US has been the dream destination for many an aspirant of a college education abroad. No wonder then a significant number of the international students who took admission in the US colleges and universities over the past five years have been Indians, making them the second nationality after the Chinese studying in the US. Though earlier it was largely the students wanting to do post-graduation that went to the US, in last few years the number of students who are going to the US for under-graduation has been rising steadily. During the academic year 2021–2022, 1,99,182 students from India studied in the United States, according to the Open Doors 2022 and 27,545 out them were studying in undergraduate programs as compared to 19,295 in 2015-16.
So, what is it that is attracting, students to go and do their under graduation from the US universities. Some of the factors are:
- Standard of education
- Exciting research opportunities
- Liberal arts orientation
- Attractive career prospects
- Earning potential
- International exposure
- Quality of life
Well, that does seem like a tremendous opportunity to do one’s under-graduation. Then, how does one go about applying to the US universities to get an admission. First of all, one needs to understand that there are three admission seasons across the US universities, September for intakes in Fall; January for intake in Spring and May for intake in Summer. Secondly, the main intake however is the Fall intake in September for which the admission activity starts more than a year earlier and the formal application process in September the year before. So one has to target the September intake.
Now the steps!
The first step to undertake in the application process is to do a self-analysis. This is important because unlike in India, the application process in the US is very time consuming and expensive. So, you need to be clear about the:
- Career you want to make
- Subject you would like to major in (i.e., your main subject)
- Budget you have in mind keeping not just the tuition fee but all expenses you will incur
2. Determine the Shortlisting Criteria
The next step is to come up with your shortlisting criteria. Some of the common ones are:
- University ranking and other recognitions for the major you have in mind
- Selectivity i.e., number of applicants it admits from among the total applicants
- Course Design
- Academic orientation you desire i.e., focus on theory or project driven or research oriented
- Other courses on offer from the university which you may as do in addition to your majors
- Extra-curricular and co-curricular activities you would like to pursue
- Faculty background and credentials
- Industry connects i.e., relationships with enterprises for projects, internships etc.
- Student profile and diversity
- Facilities
- Size
- Location
Once your shortlisting criteria are in place, it is time to search and shortlist universities in Step 3.
3. Shortlisting Courses and Colleges
In step 3, the objective is to identify about 25 odd universities in the first iteration and 8 to 10 universities finally for detailed analysis. To get started you can look at the rankings of the universities in the US News Rankings, or the QS World Rankings or the Times Higher Education Rankings and make a list of 25 universities based on some basic criteria such as ranking, costs, course design and any other criteria you feel is extremely important to you. Now you do a detailed analysis of these 25 universities and shortlist 8 to 10 from among them in such a manner that you have some that need you to stretch academically or financially or in some other ways; some that match your current capabilities and performance; and few 1 or 2 that you can easily get admission in as your credentials exceed their expectations.
After step 3, the steps that follow become specific to the university you are applying to and form a part of their application. Typically, the application in addition to the personal information to be filled up in the online application form needs:
- Academic transcripts for classes IX, X, XI
- Projected grades/marks for class XII from the school
- Standardized Test scores
- Essay/Personal Statement/Statement of Purpose
- Letters of recommendation (LOR)
- Details of internships done
- Details of projects/research Undertaken
- Details of community service performed
- Details of participation in extra-curricular and co-curricular activities
4. Taking the Standardized Tests
So, step 4 is to prepare for and take the standardized tests. These are Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) or American College Testing (ACT) and Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Ideally these tests should be taken as soon as you finalize your shortlist of universities. Of late several universities have stated that they don’t require SAT/ACT scores. But it is better to take these tests as some universities may still ask for them. And the TOEFL or IELTS scores are needed in any case.
5. Writing the Essay, Personal Statement or Statement of Purpose
Next comes the step 5 which is to write your essay or personal statement (PS) or statement of purpose (SOP). Many a time the university will give you a prompt but sometimes the choice of the topic is left to you. But in any case, essays are an extremely important part of the college admissions process. They are the only way the admission officers can gain insights into what kind of a person you are. So, it becomes the key to distinguish you from the other candidates who are applying. Therefore, you got to make sure that your essay us conveying your personality in an authentic and interesting way.
6. Sending the LORs
Step 6 is all about the letters of recommendation (LOR). LORs help the admissions committee learn more about you from a different perspective. The LOR could be from your teachers, your project guides, your internship supervisor or any other person who has worked closely with you in a formal reporting capacity. They serve to validate whatever you have claimed about yourself as a student and provide insights into what you are like as a student to put your application in context. You will need 2-3 LORs for each university you apply to.
7. Get Copies of Your Transcripts Ready
The next step is the seventh step which is to put together your transcripts from class IX onwards and send them across or upload them a desired by the university you are applying to. More often than not the application is made while you are in class XII and not given your board exams. So, the university accepts a transcript of your projected marks/grades sheet given by the school for class XII.
8. Detail out Other Activities
The final step, that is the eighth step is to provide details of participation in extra-curricular and co-curricular activities, internships done, projects/research undertaken, and community service performed. Normally there are sections in the online application to provide these details and upload certificates.
Now it is time to submit your application. But before you do that, it is time for one final check. Examine your application for grammatical errors, typos, word limits, spelling mistakes and specific format errors. If there are no mistakes and all is well, then go ahead and submit your application.
