Bro, sorry for the late reply. I had the same situation like you. I had been out of status for about 5 months. Those five months I waited for my reinstatement were worse than hell. There were times I wouldn't go anywhere and scared to get out of the cinema theatres coz of fear. Although my international student advisor told me hundred times that its not a big deal and that I'll get it pretty soon..., my condition never improved until the day I got my reinstatement. So don't worry bro.I can assure you that if its your first time , you ll get your reinstatement. I had several friends who were out of status like me. They all got reinstated.And besides you r not not illegal during that processing period. You can join school just like the F-1 students. I strongly advise you to have your school process your request. All you need to do is write a good letter explaining why you were out of status. I hope this helps. By the way, I applied for my reinstaement from seminiole community college , Florida.