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The International Student's Guide
to Studying and Living in the USA

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College Admissions

Advantages of a US Education

More than four hundred fifty thousand international students from more than two hundred countries around the world come to the United States to pursue a higher education each year. Approximately half enter undergraduate programs, with the rest seeking a graduate or professional education. 5% come from Africa, 58% from Asia, 14% from Europe, 10% from Latin America, 7% from the Middle East, and 5% from Canada. The countries with the greatest number of international students studying in the US are: Japan (8%), China (8%), Korea (7%), India (6%), Taiwan (6%), Canada (4%), Malaysia (3%), Thailand (3%), Indonesia (2%), Hong Kong (2%), Germany (2%), Mexico (2%), Turkey (2%), United Kingdom (1%), Russia (1%).

The US educational experience is among the best in the world. Many US colleges and universities are known throughout the world for the quality of their academic programs. Institutions such as Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, Cornell, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology are familiar to students, educators, and business leaders everywhere.

The US has more high quality institutions than any other country. The depth and breadth of your options will amaze you. The US is clearly the global leader in higher education. You will find that a US higher education adds more value to your professional development than the alternatives.

A US education can enhance your career and prepare you for leadership in your country. It can broaden your horizons and expose you to a variety of perspectives, the latest technology, and state-of-the-art research and training. A degree from a US college or university is a stamp of excellence that marks you for life.

If you are a graduate student, a US education can help you make contacts with colleagues in the US. This may lead to collaborations with leading international researchers after you return to your home country. Even undergraduate students will find a solid network of support because the US is a "melting pot" of many cultures and there are more international students in the US than in any other country. So you will get help not just from the foreign student advisor, but also from people in the local community.

With the large number and variety of colleges and universities in the US, you are certain to find one that matches your needs and interests, no matter what your criteria.

On the other hand, a US education is extremely expensive. Financial aid is very limited. You may be able to obtain similar training in your own country at a much lower cost. You will have to balance the cost against the prestige and quality of a US education.

USIA Educational Advising Centers

Your first step should be to contact the US embassy or consulate in your country to locate the nearest USIA educational advising center. The educational advising centers are located in US Information Service offices, in Fulbright Commission offices, at Institute of International Education (IIE) offices, and at other locations. They provide much information and advice free of charge. They can provide profiles of US educational institutions, a review of application requirements, procedures and strategies, information about financial aid, information about standardized tests required for admission, such as the TOEFL, SAT, and GRE, information about visas, and information about adjusting to academic and cultural life in the United States. They include a reading room and an extensive library of reference materials. They offer a variety of seminars, including a pre-departure orientation session.

Educational advisors will need to know some basic information about your educational status and goals. They will need to know your grades, your intended field of study, which schools or where in the US you want to study, whether you will need financial aid, and your English language proficiency.

Calendar and Checklist

The following calendar and checklist will help you with your college admissions planning. It begins 24 months (2 years) before your planned enrollment date.

