Each U.S. University or college sets its own admission standards and decides which applicants meet those standards. You must apply separately to each university or college. Even if you have selected one school where you are sure you want to study abroad, you should still apply to other schools - it is possible that your "first choice" school may not accept you. At least one or two of your choices should be schools where you and your advisor are fairly certain you will be admitted. Remember that you are competing with prospective international students from all over the world, for a limited number of spaces. Most U.S. schools encourage international students to contact them at least one year before they plan to enter that school.
Follow these steps as you apply for admission to U.S. universities and colleges:
Write to several schools After you have selected the schools you want to attend, contact them for more international student admission information and an application form. Study in the USA allows you to easily access this information on their website at http://www.studyusa.com.
Register for admissions tests Students applying to U.S. universities and colleges must take examinations that measure aptitude and achievement. International students must also take a test that measures English language proficiency. These tests are given at test centers around the world. They are "standardized", so that students take the same test at every test center. Your scores give the Admissions Office a uniform international standard for measuring your ability in comparison with other students. It is important to prepare for these tests with a program like TestRocker.
Take the admissions tests Your test scores are sent directly to the universities and colleges to which you are applying. You will be asked to indicate the names of these schools when you register to take certain tests, such as the SAT or ACT, or, in the case of computer-based tests, you will designate them at the exam site. The testing agencies will mail your scores directly to these schools. There will be a fee for scores that you request at a later date.
Write an awesome essay You may not be familiar with the American practice of writing a personal essay to submit with your university application. Here are some tips on how to write an awesome essay!
Step 1: Think of a great topic. Your essay topic should have personal meaning for you. It should reveal something about who you are, what your values or interests are, and how you are different from any other applicant. Write something about yourself that cannot be seen in your grades, the list of classes that you've taken, or in any other part of your application. Selecting the right topic is very important. To start thinking, some questions you can ask yourself are: What are you like? What have you done? Where do you want to go?
Step 2: Write your essay. Writing takes time. Don't rush or expect to finish your essay in one afternoon. Pay special attention to the introduction. Draw in the reader so that he or she is interested in finding out what the rest of the essay has to say and will reveal. Use simple words to express your ideas; you don't have to use big vocabulary words to show how much English you know-use the language to express yourself, not to prove how smart you are. Follow up statements with examples.
Step 3: Take your time & ask for help. Leave yourself enough time so that you can stop working on your essay for a few days-even a week-and then come back to it. This will allow you to see your essay with a fresh perspective. Also, show your essay to your friends and your family-they will be able to see things you've missed or neglected to mention. Have fun, take your time, show yourself, and tell your story well!
Send application forms. U.S. universities and colleges usually base their admissions decisions on a student's academic record and applicable test scores, such as TOEFL, the SAT or ACT. Most applications will request the following information:
Personal information - Include your name, age, address, family background, birthplace, citizenship, and so on.
Activities - Make a list of club memberships, awards earned, team sports experience, or leadership roles you have held.
Education plan - Write a short essay explaining why you want to attend this school, what course of study you want to pursue, your career goals, and research plans.
Essay - Some schools require a personal essay on a topic of your choosing.
Letters of recommendation - The application form will include several blank pages on which to provide letters of recommendation. Ask several of your teachers to compose and mail these letters directly to the Admissions Office of each school you choose.
Be sure to send your application to each university or college well before the application deadline.
Receive acceptance letters After the application deadline, you will begin receiving letters from the schools to which you have applied. Some schools inform candidates of their acceptance soon after their documents have arrived in the Admissions Office. This is called "rolling admissions". Other schools, however, wait several months and inform all candidates at one time.
Pay your deposit Most schools require students to pay a deposit by a certain deadline if they want to reserve a space in the entering class. For international students, this deposit can be as high as a semester's or a full year's tuition.
You should send your deposit immediately if you are applying for financial aid or if you plan to live in university housing. Because many schools do not have enough campus housing for all the students, you will have a better chance of getting a room on campus if you send your housing application and room deposit fee as quickly as possible.
Finally you should celebrate and make the most of your next four years!
For more helpful tips about the college application process for international students visit StudyUSA.com
Company Overview:
Study in the USA publishes admissions magazines and StudyUSA.com for students, their parents and advisors seeking information about U.S. education. Study in the USA magazine was the first of its kind when it debuted in 1978 and remains the leader in the field. We publish eight regional magazines as well as a magazine for boarding schools and summer studies. StudyUSA.com contains profiles of hundreds of quality American programs in 14 languages.
Study in the USA only accepts listings from schools, universities, institutes and programs that meet the highest standards of integrity, excellence in education and service to international students.
Go to http://studyusa.com/ to search for high quality schools throughout the United States.
