Why Study in USA

The US educational experience is one of the best in the world due to the high quality of the programs offered at US colleges and universities. Institutions such as Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, Cornell, and MIT, University of California at Berkeley, University of Michigan, University of Wisconsin at Madison, and many more are familiar to students, educators, and businessmen everywhere. The US has hundreds of high quality public and private colleges and universities. More than 4000 institutions offer undergraduate, masters and doctorate level degrees across a huge spectrum of specializations. The depth and breadth of options is truly amazing. A US higher education adds considerable value to a student’s professional as well as personal development, enhancing career prospects greatly. It widens your horizons and gives you a variety of perspectives, the latest technology, and state-of-the-art research and training. A degree from a US college or university is a stamp of excellence that marks you for life.

A US education can help graduate students make the right connect with like-minded individuals thereby creating opportunities for cross border collaborations. This may lead to collaborations with leading international researchers after returning to their own country. Since there are more international students in the US than anywhere else in the world, it is a melting pot of cultural diversity allowing you to build a solid and strong network. The quality of the research programs along with the resources available and the faculty ensures that the institutions have high standards. The USA education system has a strong academic as well as social environment which fosters personal as well as professional development of individuals.

A US education offers you a great bang for your buck. US education is the best investment for your future. Varying range of tuition fees, accommodation options & financial assistance from the institutions in the form of scholarships, assistantships, fee waivers, financial aid etc. makes USA education affordable. Due to its strong focus on research, today USA is known for its latest technological breakthroughs and cutting-edge innovations. This gives the students can opportunity to work on research projects by assisting brilliant professors and learning from them.

The education system in the US is highly flexible in terms of plethora of options available to a student. During the course of study, a student can transfer from one stream of study to another or change his/her institution altogether. This aspect of the US education system makes it distinct from all the other countries. Students from across the world choose to study in the US because an American education is the best preparation for their future. Today anyone can pursue an education from the US and make a great life for themselves. This is because a deserving student can pay for the education by way of a scholarship, or through an assistantship. International students are allowed to work part-time for up to work 20 hours per week during their course and 40 hours per week during their vacation, allowing them to learn as well as earn simultaneously. The United States of America has been a global leader in the field of education, setting standards for the quality of faculty, research and the overall quality of experience for an international student. With some of the oldest as well as the most esteemed institutions present in the US, its impact over global power structures – politically, socially and economically, has never been more evident. The World Bank, the IMF, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley or the Federal Reserve, all these global behemoths are recruiting talent from all the well-known educational institutions in the US. The learning as well as the networking experience gained during the time spent at a US institution will help you pave a path towards great success. The sheer quality of US educational institutions is evident from the fact, that as per the World University Rankings, over 40 Universities in the World Top 100 are in the United States. Moreover, 6 of the Top 10 Universities in the World are also present in the US.

Education System in USA

There are a variety of educational institutions in the US.

Public Universities:

Public universities are funded by their respective states through taxes and all of them are big in size and offer a plethora of courses across various levels of study. All the in state students pay very low fees whereas all the out of state students pay much higher fees. There are many notable public universities across the country such as: University of South Carolina, Pennsylvania State University, Ohio State University, University of California, Arizona State University, University of Texas, California State University and many more.

Private Universities:

Private universities in the US, operate without any control or interference of the Government. They rely on the funds received through tuition, donations and endowments. The fees at private universities are much higher than at public universities. Here the domestic as well as the international students pay the same amount of fees. The notable private universities are University of Chicago, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, Northwestern University, Caltech and many more.

The Ivy League:

The Ivy League colleges are a list of 8 private schools in the USA that are highly prestigious and selective. They are universities such as: Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Brown, Dartmouth College, Cornell, Columbia, and the University of Pennsylvania. The fees at these private institutions are among the highest in the country and admission process if rigorous and highly competitive.