WhenWhat
September
(24 months)
Begin your search for colleges. Visit the nearest educational advising center and the library. Explore college sites on the web. Talk with family, friends, and acquaintances who may have studied in the US. Write to 10-15 schools for information.
October-November
(22-23 months)
Start preparing for the TOEFL exam and other admissions tests (e.g., GRE, GMAT, or SAT).
December - May
(16-21 months)
Register for the TOEFL exam and other admissions tests.
January
(20 months)
Select the schools to which you will apply. Request application materials if you haven't already.
March - June
(15-18 months)
Take the TOEFL and other admissions tests. You must take the tests before November, or you will miss the deadlines at most universities. Taking the tests now gives you a chance to improve your scores by taking them again in October.
May
(16 months)
Identify the teachers you will ask for letters of recommendation.
July
(14 months)
Read the college applications and backtrack the deadlines to allow yourself enough time to complete them. Remember to allow for delays in the mail. Narrow your list of schools to 10.
August
(13 months)
Write a draft of your application essays and statement of purpose. Get comments on it from friends and an English teacher.
September
(12 months)
If you want to try improving your scores on the TOEFL and other exams, register for a second set of tests.
September
(12 months)
Ask your teachers to write letters of recommendation for you. Given them the necessary forms and a stamped, addressed envelope.
October
(11 months)
Complete your essays and application forms, including the financial aid application forms. Mail them airmail. Ask your schools to send certified copies of your academic transcripts.
October
(11 months)
Take the TOEFL and other exams again, if necessary.
November
(10 months)
Check with your teachers and the school to make sure your recommendations and transcripts have been mailed.
December
(9 months)
Respond promptly to any requests for additional information.
April-May
(4-5 months)
You will start hearing from colleges. Contact the admissions office if you do not receive anything from them. Accept one school's offer, and notify them and the others of your choice. Ask the school to send you the I-20 or IAP-64 form. Make permanent housing arrangements if you will be staying on-campus, temporary housing arrangements if you will be living off-campus. Apply for a passport if you do not already have one.
June
(3 months)
Apply for a visa. Attend pre-departure orientation programs in your country. Make travel arrangements. Plan to arrive at least 15 days prior to orientation (2 months if you have to take an English course).
July-August
(1-2 months)
Have a nice trip!

College Applications

College admission in the US is extremely competitive, especially among international students. If you do not have a strong academic background, sufficient financial resources, and proficiency in the English language, you will be at a disadvantage in the admissions process.

Each school sets its own admission requirements. Because of the large number of international students seeking a US education, the schools do not make exceptions to their requirements. Most schools require a minimum of a high school diploma with solid coursework in science, mathematics, English, and humanities. They will also require academic entrance examinations such as the TOEFL, SAT, ACT, GRE, and GMAT. The higher your scores on these exams and the better your grades, the better your chances of being admitted. Generally you must have a 3.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale to be admitted, especially for graduate school. Some schools set very high standards for admission.

The more well-known institutions are often among the most competitive. While every international student would love to attend Harvard University or the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, not every student will be admitted. Certain fields of study are also highly competitive. These include engineering, computer science, pre-medicine, pre-law, architecture, and marine biology.

Note that to apply for a graduate or professional degree program, including medical school, law school, veterinary school, and dental school, you must first obtain an undergraduate bachelor's degree. Law students must also generally be licensed attorneys in their own countries before applying for admission to a US law school.

Choosing a School

If you are serious about obtaining a college degree in the United States, you should request information from at least 10 institutions. College admissions is competitive enough for international students that you need to apply to many institutions to have a reasonable chance of being admitted to a few schools. Some international students apply to as many as 15 institutions, especially if they are in highly competitive fields like engineering, business, or computer science.

At least one third of your applications should be to schools that are less selective. You can get a good idea of a school's selectivity by the scores they require on academic admissions tests. Do not limit your selection to only the most famous internationally-known institutions. If you do, your chances of being admitted to even one school will be infinitesimally small.

The US government does not monitor the quality of US colleges and universities, as does the ministry of education in other countries. Instead, the US Department of Education approves accrediting agencies. These accrediting agencies review a school's educational program for quality, and certify that the school meets a minimal set of standards. So it is important to be sure that the schools to which you are applying are accredited by a recognized accrediting agency, since schools without accreditation are likely to be of lesser quality.

The FinAid site includes a set of links to online College and University Guides. You will find these guides helpful in narrowing your choice of academic institution. Some of the better guides include CollegeEdge, CollegeNet, the College Board's College Search, Peterson's Guides to Undergraduate Study and Graduate Study.

There is also an online guide to college and university web pages. You can find a lot of useful information on a school's web page.

It is important to make sure that the school offers a degree program in your chosen field of study. If you are applying to graduate school, make sure that the department has enough faculty in your specialty. (Read the journals and conference proceedings in your field, and make a list of the institutions with authors publishing articles of interest to you.) Other considerations include the quality of the institution or department, the admission requirements, the cost (and the availability of financial aid, if any), the size of the institution, the location, housing policies, and the availability of ESL programs.

