Studying in USA

APPLYING TO COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES IN THE USA

What do colleges/universities in the USA look at when making the decision about whom to admit?

1. Academic Record: Your academic achievement is presented to the admissions officer via your transcript and in some cases your predicted IB scores. All colleges give major importance to the quality of your academic record. The counselor is often asked if the student took the most challenging courses available at the school. Most colleges believe that how you preformed in high school is the best predictor of college success.

2. Test Scores: Standardized tests are important and evaluated in the total context of a student‘s overall performance. SAT, SAT Subject Tests, and TOEFL are commonly requested by colleges/universities in North America.

3. Recommendation Letters: Letters written by the counselor, teachers and other references are important as a way of giving the school a snapshot of you as a whole person. This allows the admissions officer to see how you stand apart from all the other applicants.

4. Essays: A student can capture an admissions officer in an essay in a way that standardized tests and transcripts rarely do! It is your chance to prove that you can be an asset to that school.

5. Extracurricular Activities, Interests: Colleges want to see where a student has an unusual aptitude, strong involvement, and a high level of commitment. A college would be more pleased with a student who can demonstrate a well-developed interest and commitment to a few areas, rather than being involved in so many things that their time and commitment are limited.

6. Community Service: Service is highly valued by admissions officers. Schools are looking for evidence that a student will strive to make a contribution to their school and wider community.

7. The Application Itself: Universities will evaluate the way your application is completed. Don‘t wait till the last minute to do it. Proofread it over and over. Have someone else read it over, especially your essay—ask a teacher, a friend, another adult! The application should be typed. Use a computer for essays unless otherwise noted on the application!

8. Individual Flavor: American universities highly prize individuality, self-reliance, responsibility and a sense of commitment. It is up to you to make sure that comes through in your application. The admissions officers seek out those that are unique and will consider uncommon characteristics or history that may set you apart from other applicants.

9. Legacy: Children of alumni receive careful review at most colleges.

10. DIF - Demonstrated Interest Factor: correspondence and contact with the university: The student, not the parent, should make contact with the university. This reflects his/her commitment to the organization and a level of responsibility. Visiting the campus, taking a tour, spending the night in the dorm, and visiting a class are all taken note of.

Each college/university will develop its own admissions criteria, most of which were listed here, and weigh those they feel to be most important. Colleges are building a class during the admissions process, so it is important to realize that their goal is to have a well-rounded class, not necessarily well-rounded individuals. Good colleges want interesting students each with their own unique qualities. Diversity is a priority to most college admissions committees. Remember that selective schools are not just deciding if a student has met the requirements for admission; nearly every student applying does. The question which faces the admissions committee is which of the highly qualified students merits a place in our student body and which will most likely make a difference while here? It‘s up to your application to convince them that you are the one!

APPLICATION DEADLINES

Most universities in the US have application deadlines in January or February of the student's senior year. Some exceptions include public universities in California (universities in University of California and California State University systems), with application deadlines in November. It is very important to check each individual university's application deadline (available on every university's website).

Students who are ready to submit their applications early might be able to do so if the universities they are interested in offer early application programs. The following are common early application programs:

Early Decision (ED)

Applying Early Decision requires a commitment on behalf of the student and the university. An ED applicant agrees that if admitted to the university, s/he will attend that university and withdraw any other applications made. The university agrees to review the application and notify the applicant of the decision by a specific date, usually 15 December. If admitted, this is a binding contract between the two parties. A student can apply to only one university as an ED candidate and must have the counselor signature on the application. This differs from Early Action or Early Notification, which offers an early decision by the university but requires no commitment by the applicant.

Most colleges report a somewhat higher admissions rate among ED applicants compared to the regular pool. Universities assume that ED candidates have researched their school and have a good understanding of the expectations of the school. Knowing that the school is the first choice of a well-qualified applicant is part of the decision process.

If an applicant is accepted as an ED, other applications must be withdrawn at that time. You should not wait to find out the admissions decisions on other applications, as this will limit other universities from offering places to qualified candidates. If an applicant is not offered acceptance for an ED application, one of several things can happen, depending on the school. Some schools will place your application with the regular pool of applicants to be considered again. Some schools will immediately send out a rejection of admissions letter.