Liberal Arts Colleges:

Liberal Arts Colleges stress on undergraduate study which includes a wide range of subjects, from science to humanities. Most of them are old and private schools which charge the same tuition for in-state as well as out-of state students. They are highly-rated institutions as they stress on small class sizes, on paying individual attention to students, and encouraging closer relationships between the faculties and the students. Some of the top rated ones are: Amherst College, Williams College, Pomona College, Wellesley College and many others.

Community Colleges:

Community colleges sometimes known as a junior college offers a two year program as a pathway to a four year bachelor’s degree. They have much lower fees compared to other types of colleges. Some notable community colleges are Walla Walla Community College, Santa Barbara City College, Valencia College etc.

Types of Degrees in USA

Bachelor’s Degree:

The duration of the bachelor’s degree in the US is 4 years. Students, who have completed a part of their undergraduate degree and want to go to the USA, can apply as a transfer Student. There are two types of bachelor’s degrees: Bachelors of Science (B.S.) and Bachelors of Arts (B.A.). Students need to appear for SAT & TOEFL/IELTS exams for admission.

Master’s Degree:

The course duration for a master’s degree varies between 1 to 2 years, depending on the university & the area of specialization. A pre- requisite for a Master’s in the USA is that student should have completed 16 years of education. Hence, Indian students with Bachelors in Engineering are qualified whereas the students with a B.Com, BSc or a B.A. need to complete at least one year of a Master’s degree here in India. However, upon getting a credential evaluation done from companies such as WES, more and more American universities are accepting students having 15 years of education. Students need to give the GRE for a Masters and a GMAT for pursuing MBA from the US. All the students have to give any one of the English proficiency tests such as the IELTS or the TOEFL.

Doctorate:

Commonly known as a PhD, its duration may range from 3 to 5 years. Students can take admission for a PhD only after completion of their master’s degree. In order to apply for a PhD, students need to submit a strong research proposal as well have a very good academic record. The PhD is funded by the university and the student also gets a monthly stipend from the university.

Application Procedure for USA

The application procedure involves the following:

Intakes:

US universities offer two main intakes every year. The main intake is fall which is in August/September and the other smaller intake is spring which is January/February. In order to apply for the Fall Intake, the students need to start sending out their applications by the preceding November and for the spring intake, applications need to be sent out by the preceding June.

Exams:

Students need to give the SAT (Bachelor’s), GRE/GMAT (MS/MBA) programs along with English language tests such as the IELTS and TOEFL. Students need to start preparing for these exams well in advance as many a times; they might have to give additional attempts of the exams for improving the score. The students will then to report their scores to the Universities that we wish to apply to by paying a small fee.

Transcripts:

The students need to get their transcripts (mark sheets) from their colleges in a sealed envelope in order to send it to the applied Universities.

Statement of Purpose/Essays:

Each university asks the student to submit a Statement of Purpose as par to the application packet. The statement of purpose is a life story of a student in around 750 words which allows the admission committee to separate the best applications from the good ones. All the students applying for a Bachelor’s degree as well as a Master’s degree will need to submit their Statement of Purpose. MBA applicants will have to answer essay questions as part of their applications. An SOP can make or break a student’s application and is one of the most important parts of the application process.

AM Consulting specializes in writing truly amazing SOP’s which have helped our students secure admits into some of the top universities in the US. You can contact us here to know about our SOP packages.

Letters of Recommendation:

Universities in the US require you to submit two letters of recommendation as a part of your application. One is a professional and the other is an academic one. You need to nominate your manager at your workplace and a professor at your college for writing these letters for you. These LORs are also one of the most important parts of your application wherein your referees make a case for your selection to a particular university.

We at AM Consulting provide assistance in carefully drafting brilliant LOR’s for your students. You can contact us here to know more about our LOR packages.

Resume:

The students also need to prepare a professional looking resume as part of their application.

Shortlisting of the Universities:

Based on the student’s scores in the exams and their career goals and aspirations, we at AM Consulting provide our expertise in shortlisting universities for you. We make our students apply to a minimum of 7-8 universities and divide them categories such as Ambitious, Moderate and Safe.

