Going to College: Barriers and Opportunities for Undocumented Students

Undocumented children are allowed to go to grade school and high school. After graduation from high school, undocumented students face possible legal and financial barriers to going to college.  There are three things to think when deciding to college here in the United States: 1) Getting accepted into a college; 2) Tuition and 3) Financial help.

Getting into College

Do not assume that you can't go to college in the United States.  There is no federal law that says you can't go to a public or private U.S. college.  There are no laws that require students to prove their U.S. citizenship in order to go to college.  What usually is that once a person is accepted into the university, the office sends the student an I-20 form to process at the consulate office in his/her native country.  This will help the student get a visa. Unfortunately, if the student is already in the country illegally, the student is not eligible for this student visa.  There are some college policies (rules) that require the student to prove the student is in the United States legally like citizenship, permanent residency or some other visa. This is not a law.  Some colleges accept undocumented students but treat them as out of state students or foreign students and therefore charge them the much higher out of state tuition.  Some states will charge undocumented students the much cheaper "in state" tuition if the student can prove they went to high school in the same state they are applying for college.  

Tuition

Some states allow undocumented students to pay the cheaper in state tuition.  See the attached "Repository Resources for Undocumented Students" for a list of states that undocumented students can pay in state tuition rates.

Undocumented students cannot receive federally funded financial aid which includes loans, grants or scholarships or work study money.  Most states also do not allow undocumented students state funded financial aid. Many private scholarships also make it hard for undocumented students to get financial aid.  Many private scholarships make it hard for undocumented to get financial aid.  Private organizations have their own rules. Some give scholarships to undocumented students.

More Information:

Check if you are eligible to stay in the United States under DACA: link     Informacion sobre DACA en espanol: Link     Be careful about fraud when seeking Immigration legal help: Link Scholarships: Chicago Community College scholarships: http://www.illinoisdreamfund.org

Keep the TV out of the bedroom

Having a TV or video game equipment can hurt your student's chances of doing well in school.  Research from around the world shows how harmful having a TV and/or video game equipment in child's bedroom. 

Students who do not watch TV or play video games during the week do better in school than students who watch TV during the week.  Why?  Educators believe students should study every night, read every night, and get plenty of rest every night.  If you had TV or video games on school nights then that takes time away from studying, reading and rest.

Putting a TV and/or video game equipment in the student's bedroom makes doing well in school even harder. A TV in a bedroom makes it harder for parents to see if the student is doing their homework. Reading time is reduced or worse the student does not read at all.  Consider the following points:

• Children with a TV in their bedroom do worse on math and reading than children with no TV in their bedrooms (click here for comparison chart).
• Children with a TV in their bedroom watch 4 hours of TV more a week than kids without a TV did worse in school than kids who did not watch any TV during a school night. 
• Children who watch just one hour of TV were less likely to finish their homework. Children that watched 3 or more hours a day were even more likely to not finish their homework.
• Research shows that children with a TV in their bedroom have a lower GPA than kids without TVs in their bedrooms (2.6 vs. 2.9) - University of Minnesota School of Public Health
• Kids with 1 electronic device were more likely to be overweight.  Kids with 3 more or devices had an even greater chance of being overweight.  The reason is when kids have electronics in their rooms they are more likely to not get enough sleep and are exposed to more advertising promoting poor eating habits.
• Kids who do not sleep enough have greater physical and mental health problems
• Kids who sleep enough do better in school.
• The more television a child watches the harder it is to get a bachelor's degree be age 26 (click here for chart).

If you want your teen to have the best chance of academic success, consider limiting television viewing to less than an hour a day. Save television time for weekends, when your teen wants to watch a show with friends or family. Don't let television viewing become a default activity when your teen is bored. And be careful of letting your teen have a television in his bedroom. A study published in the April 2008 issue of "Pediatrics" found that not only did teens who had a television in their bedroom have less academic success, but they also were less physically active, spent less time eating meals with family and had poor dietary habits.

Why you should visit a museum

Museums are a good way for families to spend time together.  Museums help students better understand what they are being taught in school and it's fun and affordable.

Museums can help students learn complicated ideas at their own pace and gives parents a chance to help.  Students get exposed to many subjects that may open them to new interests.  

Most museums have been modernized to be more fun by giving them a chance to play games, make things move or even hear the sounds of animals.  If your student seems more interested in video games, try exposing them to historical information behind the game's theme. For example if they play Madden NFL. Football, take them to museum that has football history.  

Museums don't have to be expensive. Many museums offer free passes at local public libraries. Some museums have free days.  

In Chicago all the museums have free passes at all of its public libraries at the front desk. There are limited number of passes so plan ahead.  

Links:

Field Museum: http://m.fieldmuseum.org

Museum of Science and Industry: http://www.msichicago.org

National Museum of Mexican Art: http://www.nationalmuseumofmexicanart.org/

Free days at Chicago museums: http://www.chicagoparent.com/picks/museum-free-days

Parent Involvement - Secret to Education Success

Parent involvement is important in your child's education no matter what level of education you may have.  Parents that are involved shows their children that education is important.  The bottom line is to remove as many obstacles from your child doing well in school. Here are some examples on how you can get involved:

At Home Basics:

• Make sure they do their homework;
• Make sure they go to sleep early every night;
• Create a routine where the entire family reads every night (link);
• Control the amount of TV and video games they play during the school week;
• Remove the TV from their bedrooms;
• Eat dinner together as a family and discuss current events; 

Homework Help:
Never do your child's homework, instead help them understand the homework assignment. Also focus on what your child is doing and learning instead of being only focused on performance.  There’s a big difference between a parent who’s focused on what the child is doing — that is, on the learning itself — and a parent who’s focused on how well the child is doing.  To ask “So, what’s your theory about why World War One started?” or “If you had written that story, would you have left the character wondering what happened, the way the author did?” represents a kind of engagement that promotes critical thinking and enthusiasm about learning.  To ask “Why only a B+ is a kind of engagement that undermines both of these things.

