-told the story of how I re-applied to college, the first time was a complete fiasco, but it wasn’t because I had terrible grades, or recommendations, or any of that stuff. I just happened to be undocumented at the moment, that was mostly it. Undocumented students do not get any financial aid—the system is not designed for them, at least not here in the US.
Yet, even though I happen to be a permanent resident now, there are many students who still fear that their legal status will affect them in some way when it comes to applying to college and actually getting in. It can be frightening, I have to say. But every year, more schools are accepting undocumented students, including Brandeis University, which is where I attend to, and that is one of the aspects that makes me feel the proudest about Brandeis.
Well, it is also not true that schools don’t want to accept these students—that is the stigma. It is just that undocumented students tend to also be low-income students, therefore, they cannot get the different financial aids that other students, such as domestic get.
If you are undocumented, do all the steps that a domestic student would do. Do not give up, there is a place for you somewhere.
If you are applying to private schools, like Brandeis, I used the Common App. Create one! Get recommendations from the teachers you think know you the best. I also happened to write a document telling them more about personal struggles, goals, etc. and that always helps the teacher to pen a more personal letter for you (do not be lazy, this is your future we are talking about).
You should not fear, if you actually put some time into it; do one thing at the time and it will not feel so overwhelming. This application is mostly about you, so do not come with the excuse that you are afraid of it. Yes, I understand it is Halloween, but even Halloween is not scary at all (that was a terrible joke, but I just was not able to resist to make that reference).
And as a first-generation student, I know it may be daunting, especially because you are doing it most of it on your own, but schools like Brandeis want to hear your unique voice and experience. They want you on their campuses.
American’s higher education access is designed to favor only the people who are already on top and disfavor the rest, but you, me, and everyone is here to change that. The ladder should be for everyone to be able to go through regardless of your socio-economic background, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability, intersectionality, immigration status, etc.
I encourage you, out there, to apply to any institution you desire. Do not think of the price—usually it is a sticker price that only a handful will pay. If the school really wants you, they will find a way to get you to their campus. Get that education, make your family proud!
The thing about why elite schools lack so much in terms of diversity it is because low-income and first-generation students feel daunted about the sticker price of these schools (private schools). Have they heard of the word “financial aid”?
As a matter of fact, I happen to have two friends who are undocumented and they come to Brandeis—they say it is actually cheaper than if they would have attended a community college, which is usually public school, and public schools will not give you any aid—at all.
So, I recommend you, out there, wherever you are, to be smart. Do the math a let me know how it goes. Keep working on those college applications. Remember it is about you, so it should not be difficult or draining, it should be fun and exciting—exciting about what it is about to come.
Happy Halloween, or as I would say in Spanish: “Feliz noche de brujas.”
Best,
Santiago