Applying for Admission to a U.S. Program
Each U.S. university and college sets its own admission standards and decides which applicants meet those standards. Therefore, 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 schools in the USA encourage prospective international students to contact their admissions office at least one year before planning to enter that school.
Follow these helpful 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 each school for an application form and more international student admission information. You can use the school advertisements throughout this magazine and StudyUSA.com as information resources to help you make your choice. On the website, you can contact schools directly to request information.
Choosing a College or a University in the USA
If you wish to apply for a graduate (postgraduate) program you should verify the admission requirements with the specific graduate school within the university. Many graduate programs have higher admission standards and some programs require that you send your application directly to their department.You should be in good academic standing if you expect to be admitted to a graduate program. Contact either the admissions office of the graduate school or the chairperson of the department.
Please mention that you learned about the school from Study in the USA®.
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. If you are applying to graduate schools, additional exam scores, such as the GRE or GMAT, will be required.
The admissions office or graduate school department will send you information about their academic programs and an application form. (You might be able to obtain a specific school’s application form online or at your local educational advising center.)
The fee for each application is US$35 to US$100. This money pays for processing your application and is non-refundable, even if you aren’t admitted to the school. If you mail your application, make sure to contact the admissions office to confirm your application was received.
The admissions office will review your marks earned during the last four years of secondary school. Your results from your country’s national secondary school examinations will also be reviewed.
If you are applying to a graduate program, your marks from university or college will be taken into consideration.
Ask the school you are now attending, or the school you have attended most recently, to mail a certified copy of your academic record or “transcript” to the schools to which you are applying. Prior to taking your admissions tests, you should arrange for official score reports to be sent to the universities or colleges that interest you.
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. See sidebar.
Letters of recommendation—The application form will include several blank pages for your 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. This gives you some extra time to resolve any possible delays.
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 schools in the USA encourage prospective international students to contact their admissions office at least one year before planning to enter that school.
Follow these helpful 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 each school for an application form and more international student admission information. You can use the school advertisements throughout this magazine and StudyUSA.com as information resources to help you make your choice. On the website, you can contact schools directly to request information.
Choosing a College or a University in the USA
If you wish to apply for a graduate (postgraduate) program you should verify the admission requirements with the specific graduate school within the university. Many graduate programs have higher admission standards and some programs require that you send your application directly to their department.You should be in good academic standing if you expect to be admitted to a graduate program. Contact either the admissions office of the graduate school or the chairperson of the department.
Please mention that you learned about the school from Study in the USA®.
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. If you are applying to graduate schools, additional exam scores, such as the GRE or GMAT, will be required.
The admissions office or graduate school department will send you information about their academic programs and an application form. (You might be able to obtain a specific school’s application form online or at your local educational advising center.)
The fee for each application is US$35 to US$100. This money pays for processing your application and is non-refundable, even if you aren’t admitted to the school. If you mail your application, make sure to contact the admissions office to confirm your application was received.
The admissions office will review your marks earned during the last four years of secondary school. Your results from your country’s national secondary school examinations will also be reviewed.
If you are applying to a graduate program, your marks from university or college will be taken into consideration.
Ask the school you are now attending, or the school you have attended most recently, to mail a certified copy of your academic record or “transcript” to the schools to which you are applying. Prior to taking your admissions tests, you should arrange for official score reports to be sent to the universities or colleges that interest you.
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. See sidebar.
Letters of recommendation—The application form will include several blank pages for your 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. This gives you some extra time to resolve any possible delays.
Post a Comment