An ED application should be submitted only when the student has completed a thorough research of universities and is certain that school is the number one choice. If there is any question about wanting to attend the university, then an ED application should not be submitted.

Should I Consider Early Decision?

No, if you must rush to make the decision and meet the deadlines.
No, if you have not carefully researched the university options available to you.
No, if the school is a big stretch!
No, if your GPA used to be low, but is steadily improving. If you apply early decision, universities will not consider your grade 12 first-semester grades.
No, if you think that it makes it easier to get accepted.
Yes, if that particular university is clearly your absolute first choice.
Yes, if you believe that the school matches your academic interest and educational goals.
Yes, if you can clearly see yourself as a part of that school‘s student body.

Early Action

Student must submit application earlier than other students but by a fixed deadline and will receive a non-binding offer before other students receive theirs. Very convenient!

Early Notification/Rolling Notification

The early bird gets the worm. Apply early, get admitted early. When the class is filled up no other applications will be considered. No fixed deadlines for receipt of application.

YOUR APPLICATION FILE TO US UNIVERSITIES

1. Application: Most can be downloaded or actually completed on line. The application must be done neatly, thoroughly and with extensive thought. You must proofread it many times and ask others to do the same for you!

2. Test Scores: Standardized tests give the college some foundation to compare you to other applicants. These should be reported directly from the testing service. Most colleges/universities will not accept copies of the scores submitted by the high school.

3. Essay: The essay is your chance to capture your individuality and present it to the admissions officer. While it is important to show your talents and accomplishments, be careful not to come across as bragging. Being an international student may set you apart. The admissions committee will want to know how that experience has affected you and how you have used it to develop your own sense of self.

4. Recommendations: Your teachers are a great source of information for the admissions officers. Be selective in who you ask for a recommendation. It is wise to ask a teacher if he/she can provide you with a positive letter of recommendation.

5. Transcript: You must request a transcript to be mailed (physically or electronically) with your application. Be sure to complete a form for each application, and turn it in to the counseling office.

6. Application Fee: It is your responsibility to make sure that the application fee is paid at the time of application. Some schools accept checks or money orders and paying by credit card is common.

7. Additional Materials: Some colleges will allow you to add extra materials if you have an outstanding talent or if you are an accomplished musician, artist, writer, etc. It is not necessary that you are going to major in that area but that you continue to be involved at some level. If you have experienced events that have affected your academic preparation for college, many schools would appreciate the additional information.

8. School Profile: An SCIS school profile will be added to your packet at the time of mailing / online submission.

9. Mid-Year Report: Most selective schools will require that a mid-year report be submitted by the counselor regarding academic progress during the student‘s senior year. A mid-year report is your first semester of Grade 12.

10. Predicted IB scores – required only by European and selective US and Asian institutions.

11. All non-US Citizens or Permanent Residents who plan to attend university in the U.S. must complete comply with a number of Immigration laws and processes. Students requiring a student visa should:

a. Prepare to show proof of sufficient funds in a bank account available to them to cover one year of study at the universities to which you apply.

b. Make early contact with the admissions officer or international student advisor at your new university in order to obtain the necessary documents to apply for a student visa.

c. Visit the Shanghai U.S. Consulate website for more info: http://shanghai.usembassy-china.org.cn/ .

COLLEGE ESSAY - US APPLICATIONS

The essay is your chance to shine! Do not wait to the last minute to begin working on it. It may be beneficial to review your student résumé and CAS diary prior to writing your essay. You should have time to write several drafts before you begin the proofreading stage. It is important that you write your essay yourself. Avoid letting parents, teachers or other adults interfere in the actual writing of the essay. Certainly consult those people in the proofreading stage but depend on yourself for the actual writing. Your essay should answer the question asked, so read it carefully. You should type your essay unless the application prohibits it. Remember the admissions officer is reading perhaps hundreds or thousands of essays; you have to make yours stand apart from others and keep the reader involved!

1. Don‘t repeat information from other parts of the application. Repeating information is a waste of space (and bores the reader). If the essay is to explain which activity means most to you, don‘t spend time listing all the activities you put on your résumé. Make a choice and talk about its importance.

