Hello all! I hope you understand my Pink Floyd reference in the title, but more importantly, I hope you all are having a fun holiday break! The time for me to begin my AFS application is creeping up on me, and I'm going over the cost breakdown, for like the 25th time. I figured that if I am asking you readers to donate in the future, that I should probably give a you an explanation why. Also, I will attempt to explain the application process as well. Well here we go...
I will begin my application in February, as early as possible. It will take me a couple of weeks at the latest to finish it, and send it off to the office in Italy. When I start the application, a $75 fee is due, and when completed, the first tuition payment of $975 is due. Then I begin the real crazy part of it
Before I can be accepted, I must go through an in-home interview with a local AFS volunteer. This is mandatory so they can assess my capability of studying abroad first person. I'm actually very excited about it!
After I have gone through all of that, I am left with $11,775 to pay off by November. This is also the time that I begin to apply for scholarships, and financial aid. There is one that I am almost relying on. Because I live in Minnesota, a need-based scholarship is available that could potentially cover up to 50% of my tuition. I am not worried about qualifying, so I hope that this is my main form of payment. In the best case scenario, this scholarship could bring my tuition down to $5887, which is definitely more do-able. Another scholarship available to Italian students in one called Viaggio Italiano. This is a merit-based scholarship that awards students $2000 off of there tuition. Unfortunately, it is not available to semester students, like me, until fall of 2014. So, if I were to also get this one, it would bring the total price down to $3887, but I would not know until almost the last minute! The last form of aid that I am hoping for is straight up financial aid. Based on tax documents, a family could receive $200-$2000 dollars off of the tuition, on top of any other need-based awards. In the event of another miracle, this could bring my tuition down to the comfortable price of $1887!
But that is just the tuition.... I also have to worry about how I will support myself financially while in over there. I will be there for five months, and AFS recommends around $100-$300 a month, so I need between $500-$1500 on top of the tuition. I will shoot for around $1000, but am lenient on the exact number.
I also have to worry about visa/passport fees. The passport fee is not that big of a worry, but the visa fee will be more of a worry. I don't believe that there is a fee for applying for the visa, but may be some small miscellaneous fees along the way.
So as you can see, I have a lot to deal with in the next year! It will be hectic, but hopefully do-able! The numbers that I have included in this post are best case scenario numbers, so I will not know exactly how much money I need until I am done paying it basically. Which brings me to my next point. If any of you are on the edge about donating, please do! I am trying my hardest to make this happen, and it will not be possible without the generosity of others, like you. I appreciate you reading my blog, and I will attach the link to my GoFundMe page at the bottom. If you would like to wait to donate, I hope to have the donation button ready to go by spring! Thanks again! Happy holidays!
http://www.gofundme.com/sendmetoitaly
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