If you want to study abroad, the USA has to be on the top of your list. The USA has the biggest, most diverse population of international students. Over 1,050,000 students come to the country in search of the best academic training. The numbers are steeply rising, and the quality of education is the biggest reason for the increase.
The country not only offers quality education but also offer an experience that students will carry with them for their lifetime. Here are the reasons to study abroad in the USA.
America has the most excellent range of programs in all disciplines. They have a great set of options for both UG as well as PG. The subjects are on offer are the most unconventional subject among all the other countries.
Talking about Master’s and doctorate students, they get the chance to work alongside important researchers in their respective fields. This is one of the major reasons why students want to study abroad in the USA.
The subjects are often structured within a set requirement, but you should be able to find a course of your liking. They have a plethora of options to decide from; when you study abroad in the USA, you will enjoy freedom is rare in higher studies anywhere else in the world.
You can centre your focus on the major half, but you also get the opportunity to cherry-pick courses with different goals and interests. This flexibility allows the students to pick subjects based on what is important for them, their country, and something that can complement their major.
This is one of the most important aspects of studying abroad. You make connections and networks that will help you in finding your place on the bigger stage. The students can not only achieve bigger heights in their professional life but also have a long-lasting impact on the job market with bilingual abilities and international living experience. When you go to the USA, there are pretty high chances that you will encounter important people in your industry. Having such experience in your armoury plays a defining role in a student’s career.
You will find people from countries which’s the name you have only heard, and cities you never knew existed. That is the beauty of America. The campus life is just the best. Since the USA is the top choice for students all around the world, you will meet not only diverse people but also people who are very good at what they do. Spending time among bright minds has a lot of positive influence and drives everyone to do their best.
You will get to interact with the people and make connections that will long as long as you. Friendships and groups in during college are very important, and it has a lot of influence on how a person does in their academics and well as extracurricular activities. If you had been wondering why to go to the USA to study, this is your answer.
Since 2016, India has been among the top two receivers in the H-1B visa. Needless to say, they are also one of the biggest student communities in the country. The US government itself has claimed that Indian immigrants are far more educated, have a better grip on the language and all the other immigrant population. Indians, as we all know, dominate the STEM fields.
More than 40 per centof the immigrant population resides in either New Jersey or California. Other cities like Chicago, San Jose, and New York also have Indians in big numbers.
The students who go to the USA for the first time or plan to go are widely surprised because they do not have any educational system whatsoever. The only way government can influence education is by funding the offers.
There is big structural dissimilarity in the Indian and the US education system; they emphasize the vital extracurricular activities for student’s holistic. They lay importance in exploring practical aspects of the topic. Ideas are welcomed, and change is appreciated.
The ranking of the college or university depends upon the GPA of the students, offered a major, sheer number of the students who enrolled, the culture of the campus, also the location. All the factors that can influence students to play a deciding role in how the universities are ranked.
Each one of the 50 US states has one college or even university that provides top-quality education at a very low price. The universities are funded by their state governments.
These universities are far more expensive than state-run schools.
Community college provides 2-year associated degree or certification. These degrees are transferable to four-year colleges to graduate. The credits students have earned can make the transfer or not.
These colleges offer ESL courses to prepare the students for high-level university courses.
They offer full length, four year STEM courses.
First things first – lifestyle tips: where you live is important, whether you go for an accommodation managed by the university or private space. University accommodation offers both self-catering and catered options.
Students must ensure, before taking up a private space, that they are aware of their contractual rights.
Make sure you reach before the orientation begins. That is time you will be introduced to universities, your classes and their services. Do read your guidebook given by the college for a smoother first few weeks.
Other than sports, the universities offer various activities options like drama, music, literary societies, and many more outdoor activities. If you want to make the most of your time in the USA, participate as much as you can.
You need to know when the application process starts, the deadline, and the intakes. There are a lot more important things students need to be mindful of. Unlike here in India, they have two intakes spring and fall.
Every college has a nominal application fee. The amount is not set, and it varies from university to university. Students must check it as well.
Essay: You will need to submit different essays as the university demands. It is a part of the admission process. The topics try to evaluate the students based on strength, weakness, experience, skill, career aspirations, and most important – the reason for picking the particular school.
SOP: SOP is how to introduce yourself to the admission office of the university. Make sure that it is written in the first person and mentions all the right reasons that why you want to apply for that college. The SOP should also mention why you right fit for them and why you should be accepted to the college. Keep the SOP casual, but at the same time, do not make it look like you are boasting or you do not care enough. It should be the right balance that reflects how is your personality very objectively.
LOR: LOR is written by the third party mentioning the students’ qualities, capabilities, striking characteristics. It could be your manager, employer, teacher, or professor who write it for you. The purpose of the Letter is to let the college know the qualities of the students from an authentic source.
The two intake seasons start in January, and the other one starts in September. But some colleges accept admission in October, July, as well as May. Of all these timelines, the biggest, most important admission session of the year is September. January, on the other hand, sees considerably fewer courses.
The students should know that the admission process is a long one, and it starts around six months prior. The universities typically have not just one but three deadlines starting from October going to January. The students are free to decide which of these deadline lines suit them. It is important to note here that the date on your language and aptitude test must not be three months old.