2. In general, avoid generalities :) Write about particular events or give specific examples. If the question is why you want to attend this school, don‘t write about how the reputation of the school is important and you want a good all-around education. Pick out details about the program, the major, the campus, etc. that you can expand upon: go to college website for ideas. The less vague your answer is the more interesting your essay will be. It is the details that the reader remembers not the broad general statements.

3. Be humorous, but be careful! If you can make the admissions officer laugh, your file will probably never be lost in the shuffle. But beware! Most people think they are funny, but others may not! According to admissions officers, most applications who attempt to be funny really aren‘t and this attempt is counterproductive to their admissions. So, use humor carefully and sparingly! Stick to your own life if you chose to relate a humorous story. Don‘t make up jokes and don‘t write: “A funny thing that happened…” If it is funny, the reader will know it.

4. Listen to the tone of your essay. Your essay should flow and be easy to read. It should not be written like an analysis for an IB assignment, but should not be sloppy either. Don‘t confuse memorable with outrageous. You should not put something in just for the shock value! It is important to read your essay aloud and listen to it. This allows you to hear what the reader will hear in your essay.

5. Don‘t write about what everyone else is writing about. According to Parke Muth, assistant dean of admissions at University of Virginia, his university received approximately 16,000 applications for 2,600 places. Out of those he read 3,000 essays on summer travels around Europe with the theme of ‘It‘s a small world after all’. Avoid these topics:

Your relationship with your boy/girlfriend. Admissions counselors find this creepy and are not really interested.
Religious beliefs unless applying to a university with a strong religious orientation.
Your political views. Ever heard the phrase: “I can‘t discuss politics with that person?” People tend to get very quickly upset when their political beliefs are challenged. Avoid politics and do not risk offending the reader. If you write about a political experience (working on a campaign during the summer) don‘t focus on the ideology but on the experience and the learning that took place.
The evils of drugs, sex and rock and roll.
How good you are. It translates into self-absorption and readers are turned off by it. Write about things that make you different rather than claiming glory straight out.
The importance of a college education. The reader knows that already.
Your personal philosophy about life, the world and what is all means. Not too interesting to anyone other than you.
Your SAT scores. Don‘t mention them no matter how good or bad they are!
Any topic mentioned in any ‘how-to-get-into-college’ book! Thousands of other kids, or their parents, have read it, too!
Remember why you are writing the essay! Remember that the reader wants to know what kind of writer you are and will use your essay to judge that. Being able to write is one thing, but being able to answer the question is important too. Keep in mind to whom you are writing. Make sure your topic is appropriate.

7. Write about what you know about or what you care about! A badly written essay that is authentic is better than one that is contrived. The best topic is one that you want to write about. Don‘t write about something just because you think it is what you should write about.

Useful Links for US College Application Essay Writing:

College Board advice: http://www.collegeboard.com/student/apply/essay-skills/index.html
Quint Careers essay prep and steps: http://www.quintcareers.com/college_application_essay.html
About.com links to essays and info: http://collegeapps.about.com/od/essays/a/?once=true&
Internationalstudent.com: http://www.internationalstudent.com/essay_writing/college_essay.shtml
Advice for you and your parents: http://www.accepted.com/college/applicationessays.aspx
Berkeley advice: http://students.berkeley.edu/apa/personalstatement/
Carleton College advice: http://apps.carleton.edu/admissions/essay/

MONEY MATTERS

Colleges with Financial Aid for International Undergraduate Students

Some US universities are more likely than others to offer financial aid for international undergraduate students. The lists below indicate which schools offer aid to the largest numbers of international students. The lists are based on a list originally compiled by Douglas C. Thompson. To be included in the following lists, the schools must have an average award that is greater than 1/5 of the cost of attendance. The financial aid may include grants, loans, and jobs, and often includes both merit and need-based awards. Within each group, schools are listed in alphabetical order. If a school is not listed here, it probably does not have much financial aid for international students. However, it is worth noting that some schools may have athletic scholarships that are open to both international students and US students. The lists below do not count the number of athletic scholarships awarded to international students.