• Help them understand the homework;
• Get them a tutor to catch up and get ahead;

At school:
Many parents work so it is not possible to volunteer at the local school.  Parents should go to the school for meetings and get information.  No question is stupid.  Ask as many questions as you can until you understand.  Here are some examples:

• Attend parent teacher conferences;
• Pick up report cards;
• Meet with a counselor;
• Get help for your child;
• Sign up for free breakfast and lunch (must be income qualified);
• Attend workshops like "how to get into college.";
• Help your child enroll into a community college or university (especially if its your first child);

How much math is needed to get into College?

Getting into most colleges is very competitive.  Students from all over the city, the state, the country and the world are competing to get into U.S. colleges.  Unless you have a special athletic or talent, you must consider not only the required amount of high school coursework to get into college but also should consider the "recommended" as required to have a better chance to get into a college.  Some high school counselors may disagree but keep in mind unless you are a star athlete in the state or a super talented musician (for example) then you are in competition with the thousands of people wanting to get accepted.  How do you stand out?  You need to do more academically in high school not the minimum. 

    Math is one of the tough subjects but it could be easy if you plan ahead.  Get a tutor (see our article on tutors), take four years of math and get good grades.  More math education is always better than the minimum.

University*  Math Requirements** Columbia College at Chicago   TBD DePaul University  TBD MIT   Math through calculus recommended  Roosevelt University   College preparation classes in Math Smith College  3 years recommended University of Chicago  3–4 years of math University of Illinois at Chicago  Three to four years of mathematics   (including algebra, geometry, advanced algebra/trigonometry) University of Illinois at Champaign Urbana  3–4 years of math UT Austin  3 years required, 4 years recommended *We will be updating this list when more information is available **Always check with the school to make sure you have the most current math requirements.

Students need a lot of rest to do well in School

Research shows that people perform better if they get plenty of rest.  Most people need at least six to seven hours of sleep. A lack of sleep affects your ability to focus and control your emotions.  More sleep improves performance. The Stanford Sleep Disorder Clinic and Research Laboratory has found that brain performance improves with more sleep.  Basketball players were 9% more accurate after sleeping 10 hours.

Besides sleeping, the brain needs other kinds of rest.  One excellent form of rest is being in nature.  Research shows that people who hike in nature are better able to solve problems.  Disconnecting from TV, work, stress and getting plenty of sleep is what you need to perform better in school.

10 Steps to Transferring from Community College to a University

  Many students have started their college careers at a community college.  It is important that students that want to successfully transfer to a 4 year need to be careful on what classes they take and follow the requirements of the 4 year university to get in. Many community colleges have transfer centers to help you transfer.  Make sure you start the process as early as possible.

1. You don't need an associate's degree to get into a 4 year university. While national research shows that community college students who finish their degree program complete the baccalaureate at a much higher rate, no 4 year university requires students to have an associates degree.  It is simply a waste of money and time to get an associate degree if you plan to transfer.  You will be taking classes that will not transfer which means you waste time and money.

2. Pick a university. Research which university is good for the area your interested in.  Consider quality of education over convenience. 

3. Plan ahead. Start planning for your transfer as early as possible.  You do not want to pay for classes that will not transfer.  One exception though, if you were not college ready entering the community college you want to take those prep classes.  Visit the universities that your most interested in. Read about them.  Find out about transfer information. 

4. Know what actually transfers. Make sure you are picking courses that are transferable to colleges and universities. There are Web sites, tools, and advisers at both community colleges and universities to help you choose wisely.  Make sure the advisor is aware that you want only transferable classes.

Many states have "articulation agreements"—negotiated documents that make clear what's needed to transfer from one higher education institution to another. The agreement spells out what classes you need to take and what grades you need to make when you transfer.  Here is Illinois website:

• Illinois: www.itransfer.org/ 

5. Meet your college advisor regulartly. Meet regularly with your advisor about your transfer plans.  Also meet with the counselor at the school you are transfering to make sure everything is done correctly.  Don't be shy, that is what counselors are paid to do.  do not try to do the transfer process without the help of a counselor.  And remember you do not need an associate degree to go to a four year university.  Most jobs do not honor associate degrees. 

6. Pick your classes carefully. If your lucky enough to know your major when you transfer (its okay if you don't know yet) then make sure you are taking the correct prerequistes.  If you don't know your major yet then meet with a counselor about a liberal arts degree until you've decided on a major.  

7. Apply to the school and the program. Make sure you apply to both the university and the college your interested in attending. Just because you applied to a unviersity does not mean you applied to their nursing or architectural school.  These programs often have other requirements besides the university entrance requirements and sometimes diferent applications and deadlines. 

8. Money. Fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Call the university admissions office to see if it has scholarships set aside for transfer students.

9. Attend orientation. Universities are different from community colleges make sure you attend the orientation. You do not want to be at a disadvantage from day one. 

10. Be organized. Keep a calendar with all your application deadlines.  Have a folder with all your application materials. And read the instructions. If you have questions ask!

Schools with information on transfering from a community college:

DePaul University