Sometimes it helps to limit your search to one region of the US, such as the east or west coast, before looking for schools that match your other requirements. The most important factors in choosing a location are climate and cost of living. Costs are higher in large cities like New York, Los Angeles, and Boston. In contrast, costs are much lower in the South and in cities like Pittsburgh and Seattle. The most popular destinations in the US for international students are California, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, Florida and Texas.

There are more than 2,000 undergraduate institutions in the United States, so the search can be a bit overwhelming. Ask your educational advisor for help, especially in making sure you have a reasonable selection of high quality accredited institutions.

Do not rely on rankings of institution quality such as the Gorman Report or US News & World Report's annual college rankings. The methodology used to assemble these rankings is subjective, inconsistent, and not based on any universal standard. One source may rank a given school in the top ten, while another publication will rank it in the top 100. The best school for you is the one that best meets your needs and interests, not somebody else's assessment of an institution's prestige.

Another key consideration is the number of international students on campus. If there are very many international students on campus, the school is more likely to be sensitive to the needs of students from other countries. On the other hand, you are less likely to receive financial aid at such a school. The schools with the greatest number of international students are listed below. If a school is listed in italics, it gives financial aid to more than 50 international students each year.

  1. Boston University - MA
  2. University of Southern California - CA
  3. University of Wisconsin-Madison - WI
  4. New York University - NY
  5. Ohio State University - OH
  6. University of Texas at Austin - TX
  7. Columbia University - NY
  8. Harvard University - MA
  9. University of Pennsylvania - PA
  10. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign - IL
  11. University of Michigan at Ann Arbor - MI
  12. University of Houston - TX
  13. Texas A&M University - TX
  14. University of Minnesota - MN
  15. George Washington University - DC
  16. Stanford University - CA
  17. Cornell University - NY
  18. Iowa State University - IA
  19. Southern Illinois University at Carbondale - IL
  20. University of Maryland at College Park - MD
  21. Purdue University - IN
  22. Arizona State University - AZ
  23. Michigan State University - MI
  24. Northeastern University - MA
  25. Brigham Young University - OH

Even though the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) doesn't appear on this list, it deserves special mention. International students represent 37% of the MIT graduate student population, and more than 20% of the overall student population.

Although the schools listed above have many international students, the inclusion of a school in that list might result more from the large size of the school than a special emphasis on international students. The schools with the greatest proportion of international undergraduate students are listed below. If a school is listed in italics, it gives financial aid to more than 50 international students each year.

  1. United States International University - CA
  2. Florida Institute of Technology - FL
  3. New School University - NY
  4. Clark University - MA
  5. American University - DC
  6. Andrews University - MI
  7. University of Tulsa - OK
  8. Illinois Institute of Technology - IL
  9. Eckerd College - FL
  10. Macalester College - MN
  11. Bennington College - VT
  12. Ohio Wesleyan University - OH
  13. Mount Holyoke College - MA
  14. Howard University - DC
  15. George Washington University - DC
  16. Beloit College - WI
  17. University of San Francisco - CA
  18. University of Miami - FL
  19. University of Denver - CO
  20. University of Southern California - CA
  21. Stevens Institute of Technology - NJ
  22. Knox College - IL
  23. Georgetown University - DC
  24. California Institute of Technology - CA
  25. Bethany College - WV
  26. Washington College - MD
  27. University of Oregon - OR
  28. Tufts University - MA
  29. St. Andrews Presbyterian College - NC
  30. Smith College - MA
  31. Randolph-Macon Woman's College - VA
  32. Pepperdine University - CA
  33. Middlebury College - VT
  34. Massachusetts Institute of Technology - MA
  35. Drexel University - PA
  36. Dartmouth College - NH
  37. Carnegie Mellon University - PA
  38. Bryn Mawr College - PA
  39. Grinnell College - IA
  40. College of Wooster - OH

The states which are most popular with international students are Massachusetts, California, Washington DC, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, Illinois, Texas, Michigan, Florida, Wisconsin, Vermont, Minnesota, Maryland, and Iowa.

