Higher Education in United States ( Part -2) | Kalvimalar - News

Higher Education in United States ( Part -2)- 7-Dec-2016

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Cracking the financial conundrum and the application package!

In the last article, you read about choosing your right fit colleges in the United States. The second step in preparing for your U.S. higher education is getting your financial planning right.

The fee structures and living expenses vary widely across U.S. universities and from city to city. While there is preponderance to choose universities based on popularity, it would be well worth it to take the road less travelled.

If you research your choice of universities correctly, you could find accredited, small universities in a semi-urban setting that offer excellent programs and research opportunities with a fee structure and living costs that fits into your budget.

Your first source of finance is, of course, your family, and you should have this conversation as early as possible to explore educational loans and other funding. Scholarships and financial aid at U.S. universities are quite competitive and depend on the funding available at your chosen university and department, and other factors including your application profile.

Financial aid for Bachelor�s programs (undergraduation) can be need-based, merit-based or a hybrid of both. It is important to note that need-based aid is also given to students with the greatest merit. Undergraduate students could study for the first two years at a community college and then transfer to a four-year university thus bringing down the overall cost considerably.

At the Master�s/PhD (graduate) level, aid is purely merit-based and could be in the form of assistantships or fellowships. Fellowships or scholarships are merit grants awarded without any return in the form of service from the student. Assistantships could be part time jobs as a teaching, research or administrative assistant in exchange for a tuition waiver and/or a stipend. International students are allowed to work up to 20 hours per week on campus while the university is in session, and for 40 hours per week during vacation, provided you are enrolled as a full time student for the following semester.

Many students may not receive financial aid or assistantships at the time of admission but they may become eligible after the first semester or the first year depending on their academic performance. Applying to U.S. universities with less international/Indian students could also give you the advantage while competing for international student scholarships and position you as a unique applicant.

Some universities consider all international students automatically for scholarships, and some require a separate application. You should check the websites of your chosen universities for financial aid information and application process. You could also explore sports, diversity, or region-based scholarships depending on your profile.

In general, admission into a program and financial aid depends much on your overall profile, taking into account your academic achievements, standardized test scores, demonstrated leadership skills, extra-curricular achievements (special talents); community service and sports abilities.

A strong application that represents you well requires time and concentrated effort on your part.

You should check the individual university application requirements. At the graduate level students must also make sure to check department requirements along with general admission requirements.In general, the application package constitutes of anonline application form, application fee, attested academic transcripts, submission of standardized test scores (SAT/ACT or GRE/GMAT), language proficiency scores(TOEFL/IELTS/PTE), three letters of recommendation(LOR) - from teacher�s, professors or work supervisors), essay/ statement of purpose (SOP)/ personal statement (PS) or a statement of research(SOR); financial statements showing that a student/family has enough funds to cover costs for the first year of education.

The essay/SOP/PS/SOR is central to a strong application and much effort must go into writing and customizing it to different universities, as required. The LOR is also critical to making a strong case for you. Be sure to approach your school teachers, college professors or internship mentors well in advance. Choose recommenders who know you well and can highlight your academic achievements as well as non-academic talents.

Undergraduate applicants may choose from the following portals to fill out U.S. university applications: www.commonapp.org; www.coalitionforcollegeaccess.org/; https://www.universalcollegeapp.com/or region specific portals, eg. https://www.applytexas.org/or the https://admissions.universityofcalifornia.edu/. Some universities may have their own independent application form that needs to be filled online.

Make sure you understand the difference between the various admissions deadlines like rolling, regular, early decision and early action. For graduate admissions, you should fill in independent application forms for each university on their website.

Lastly, but importantly, be honest in your application and meet the application deadlines. This will help put your best foot forward.

Here are some useful resources to get started on your financial planning:

- Look up: https://educationusa.state.gov/your-5-steps-us-study/finance-your-studiesand http://www.fundingusstudy.org/
- For U.S. university announcements and scholarships, like us on: Facebook/EducationUSAatChennai
- Join free online sessions every Friday at 4 p.m. at: bit.ly/Educationusawebinar
- EducationUSA channel on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/EducationUSAtv

To speak to an EducationUSA Adviser at the United States-India Educational Foundation, Chennai, contact tel. 044-28574134 or email: usiefchennai@usief.org.in