Education System In USA
This section takes you through the universities enrolment procedures process step by step. It starts with application procedure right till assistance available and bank loans. It also gives a helpful guide for studying in USA, Credential Evaluation services etc.
College Admission In USA
Advantages of a US Education
The US educational experience is the best globally. Many US colleges and universities are known worldwide for the quality of their academic programs. Private institutions such as Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, Cornell, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and public institutions such as University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of California at Berkeley, University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, University of Wisconsin at Madison, and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are familiar to students, educators, and business leaders everywhere. Additionally, to the more well-known institutions, the US has hundreds of other high quality public and private colleges and universities. The depth and breadth of options is amazing.
Academic Entrance Examination
All schools require the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). See the English as a Second Language section for more information about 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 level of English proficiency, you will not do well on these tests, no matter how strong your academic background.
About one month after the examination, your scores will be sent to the institutions you mentioned on the application form. It will take an additional 2 to 4 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.
Requesting Application Material In USA
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.
So possible differences are:
- The need to include certified translations of your education credentials
- No eligibility for early action and early decision programs
Application requirements and deadlines are usually the same. However, you should allow extra time for applications to arrive, because the international postal system introduces delays. Expect it to take 4 to 6 weeks for you to get a response to inquiries. So allow plenty of time. Get information 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 prior to the academic year in which you plan to enroll.
Preparing the Application In USA
In addition to completing the application and essays, you will have 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. Put all the items requested, or your application will be considered incomplete. The admissions office will not review your application until it is complete, and the onus is on you 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.
Following are some detail points which required to prepare the Application
- 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 will not be returned. Copies should be certified with the school’s official seal or by a notary public. English translations, if necessary, should be done by a professional translator and also certified. The translator should not be your relative. 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 your state of purpose essay. 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 may 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 have been, where you are now, and where you are heading. Your essay should be cohesive and well-organized. Give specific examples to support any general statements. Edit 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 mailing. Submit your completed applications 2 or 3 months before the deadline. Send the applications as early as possible
- Keep a copy of everything you send to the admissions office. If your application is lost in transit, 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 for letters of recommendation, choose teachers who know you well. If a teacher taught you for 2 years, that is better than a teacher who taught you for only 1 year. Ask teachers who will give you a good letter of recommendation
- Provide your references with a copy of your completed application or a summary of your qualifications. This will remind them of your skills
- The best letters will present a truthful appraisal of your abilities, highlighting both weaknesses and strengths. 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 useless praise. When admissions officers get letters from a teacher for several students, praising each of them as the best he has 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
Credential Evaluation Services In USA
Credential evaluation services provide objective evaluations of the US equivalents of foreign education and work credentials. For example, a credential evaluation service would indicate that the Spanish word bachiller is equal to a US high school diploma, even though the literal translation is bachelor.
Fees for the evaluation of US education credentials mostly range from $50 to $250 per document, contingent on the amount of details required and the response time. Some companies will also translate the documents. Others will require that the documents be accompanied by English translations. There may be extra fees (typically $20 to $50 per page) for document translation services. The student is responsible for paying for the credential evaluation and translation fees.
The American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) is the national professional organization for admissions and credential evaluation. AACRAO also offers their own credential evaluation service.
There is also the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services, Inc. (NACES), a small membership association of private credential evaluation services.