Application to the Universities:

Application for a Bachelor’s degree is done through the Common App whereas the application for a Master’s degree is done through the university website. Each application contains the above mentioned documents.

Once an application is done, we have to wait for the decision of the University. Decisions usually take anywhere between 6-8 weeks.

Visa

Upon accepting an offer from a particular university, the next step is applying for the student visa at the American Consulate in or around your city. US visa applications are quite complex and require the student to show financial documents which act as a proof of funds required for paying for the student’s education. Also the student has to go for a visa interview.

Next steps are to looking for accommodation around your university, booking you flights and start preparing for the exciting study abroad journey.

Document Checklist:

• Transcripts and Degree Certificate
• Resume
• Statement of Purpose/Essays
• A minimum of 2 letters of recommendation
• Offer Letter
• SAT/GRE/GMAT and IELTS/TOEFL Scores
• Application Form

Tests Required

SAT: (Scholastic Aptitude Test)

SAT is a standardized test required for gaining admission into undergraduate programs in the US. The SAT is a multiple choice, paper based test administered by the College Board. The exam score is used as one of the data points for comparing undergraduate applicants. It is a 3 hour exam which tests the student’s knowledge on Math and critical reading and writing. It is a test which is scored out of a total of 1600 by combining the two 800 point sections of mathematics and reading & writing. The maximum score possible on an SAT is 1600 and the scores are valid for a period of 5 years. A high SAT score can get you a healthy scholarship.

Students can register for the exam online on the College Board website. (https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat?navId=gf-sat&navId=gf-sat)

GRE: (Graduate Record Examinations)

The GRE is a standardized computer based test administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS). GRE is a requirement for gaining admission into graduate schools in the US. Over half a million individuals take the GRE in over 1,000 test centers in 160 countries every year, and scores are accepted at thousands of graduate programs around the world, for masters as well as doctoral degrees. More than 1,200 business schools around the world accept the GRE, including top-ranked MBA programs as well. It is used to measure a student’s skills such as verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, analytical writing, and critical thinking. GRE is scored out of a total of 340. The scoring range is between 130-170 for each of the two sections of verbal reasoning and quantitative reasoning.

GRE score of a student is used as a data point to compare applicants and it is one of the main benchmarks used by the admission committee of a school for making their decision. A high GRE score can help the student get admission into top universities along with securing financial aid in the form of a research assistantship or a scholarship.

Students can register for the exam online on the ETS website. (https://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/register/your_ets_account/)

GMAT: (Graduate Management Admission Test)

The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is a computer adaptive test intended to assess the candidate’s analytical, writing, quantitative, verbal, and reading skills in written English for use in admission to a graduate management program, such as an MBA. The GMAT can be taken up to five times a year. The attempts must be at least 16 days apart. GMAT is a registered trademark of the Graduate Management Admission Council. More than 7,000 programs at approximately 2,300 graduate business schools around the world accept the GMAT as part of the selection criteria for their programs. Business schools use the test as a criterion for admission into a wide range of graduate management programs, including MBA, Master of Accountancy, Master of Finance programs and others. The total GMAT score ranges from 200 to 800 and measures performance on the quantitative and verbal sections together.

The GMAT score of a student is used as a data point to compare applicants and it is one of the main benchmarks used by the admission committee of a school for making their admission decision. A high GMAT score can help students get admission into top B-Schools around the world as well as help them secure a scholarship.

Students can register for the GMAT exam here. (https://www.mba.com/exams/gmat/before-the-exam/register-for-the-gmat-exam?__hstc=81503688.591de3dae577f077d9777212e3eebf2c.1550135130962.1550135130962.1550135130962.1&__hssc=81503688.1.1550135130962&__hsfp=3520906242)

IELTS: (International English Language Testing System)

The IELTS is an international standardized test of English language proficiency for non-native English language speakers. It is jointly managed by the British Council and IDP in India. There are two types of IELTS exams.

