The United States is one of the prime destinations for Indian students keen to pursue higher education abroad, the reason being the wide variety of courses offered with great flexibility with regard to course selection, timings, and permissions to change courses, specializations and even universities mid-way. Higher education in US is very different from the one followed in India. The 3-year Bachelors Degree in India is a 4-year Undergraduate Degree in the US and the 2-year Post Graduate Degree in India is a 2-year Graduate Degree in US. In fields like medicine the duration of study is even longer.
For higher education in US you need to apply 18 to 24 months in advance of the session you wish to join for. The entire application procedure is time consuming and requires advance planning. Let’s focus on some of the preliminary aspects related to admission for university studies and what needs to be done in these cases.
Selection of a University
A popular American weekly called ‘US News and World Report’ publishes every year ranking of universities based on various criteria. Information regarding ranking can also be found online on their website. ETS (Education Testing Service) also has websites which provide information on how to get started in US campuses and on model test papers respectively.
The selection criteria for the university should be based on your chosen field of study and other important criteria fulfilled by the university, instead of chasing just the big names. The weather is also an important criterion, as is the cost of living, which varies from place to place. It is advisable to keep $6,000 a year extra to provide a cushion for inflation and other unforeseen expenses.
Unlike India, the US has no ministry of education. Instead there is a system of central accreditation and state authorization. This does not however mean that the US government takes any responsibility for the quality if education provided by the universities. Application procedure for university studies require copies of your academic record, test scores of TOEFL, financial information, letters of recommendation (generally needed, but not always) and a non-refundable application fee. Deadline for international students are generally in January. Some institutions have a ‘rolling admissions’, which means you can get admissions any time of the year.
Academic Credentials for University Studies
Information on how to forward your academic documents, scholastic records etc. to be submitted at the university you have applied will be provided by the college or university itself. These documents (also called ‘credentials’) must be duly signed by the proper authority from your Indian college or university. Never send the original documents while applying; keep ready several photocopies of your credentials.