If the school offers rolling admission, there is less deadline pressure on the international student. Schools with rolling admission accept applications throughout the year and review the applications when they are complete. You still need to submit the applications in a timely fashion, but the extra flexibility can be helpful with delays caused by the postal system. Most schools, however, have fixed deadlines and mail offers of admission between March and May.

Unfortunately, as an international student you don't have access to the best method of determining whether a school is right for you: the campus visit. If you do have the opportunity to visit the US and tour a few colleges, do so when classes are in session. This will not only allow you to previous the professors, but also get to meet a few students and get a feel for the student culture and whether you'd fit in.

Academic Entrance Examinations

All schools require the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). See the English as a Second Language section for additional information about the TOEFL.

Schools may also require tests of general academic preparation, such as the SAT or ACT, and field-specific tests such as the Achievement Tests.

All of these tests are standardized, multiple choice tests, written in English. If you do not have a high degree of English proficiency, you will not do well on these tests, no matter how strong your academic background.

About once month after the examination, your scores will be sent to the institutions you specified on the application form. It will take an additional two to four weeks for you to receive your copy of the score report, so it is best to not wait to see the scores before sending them to the schools to which you have applied.

For more information about the SAT, ACT, GRE, GMAT, TOEFL, and other standardized exams, please see the admissions testing section of this site.

Requesting Application Materials

Schools usually have different application materials for international students, so it is important that you identify yourself as an international student when you contact the admissions office.

Some possible differences include:

Application requirements and deadlines are usually the same. Nevertheless, you should allow extra time for applications to arrive, because the international postal system introduces delays. Expect it to take four to six weeks for you to get a response to inquiries. So allow plenty of time. Get information as much as possible from web sites and by email and facsimile. You should begin the process at least a year and a half in advance of the application deadline, and no later than August of the year before the academic year in which you plan to enroll.

Send all inquiries by airmail and request an airmail reply. Even if you are able to correspond by facsimile and email, the actual application and accompanying documents will need to be sent by airmail.

Your initial inquiry should be addressed to the Director of Undergraduate Admissions for undergraduate applications, to the Department Chair or Dean of the Graduate School or Director of Graduate Admissions for graduate applications. Your initial inquiry should either include a preliminary application form obtained from the nearest educational advising center, or at least the following information:

If you don't provide this information, the school will respond with a preliminary application that requests it. Otherwise, if you meet their preliminary criteria, they will send you a full formal application for admission with instructions.

There are several organizations that allow you to apply for admission using the World Wide Web. You will still need to submit your credentials via airmail, but using the web-based application services can save you some time. No one service handles applications for all the schools, so you may need to visit several sites. The services include APPLY, CollegeEdge, CollegeLink, CollegeScape, and Peterson's CollegeQuest (GradAdvantage for MBA programs).

Preparing the Application

In addition to completing the application and essays, you will need to provide certified copies of your original educational credentials (diplomas, grade reports, test scores, comprehensive exam scores), certified English translations of these documents, TOEFL exam scores, scores for any required academic entrance examinations, financial information, letters of recommendation from teachers, and the application fee. Include all the items requested, or your application will be considered incomplete. The admissions office will not review your application until it is complete, and it is your responsibility to make sure they receive all of the required documents. If a requested document is not available, include a letter stating this and explaining why the document could not be provided. In such situations it is helpful to include a cover letter from a third party such as the educational advising office or the US cultural affairs officer that confirms the details of your situation.

The transcripts of your educational records should be sent directly from your former schools. This is to prevent forgeries and modifications to your transcripts. The admissions office will also want explanations of the grading and class ranking system and descriptions of the courses.

Do not send your original documents, since they cannot be returned. Copies should be certified with the school's official seal or by a notary public (a public official responsible for certifying documents). English translations, if necessary, should be done by a professional translator and also certified. The translator should be unrelated to you. Information about professional translators can be found in the credential evaluation section of this site. US embassies and consulates do not certify documents.

The application will ask questions about your academic background, your hobbies and extracurricular activities, and your educational and career plans. It will also require one or more essays. The purpose of the essays is partly to see an example of your English writing ability, and partly to provide an opportunity for you to express yourself in a more open format.