IELTS Academic: This is taken by students who wish to apply for higher education in countries all around the world. IELTS is accepted by most Australian, British, Canadian and New Zealand academic institutions, by over 3,000 academic institutions in the United States, and by various professional organizations across the world.

IELTS General: This one is taken by individuals who wish to migrate to countries such as Canada, Australia, UK and New Zealand. It is the only Secure English Language Test approved by UK Visas and Immigration authority for visa customers applying both outside and inside the UK. It also meets requirements for immigration to Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

No minimum score is required to pass the test. The IELTS Test Report Form is issued to all test takers with a score from “band 1” (“non-user”) to “band 9” (“expert user”) and each institution sets a different threshold. The test is administered by the British Council and IDP in India. The cost of taking the exam is Rs 12,650. It can be taken in either the computer delivered or the paper delivered format depending on the city.

You can register for the exam either through the British council website (https://www.britishcouncil.in/exam/ielts) or the IDP website. (https://www.ieltsidpindia.com/)

Costs

Tuition Costs:

There are two types of US universities: public (state supported), and private (independent) institutions. The tuition fee for an International as well as an out of state student at a public university is much higher than the fees for an in-state student. The tuition fee at a private university is the same for all the students. It’s important to note that the cost of a program in a US school does not necessarily affect its quality. The fees are different for different universities and vary widely with courses. It can vary from as low as $ 12,000 a year for state universities to as much as $ 50,000 a year at some private universities. A brief idea can be got from the following table:

Living Expenses:
The average annual living expenses in the US are about $10,000, which includes food, accommodation, travelling as well as other basic daily expenses. However, the expenses are different for different people depending on their lifestyle. The expenses also depend on the city that you are living in, as some cities are relatively cheaper.

The main expenses can be split up into: (These are all an approximate average.)

So, about $800 – $1000 per month is a good estimation. You as a student can save by sharing your room; you should also cook for yourself, as this way you can save by not eating out. As a student you should also work on campus for 20 hours per week during the term and 40 hours per week during the summer and earn some money. This will help you pay for your monthly expenses.

Scholarships in USA

US universities are the most generous when it comes to giving scholarships to students and hence deserving students always get or the other form of scholarships from US universities. Scholarships are given out based on the academic performance of the student, the entrance test scores and the overall profile. The key to a scholarship is applying early. Students, who are looking for funding, should apply before the first deadline of the program as this way the student is competing with a lesser number of applicants and is also in the first pool of candidates.

US Universities offer financial aid in the following forms:

Scholarships: Scholarships are given based on the academics and the entrance exam scores of the student. The different types of scholarships are:

• Merit Based Scholarships:
These are the types of scholarships which first come to mind when we think about college scholarships. Merit scholarships are given based on the student’s excellence. There are different types of merit based scholarships such as Academic and Sports scholarships.

• Need-Based Scholarships:
These scholarships are given to students based on their financial need. Most of the needs-based scholarships are only available to US residents. However, some universities and colleges do give out needs-based scholarships to international students.

• Country-Based Scholarships
Many colleges and universities offer scholarships to students from certain countries, particularly those living in developing countries.

• Government-Funded Scholarships
The United States government offers many scholarship programs, but only a few of them are available to international students such as the, Fulbright Foreign Student Program which is for graduate students and artists who want to study in the United States for at least one year. It is open to all fields except medicine.

• Privately-Funded Scholarships
A few private organizations or donors fund scholarships for international students. Most of these have strict eligibility requirements, such as they need to be from a developing country or need to be a woman or belong to a particular minority.

Assistantships: This sort of financial aid is ideally available to undergraduate students. A deserving international student can be awarded some scholarship upfront and the rest of the aid is provided by offering the student the post of a research assistant or a teaching assistant. In such a post, the student will be asked to work for a certain professor and help him out in this research.

