STUDY ABROAD- USA

Source:- Freshersworld

Why USA?

Presently, the United States is the first choice for almost all international students to pursue their education abroad. The U.S. is chosen by a huge number of international students every year for broadening their experience as well as pursuing their education. Every year a very large number of Indian students are joining universities and colleges in the U.S. The question that arises is why so many international students go to U.S. for pursuing their education when institutions in their native country offer academically enriching as well as practical programs. The reason is that US education system has endowed with top notch resources and quality oriented education for a multiple programs that students, educators and professionals can pursue for that extra edge. There is highest number of educational institutions facilitating higher education in USA than any other County and approximate 3800 colleges and universities passing on degree programs.

One of the most distinctive features of U.S. universities is the flexibility in choice of courses within a college or university. More importantly there is also the option for students to move between one institution and another.

Some of the main reasons for choosing the U.S. are given below:

• Excellent Academic Programs and a Broad Range of Educational Opportunities in US
• Research Opportunities and Flexible Course Curriculums in US
• Usage of Superior Technology for the US University Students
• Exceptional Support for International Students within the US
• Employment Opportunities for International Students in the US

Public vs. Private Universities in USA

The university system in the U.S. is essentially decentralized. The individual states solely administer the public universities. The universities in the U.S. have developed an autonomous accreditation organization for ensuring the degree quality. The ratings for colleges and universities are given by the accreditation agencies on academic quality criteria such as library quality; faculty's publishing records as well as degrees held by the faculty. A university is generally bigger in comparison to a college and provides additional majors as well as research facilities. Within the university classes are sometimes taught by graduate students. Public colleges are generally quite economical for the residents of the state since the college acquires a good amount of funding from the local or state government. Private colleges mainly depend on private sources, endowments, fees and tuitions. Even though, smaller in size, they tend to provide personalized attention.

USA Community vs. Liberal Arts Colleges:

Every college and university in the U.S. has a different goal. Two year colleges generally provide students with Associate's Degree (Associate of Arts or A.A. degree). Two year colleges are quite often also known as Community Colleges. Generally, these colleges have open admissions and charge a lower tuition fees than private or state schools. A four year college comprises of much more students and tends to offer a wide array of courses. They provide students with Bachelor's Degree, for instance - Bachelor of Science (B.S.) and Bachelor of Arts (B.A.). The community colleges are essentially undergraduate institutions. The four year colleges within the U.S. that focus on liberal - arts are known as Liberal Arts Colleges. These colleges essentially focus on interactive instruction. The colleges are generally residential and have smaller class sizes, less students and higher number of teachers in comparison to other universities. These colleges encourage a very high interaction level between the students as well as teachers. The classes are mainly taught by the full time faculty. Most of the Liberal Arts Colleges are private colleges, though public liberal arts colleges also exist.

Vocational or Technical Colleges in USA

Vocational or technical colleges essentially design their programs to provide students with appropriate knowledge as well as skills associated with specific requirements of an occupation occupations or a particular job. Vocationl education imparted by the colleges involve more practical application and very less theory in comparison to academic programs taught by other colleges.

Eligibility

Most schools require qualifications comparable to a U.S. Bachelor's (Honours) degree (Four Year Degree Program). That means a minimum of 16 years of formal education. In the Indian context, it implies qualifying in a professional four-year degree like engineering or other such courses. For Doctorate programs, most universities require a Master's degree in that subject. In a few exceptional cases like a good undergraduate engineering degree, they may offer a direct admission to a Doctorate course. If you have completed a three-year degree program in India, the advisable plan of action to maximize eligibility for U.S. graduate schools is to apply for a Post Graduate degree here in India. A one-year university affiliated program will make up for the fourth year of a U.S. Undergraduate degree. No standardized policy exists regarding the acceptance of such programs. Some universities may accept the three-year Indian Graduation Degree for a few programs. Confirmation can only be obtained by either writing directly or formally applying to the universities concerned.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE-

Step 1

You need to clear either TOEFL or GRE. The type of university which may take you will depend on your score

Step 2

Writing Statement of Purpose (also called Personal Statement)

You will have to pay special attention to draft your Statement of Purpose. Your Statement of Purpose is a reflection of your goals, aspirations, academic highlights, co-curricular achievements and your enthusiasm for higher studies. Be very meticulous in framing your SOP. It is something that the professors are surely going to read. You need to highlight all your strong points and also explain (in short) the reasons of any shortfall in your application.

You need to spend time on your SOP. The step by step manner in which it should be prepared is:

Write down all your academic highlights that you want to put in your SOP. Brainstorm for all the academic projects, scholarships that you got, college level technical prizes etc. You need to prepare a exhaustive list of all the things you want to mention in the SOP.

Depending on the program you are applying, you need to prepare a storyboard from your list of achievements. Put them in most coherent manner so that you state your goals, objectives and aspirations very clearly.

Transcripts

A transcript is an official copy of a student's academic record. It is issued by the University on demand. Generally Universities charge a fee for each copy of the 'Official Transcript'.

Transcripts are one of the most essential documents that are required by Universities where you are applying for admission. You'll need to send your transcripts by post (courier) to University admission office. Your application will not be processed until the University has your transcript.

Some Universities ask for 2 copies of transcript (one for the graduate school and one for the department). You should always apply for more transcripts than the number of Universities your are applying for. Normally if you are applying for 10 Universities, you should get around 15-16 transcripts.

