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Tips for Applying to Colleges in the USA
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Research schools! There are also many online surveys of schools that may be useful. They include: colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/college, collegeboard.com, www.vault.com/education.jsp,
Vary the competitive level of your target schools! • 1/4 High competitiveness • 1/2 Intermediate competitiveness • 1/4 Safe choices Make a profile of yourself! • Small/big size student body? Do you want to be part of a large student body, where the fun is guaranteed of meeting someone new during all four years or go to a small school, where students tend to graduate really connected? • Small/big town? Do you see learning about your surroundings as part of your college education or do you want to be in more of an enclave, where you can really focus on your studies and become a central part of a community? • What region of the USA? The south is warm and hospitable. The east-coast is America’s economic and cultural powerhouse. The west-coast is the home of silicon valley and technological innovation. And the mid-west is America’s heartland with some of its most open-minded and cutting edge education/cultural institutions (Sundance film festival, the Aspen Institute, home of Warren Buffet). • Campus structure: Is the campus integrated with a vibrant city or is it more cozy? • What about student life? What kind of infrastructure/activities does the school provide/foster: student centers, cultural events, museums, theaters, centers for the performing arts, international luncheons, coffee breaks etc. • Housing: Do all students live on campus all four years or not? This can make a big difference in terms of student life. • How international is the student body? • Does the school have an undergraduate focus, meaning most/all professors are going to be teaching you? Are there large graduate schools in medicine, biz, public policy, engineering etc.? • Sports: Does the school have any pre-professional athletics? Does it have a vibrant inter-collegiate sports culture, where you are going to have the opportunity to practice/learn a new sport? • Arts: Maybe you don’t care about sports, but would rather like to see a great university museum, theater, or vibrant center for the performing arts? • Academic curriculum: Are there distribution requirements, meaning that you will have to take classes in general areas like history, sciences, literature, but not specific classes? This helps make sure that you graduate with a well-rounded base, but without restricting you to a specific class. Or is there a core curriculum, meaning everyone at the school will be taking a set of specific classes that the school deems as fundamental to your overall education? This is a great way to connect with your classmates, since you will study with people from all walks of life who otherwise would not be taking these courses. Or are there no requirements, trusting that you should structure your own education? • How much support does the school provide? What is the student/teacher ratio? What is the average class size? How is the tutoring and advising structured? • Is there any independent research requirement like a senior/junior thesis? What other opportunities are there for creative scholarship outside of the traditional classroom context? • Try to find out any other particularity – each school has at least one! Rice, for example, gives free passes to all of its students to visit museums and participate in other cultural activities in Houston during your four years. How cool is that? • What’s the student culture on campus? Is it competitive? Is the school filled with party animals or are they workaholics? • If you are enrolled in a university in Brazil, you may be considered as a transfer student, even if you did not intend to pursue a degree in Brazil. Find out what colleges take transfer students. If they take transfer students, they may still not give you credits. Find out if they do. • Last, but not least, let yourself be surprised! You may think that you want to study in a big town, but then fall in love with a small liberal arts college somewhere in the woods…
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Find out about financial aid for international students! Do your research on other schools. Universities that have provided financial aid to international students include: Amherst College *This list is not exhaustive and financial aid policies change over time. Please contact an EducationUSA advisor for up-to-date information.
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