One of the essays will be a statement of educational purpose. Use this essay to explain why you are pursuing an education in your field, describe your experience and strengths in that field, and outline your plans for the future. Weave the strands of your life together into a tapestry that shows where you've been, where you are now, and where you are headed in the future. Your essay should be cohesive and well-organized. Give specific examples to support any general statements. Review your essay for spelling and grammatical errors before writing it on the application form.

Pay careful attention to the deadlines, and allow enough time for the mail. Submit your completed applications two or three months before the deadline. Send the applications as early as possible. You may wish to use an express delivery service, since then you will know that the application has arrived in a timely fashion.

Keep a copy of everything you send to the admissions office. If your application is lost in the mail, this will help you resubmit it.

Create a chart showing all the deadlines and important dates, and keep a record of the date you mailed each application. This will help you track your progress.

When asking teachers to write you a letter of recommendation, choose teachers who know you well. If a teacher taught you for two years, that is better than a teacher who taught you for only one year. Ask the teachers whether they can write you a good letter of recommendation. If they can't, ask them to suggest other teachers.

Provide your references with a copy of your completed application or a summary of your qualifications. This will remind them of your better qualities.

The best letters will present an honest appraisal of your abilities, highlighting both weak and strong points. A letter from a teacher who taught you in a challenging course is more valuable than a letter from a teacher who taught you in an easy class. The purpose of the letter is to evaluate your background, motivation and promise, and not to offer meaningless praise. When admissions officers receives letters from a teacher for several students, praising each of them as the best he's seen in his career as a teacher, they ignore them. The result is a negative mark against the students, not a positive one. It is better to be balanced in presentation, so that the admissions officer can learn to trust a teacher's opinion over the years.

Your teachers will want to mail their recommendations directly to the university. Provide them with a stamped airmail envelope with the proper address, and write your name in the lower left hand corner of the envelope.

Although applications from American students are usually considered on a need-blind basis, applications from international students are increasingly being reviewed in a need-sensitive manner. Competition among international students is so intense that most schools can get enough qualified students who do not demonstrate financial need. As a general rule, it is still worth applying for financial aid. If you need financial aid and don't apply for it, the school might admit you without offering any aid at all, yielding the same result as an outright rejection. Many international students have sent email reporting that they have been offered admission to a US university but do not have enough financial resources to pay for the cost of education, even when the schools provide some financial aid.

Once you have submitted your applications, you will have to wait for several months before hearing anything. If you do hear anything in that time period, it will usually be a request for additional or missing items.

If you are lucky, you will be accepted by one or more institutions. They will send you a letter of admission and the form you need to apply for a student visa (Form I-20). Accept one (and only one) of the offers of admission, and confirm your acceptance according to their instructions. You will probably have to write a letter to the admissions office confirming that you will enroll and including a non-refundable deposit of several hundred dollars. If there are any additional forms, submit them in a timely fashion.

Once you have accepted one of the offers, send a letter to the other schools declining their offers. Not only is it polite to do so, but it allows them to reallocate any financial aid they offered you to other students.

What's Next?

You are admitted to a college and have accepted their offer. What happens next?

Once you have accepted a school's offer of admission, the first thing you should do is apply for a student visa. Information about student visas is presented in the Passports and Visas section of this site.

You will receive a large packet of information. It is important to follow the instructions carefully. You will also need to arrange for plane tickets and access to your funds from abroad. You may need to send some money to the school to pay for the first semester's tuition. You will also need to decide whether you will live in on-campus housing or off-campus housing. Information about housing is presented in the Housing section of this site.

Your local educational advising center may offer a pre-departure orientation program. If so, you should attend.

Most schools have special orientation sessions for international students a few weeks before other students start arriving on campus. It is a good opportunity to meet the foreign student advisor and your fellow international students. Orientation will include a variety of academic and social activities, and time to familiarize yourself with the neighborhood.

If expect that Americans will have trouble pronouncing your name, you might wish to pick an American name to use as a nickname.

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Last modified: February 03, 1999 08:48:32 EST