Top 10 Universities in The USA
Language exams
SAT, GMAT, GRE, TOEFL, IELTS are mandatory if you want to get admission to any college in the USA. These tests have various structures, formats, bands of the result. All the tests differ in their way; most colleges just need one of the results of either of the test. It is safe to say that it depends on the student who tests they want to take.
Repetition of exams: The test of IELTS can be taken as many times as the student wants, but on the other hand, TOEFL has a cap on the times it can be taken and retaken. The rules of PTE are the same as the IELTS, as there is no cap on the number of times it can be taken.
Note – One rule that applies to each of the tests is that you will have to wait for the test to apply for the retest.
Fee: The standard fee for all these exams is between 13000-14000 INR.
Time to apply: The college and university have rules about which test they accept. At times, they also give you an option; in that case, the result of the test you want to submit depends on you. Preparing for these tests takes somewhere between two to four months.
Is IELTS enough to study in the USA? The answer is no, here is the list of exams required for different courses.
GMAT – This is the exam taken by the MBA aspirant or the students who want to study management or business courses in the United States of America. This test evaluates English, reason skills, and also maths.
GRE – This test is taken by the students who want to pursue MS or MA. In recent times, business schools have started to accept the score of this test.
LSAT – As the name makes it evident, this test is taken by the students who want to study law. This largely tests the verbal reason and the measure of the reading.
SAT – SAT is taken by the school students who want to go abroad to do their undergrad. This tests the literacy as well as general writing skill of the students. Problem-solving skills are also a significant part of the test.
The university you will be applying to will mention which exam results will apply to the course of your choice. But if they give a choice to go for either of these, then the choice depends on you.
Repetition and Fee: GMAT does have any cap on the retests, but it cannot be more than five times a year. Thirty days gap must be taken before the retests. GMAT retest price is 1800 INR, GRE is INR 14,965, and LSAT is INR 3,800.
Average Scores: The accepted GMAT scores is 547, 155 for Verbal, 167 for Quantitative, and 5.0 for writing in GRE. 162 is the accepted score for the LSAT.
The average cost of living for a student studying in the USA is between $12,000 and $15,000 per annum. This, however, depends upon where the students have decided to stay. The cost of living, needless to say, is different for a different city. San Francisco, New York, Chicago are metropolitan cities; the expense would be around $19,000 higher than other cities. The suburban areas cost less, which would be around $10,000 to $12,000.
Other elements which could change the cost of living would be:
The cost of education varies; it depends on which university you opt for in which city and what course you pursue. On average, the tuition will cost between $10,000 and $30,000 for an undergrad course. The cost for Postgrad is on the higher side; it starts from $15,000 and can go up to $55,000 (these are yearly estimates).
One thing students must mark about US education is that the amount of fees does not translate to the quality of education.
Having insurance is non-negotiable for international students. The cost is between $500 and $1,000. Make sure that the insurance covers passport loss, accident, dental treatment, and other important medical expenses.
Based on the merit and different criteria – fees is waived for the international student. Students have good academic scores, and the exceptional extracurricular record is given preference for the waiver. To avail of this, you will need to send all the documents with a letter.
Top 10 Scholarships in The United States
USA: Mandatory documents for the scholarship
Student eligibility criteria: First of all, you need to check whether or not you cut getting the loan. This is the criteria
Loan amount: Let us assume your fee is ten lakhs, then the bank will only give you the 80% of the amount; you will need to bear the remaining cost. This 20% of the sum, in banking terms, is known as the margin amount. The widely accepted amount for a loan is 20 lakhs, but you can get well above that. It depends on the reputation of the college. The bank charges 1% as the processing fees that the students will have to bear.
Documentation required: You will need to show the bank the Letter of acceptance sent by the university. It should have the details of your courses as well as a fee breakdown.
The formality is different for a different bank.
Repayment: Repayment starts only after the course period. If the student got employed within one year after completion of the course, the repayment should start immediately after the expiry of one month from the date of employment.
You can start to repay after the course ends. Regardless of you have a job or not, the loan must be paid in five to seven years. In some exceptions, you can get ten years as well.
These are major types of student visas to go to the US:
Pre-departure list
Make sure you have copies of the following documents –
Do anything but do not lock yourself in the room; it will only make things worse. It hits the hardest in the first couple of weeks. You need to be patient for two weeks or so. You are likely to miss your home, like all students who come from a different country. If the feeling does not go away in two weeks, you could ask for a counsellor for homesickness. The feeling will sink in, you will soak the environment, and soon you will start enjoying the new place. They feel more homesick after the call ends than before starting it. Try and limit the call to once a week. The expert on this matter says that long phone calls make it harder for the students.
Take your time, is what we suggest, absorb everything going on around you. The first few days are the busiest for every international student. Make sure to take the time out of your busy schedule and learn about the university. Get to learn about the campus, make friends, and attend classes –
Going abroad to study is a dream of every Indian student. But only a few fortunate students who have the gift of intelligence and grit to work hard make it to foreign universities. Despite having both of these two qualities, some students fail to fulfil their dream. One of the biggest reasons is the complicated process of shortlisting the university, filling in the important details, submitting the right documents, doing the paperwork, writing essays and SOPs, and many other formalities.
That’s where OneWindows come in. We have seen thousands of students to their dream universities. You could be the next.
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