Schools with Awards to More than 150 Students

Arizona State University (AZ) Barry University (FL) Clark Univ. (MA) Eastern Michigan Univ. (MI) Grinnell College (IA) Harding Univ. (AR) Harvard (MA) Illinois Inst. of Tech. (IL) Liberty Univ. (VA) Louisiana State Univ. (LA) Macalester College (MN) Marquette Univ. (WI) MIT (MA) Mount Holyoke College (MA) Ohio Wesleyan Univ. (OH) Princeton (NJ) SUNY Plattsburgh (NY) Univ. of Bridgeport (CT) Univ. of Houston (TX) Univ. of Pennsylvania (PA) Univ. of South Florida (FL)

Schools with Awards to 100-149 Students

Brown Univ. (RI) Calvin College (MI) College of Wooster (OH) Dartmouth (NH) Dordt College (IA) Eckerd College (FL) Florida Inst. of Tech. (FL) Georgia Southern Univ. (GA) Graceland College (IA) Luther College (IA) Middlebury College (VT) Northeast Louisiana (LA) Oberlin (OH) Savannah Coll. of Art (GA) Slippery Rock Univ. (PA) Smith College (MA)

Stanford (CA) Texas Christian Univ. (TX) Tri-State Univ. (IN) Univ. of Miami (FL) Univ. of Rochester (NY) Yale (CT)

Schools with Awards to 50-99 Students

Abilene Christian Univ. (TX) Allegheny College (PA) Augsburg College (MN) Beloit College (WI) Bethany College (WV) Brandeis Univ. (MA) Bryn Mawr College (PA) California Lutheran (CA) Cleveland Inst. of Music (OH) Colby College (ME) Columbia Univ. (NY) George Wash. Univ. (DC) Goshen College (IN) Houghton College (NY) Ithaca College (NY) Julliard School (NY) Knox College (IL) Lake Forest College (IL) Lawrence Univ. (WI) Lewis & Clark (OR) Lynn Univ. (FL) Maharishi Intl. Univ. (IA) Salem College (NC) St. Augustine's College (NC) St. Johns College (MD) St. Lawrence Univ. (NY) St. Olaf College (MN) Trinity College (CT) Tulane Univ. (LA) Univ. of Maine (ME) Univ. of Wisc./Eau Clair (WI) US International Univ. (CA) Washington College (MD) Concordia Coll. (MN) Cornell Univ. (NY) Denison Univ. (OH) Franklin & Marshall (PA) Monmouth College (IL) North Park Univ. (IL) Principia College (IL) Rochester Inst. of Tech. (NY) Washington Univ. (MO) Wesleyan Univ. (CT) Western Maryland Coll. (MD) Wittenberg Univ. (OH)

Schools with Awards to 15-49 Students

Albright College (PA) Amherst College (MA) Augustana College (IL) Bard College (NY) Bates College (ME) Bennington College (VT) Bowdoin College (ME) CalTech (CA) Central College (IA) Coe College (IA) Colgate Univ. (NY) Davidson College (NC) Dickinson College (PA) Earlham College (IN) Eastern Nazarene (MA) Elizabethtown College (PA)

Elmira College (NY) Gettysburg College (PA) Gustavas Adolphus Coll. (MN) Hamilton College (NY) Hampshire College (MA) Hood College (MD) Johns Hopkins (MD) Kalamazoo College (MI) Kenyon College (OH) Lafayette College (PA) Messiah College (PA) Michigan State Univ. (MI) Mount Union College (OH) Occidental College (CA) Southwestern College (KS) Spalding Univ. (KY) Swarthmore College (PA) Taylor Univ. (IN) Thomas Aquinas Coll. (CA) Troy State Univ. (AL) Univ. of Chicago (IL) Univ. of Colorado/Bldr (CO) Univ. of Oregon (OR) Univ. of St. Thomas (MN) Univ. of the South (TN) Vassar College (NY) Wabash College (IN) Wellesley College (MA) West Virginia Wesleyan (WV) William Smith College (NY) Williams College (MA)

Twelve Steps to Apply for Financial Aid for US Citizens and Permanent Residents

Article from CollegeBoard Online

U.S. citizens and Permanent Residents or ‘green card holders’ qualify for financial aid in the United States. If you plan on receiving financial aid to manage your college cots, don‘t just sit around and wait for the money to fall in your lap. You must first APPLY for financial aid. To do so, follow these steps:

1. APPLY NOW: Don‘t wait for an acceptance letter before you apply for the college‘s financial aid. The availability of aid should be a factor in your choosing a college. Therefore, colleges will send you all the necessary information before you accept their offers of admission. Also if you wait until you have been accepted, their grants and scholarships may already be gone.