Letters of Recommendations

Letters of recommendation are another action item where you need to be very proactive. You may have to spend a lot of time for this activity. You need to identify the professors (or supervisors at work place) whom you'll entrust with this responsibility. You'll need to tell them well in advance and seek their approval for the same.

Ideally for MS programs, most Universities ask for 3 recommendations. Some restrict you to 2 while a few allow even a fourth recommendation. There are two ways you can submit recommendations: Online recommendations and Paper Based recommendation.

Universities prefer online recommendations. It is very much convenient for them as it requires no paperwork and no overhead on their part (scanning etc. - for your information, most of the paper documents that we send are usually scanned and archived into applicant's folder on a computer).

You should go for a paper based recommendation when there are problems in getting a online recommendation. Every University has a format for the paper based recommendation. Download the recommendation form from the University website and hand it over to your professor to fill it. It will have some questions about you and a space for your professor to write some text about you. Your professor can attach any extra sheet in case he wants to write more. Actually this is what is normally done. Professor fills up the recommendation form and attaches a separate sheet of text along with the form. The professor should use his own letterhead (preferably) or Institute's letterhead to write his text. The professor should ensure that he has signed both the University recommendation form and the extra sheet that he attaches with it. You are required to get the recommendation in sealed envelopes and you are not supposed to see your recommendation

Every recommendation letter should include three key components:

• A paragraph or sentence that explains how recommender knows the applicant and the duration of relationship.
• An evaluation of the applicant and his skills/accomplishments. If possible specific examples should be cited that illustrate the applicant's strengths and qualifications.
• A summary that explains why professor would recommend the applicant and to what degree he would recommend him ['Recommends', 'Highly Recommends'].

The content of the recommendation letter will depend upon the needs of the person who is requesting it, but there are some common topics that can be addressed:

• Potential
• Skills/Abilities/Strengths
• Dependability
• Consistence
• Character
• Contributions (to class or community)
• Accomplishments

Writing a Resume

You'll need to write a well drafted resume to be sent along with the applications. Some Universities get it uploaded on their online application while some ask to send it along with the additional documents that you send via courier.

By now, resume writing must not be new to you. There are thousands of websites what tell you how to write a good resume. Basically, your resume for your MS application should clearly capture all your academics, academic related achievements and significant co-curricular activities. Also mention your work experience (if any) and the kind of work you have done.

Step 3

The first requirement before you start applying is to have a list of Universities where you intend to apply. 
You need to do a lot of research on the Universities before you can come-up with a list. By the time you are preparing your list, you might have given your GRE and TOEFL. You'll have to make a rational decision as to what are your chances in various Universities that you are evaluating. You'll have to evaluate the department and program ranking of the University and whether the researches and courses align with your interests.

Some quick tips!

Generally people have a simple logic of choosing Universities. You need to divide your list into 3 categories of :

• Ambitious - The ones that are your real dream Universities, but you think they are a bit unapproachable given the profile you have.
• Moderates - The Universities which you believe that you have a fair chance of getting in. You have researched that people of similar profile have gone through such Universities before. But you still cannot be very confident of an admit.
• Safes - The Universities that you are confident that you should get a call from. You have checked various forums and edulix uniSearch and you are pretty sure that with your profile, you should get an admit from this University.

Statement of Purpose/Resume

Most online applications  facilitate uploading the SOP and Resume on the online application itself. Otherwise you'll require to send them with the courier packet. In case you are uploading your resume, you can also append scanned copy of various certificates to the resume.

Letters of Recommendations

You will need to send your letter of recommendations(LOR). Most online applications now-a-days allow LORs to be submitted online.In cases where submitting online LOR is not possible, the applicant is required to take LOR in sealed envelopes from the professor and send it along with the application packet that will be sent to the University. .

Transcripts

Transcripts are to be sent by post. You need to send them in sealed envelopes by courier/post along with other application material that is required.

Financial documents to be sent with applications

Some Universities ask some financial documents to be sent along with the application. These documents maybe custom documents/forms that are to be filled and sent back with bank seal etc. Basically they may ask for financial proof for some amount of money. Most students who will avail loan for their studies are not in a position to send those documents at this time. Ideally you should send authentic proof of whatever amount that is possible.

Step 4

Finally, you've come to the last hurdle before you go ahead and pursue your dream. All students who have a decent admit and have enough finances normally get a Visa.

However, Visa issuance policies are a function of the ever changing world dynamics. Hence, you'll find that getting a Visa maybe easier one year as compared to other due to the changing policies of the US consulate.
But nevertheless this is a exhausting exercise. You'll have to get many documents made and ensure that they are all authentic and acceptable by the consulate.

As a first step you will require a Visa interview date, visit https://www.vfs-usa.co.in for all the information you'll require to fill up the forms and register for a date. The official Visa website lists all the procedures and steps in a coherent manner. Make sure your read and understand all the instructions and FAQs. .

What is the best place to appear for the Interview? or Which consulate is most lenient in granting Visas?
There are many theories of a particular consulate being more lenient than the other. Chennai specially has earned a bad name for rejecting more F1 Visas than any other consulate. I believe if you do a comparative analysis on the percentage of F1 Visa rejected for all the consulates, there won't be any difference. So just take that thought out of your mind and apply for interview at the consulate where you are supposed to.