US universities are the most generous when it comes to giving scholarships to students and hence deserving students always get or the other form of scholarships from US universities. Scholarships are given out based on the academic performance of the student, the entrance test scores and the overall profile. The key to a scholarship is applying early. Students, who are looking for funding, should apply before the first deadline of the program as this way the student is competing with a lesser number of applicants and is also in the first pool of candidates.

US Universities offer financial aid in the following forms:

Scholarships: Scholarships are given based on the academics and the entrance exam scores of the student. The different types of scholarships are:

• Merit Based Scholarships:
These are the types of scholarships which first come to mind when we think about college scholarships. Merit scholarships are given based on the student’s excellence. There are different types of merit based scholarships such as Academic and Sports scholarships.

• Need-Based Scholarships:
These scholarships are given to students based on their financial need. Most of the needs-based scholarships are only available to US residents. However, some universities and colleges do give out needs-based scholarships to international students.

• Country-Based Scholarships
Many colleges and universities offer scholarships to students from certain countries, particularly those living in developing countries.

• Government-Funded Scholarships
The United States government offers many scholarship programs, but only a few of them are available to international students such as the, Fulbright Foreign Student Program which is for graduate students and artists who want to study in the United States for at least one year. It is open to all fields except medicine.

• Privately-Funded Scholarships
A few private organizations or donors fund scholarships for international students. Most of these have strict eligibility requirements, such as they need to be from a developing country or need to be a woman or belong to a particular minority.

Assistantships: This sort of financial aid is ideally available to undergraduate students. A deserving international student can be awarded some scholarship upfront and the rest of the aid is provided by offering the student the post of a research assistant or a teaching assistant. In such a post, the student will be asked to work for a certain professor and help him out in this research.

Optional Practical Training (OPT) is temporary employment that is directly related to an F-1 student’s major area of study. Eligible students can apply to receive up to 12 months of OPT employment authorization before completing their academic studies (pre-completion) and/or after completing their academic studies (post-completion). However, all periods of pre-completion OPT will be deducted from the available period of post-completion OPT.

Types of OPT
All OPT must be directly related to your major area of study. If you are an F-1 student, you may be eligible to participate in OPT in two different ways:

Pre-completion OPT: You may apply to participate in pre-completion OPT after you have been lawfully enrolled on a full-time basis for one full academic year at a college, university, conservatory, or seminary that has been certified by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) to enroll F-1 students.
If you are authorized to participate in pre-completion OPT, you may work part time for 20 hours per week, while school is in session and for 40 hours per week during vacation.

Post-completion OPT: You may apply to participate in post-completion OPT after completing your studies. If you participated in pre-completion OPT, USCIS will deduct that amount of time from your post-completion OPT authorization period. For example, if you participated in 10 months of pre-completion OPT; you would be eligible for only up to 2 months of post-completion OPT.

STEM OPT Extension: If you have earned a degree in certain science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields, you may apply for a 24-month extension of your post-completion OPT if:

• You Are an F-1 student who received a STEM degree included on the STEM Designated Degree Program List.
• Are employed by an employer who is enrolled in and is using E-Verify, and
• Received an initial grant of post-completion OPT employment authorization based on your STEM degree.

So, essentially a student who studies a STEM degree is eligible to work for a minimum stay back period of 36 months in the US without requiring any visa sponsorship from a company.

Job Opportunities in USA

The US economy is a 20 Trillion dollar economy making it the largest in the world. This automatically translates into more job creation than any other country in the world. US is a hotbed for innovation and research. Billions of dollars are poured into research and hence there is no surprise that all the big technology companies are born out of the US. Most noteworthy amongst them are Apple, Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Uber, Amazon and many more. The world-famous Silicon Valley in California is home to hundreds of IT and technology start-ups. All the big banks such as JP Morgan, Citigroup, Morgan Stanley, the big four accounting firms and many other conglomerates have their headquarters in the US.

Hence there is constant job creation in the US and it is still the number one study destination for international students.

List of Universities in USA