2. IDENTIFY WHICH FORMS YOU MUST FILE: Don‘t guess. Make sure you know exactly which forms you need to complete in order to meet the requirements of various sources. If applying for federal student aid, all applicants must file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). If applying for non-federal aid, some applicants must also file the CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE. DO THIS ELECTRONICALLY!

3. CHECK THE DEADLINES OR PREFERRED FILING DATES: Make sure you meet the deadlines or preferred dates if you want to be considered for the widest range of choices.

4. GET ORGANIZED: Before you and your family sit down to complete your forms, gather together ALL of your most recent financial records (income tax returns, W-2 forms, pay stubs, interest statements, home mortgage and debt records, etc.) You will need the records for the calendar year preceding your academic year.

5. KNOW WHICH FEDERAL INCOME TAX RETURNS YOU PLAN TO FILE AND DRAFT YOUR RESPONSE: The tax forms you will file - IRS 1040, 1040A, or 1040EZ determine your eligibility for federal aid programs. You do not have to file your income tax return before you complete the IRS financial aid applications, but it is a good idea to at least have a rough draft. You can use your last year‘s returns for estimate. Some questions on the FAFSA and the CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE are cross-referenced to the most common IRS forms in order to make them easier to complete.

6. COMPLETE ALL FORMS ACCURATELY, COMPLETETLY AND LEGIBLY: Inaccurate or missing information or unreadable answers could cause costly delays in processing your documents.

7. PROVIDE ALL THE INFORMATION REQUESTED ON THE FORM: For instance, if the answers calls for a zero, enter a zero. Don‘t just leave it blank. This is necessary for the computers to accurately scan your form.

8. AT THE SAME TIME, DON‘T PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION THAN YOU ARE ASKED FOR: If there‘s something you want to communicate to a college, for example, and there doesn‘t seem to be any place to enter it on the form you are completing, don‘t try to force the information into another answer.

9. KEEP PHOTOCOPIES OF EVERY FORM: You may need to check your original forms for follow-up information.

10. BE CONSISTENT ON ALL FORMS: Don‘t call yourself William Robert on one form and Billy Bob on another. In order to complete your file, colleges and programs will need to match up records from several sources, and inconsistencies or mistakes will slow this process down.

11. READ ALL THE CORRESPONDING MATERIAL: It may not all be junk mail. For example, within a few weeks of completing the FAFSA, you will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR). If there are any errors in the information, make corrections and mail it back. Same thing goes for reviewing the Data Confirmation Report you will receive with your CSS Acknowledgement if you complete the CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE. PROFILE corrections would be noted on the Data Confirmation Report and sent directly to your college(s).

12.RESPOND PROMPTLY: Don‘t slack off. If additional information is needed, send it as soon as possible. If you find errors, fix them quickly. When it comes to applying for financial aid, time is money.

WEB RESOURCES FOR USA

WARNING: Before using a website‘s services, be sure to check on the following:

Do they charge a fee for their services? I DO NOT recommend you use any site that charges money.
Check the site‘s privacy policy to ensure that they do not share or sell your personal information.

Generally websites with an .edu or .org address are safest to use. Those with a .com address are commercial sites and we urge you to be careful of scams (for example fafsa.com charges $80 to fill out the FAFSA which you can fill out at fafsa.ed.gov for FREE).

The following is a list of sites that I recommend:

General Information:

http://www.princetonreview.com (Princeton Review)

http://www.xap.com (information on college and financial planning)

http://www.ed.gov (United States Department of Education)

http://www.collegenet.com (College Net)

http://www.commonapp.org (The Common Application)

http://www.petersons.com/ (Peterson‘s Guide)

Scholarships, Loans & Financial Aid:

http://www.fasfa.ed.gov (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)

http://www.fastaid.com (Fastaid Free Scholarship Search)

http://www.fastweb.com (Fast Web)