A Simple Guide To Higher Education In The United States Part 3: Applying To College in The United States

Once again, be sure to request application materials as early as possible. It is best to start this process sixteen months before the date you intend to enter college. In addition, the way you complete your application and present yourself is very important and will play a big part in determining the outcome of your efforts to gain admission. If you want to find a college or university that is able to meet your needs, it is very important for you to be completely honest and sincere in the information you provide to them.    
Carefully read the application and information that you have received from each school.    
It will tell you how the school sees itself, its mission, philosophy, and educational goals.    
Once you know what a specific college values and emphasizes, you will have some idea of what aspects of your own background and goals to emphasize as you prepare your application. More important, getting a broad sense of the school will help you determine if it is a place where you would fit in and be comfortable and happy. Admission officers will be doing exactly what you did to prepare for applying. They will attempt to determine how your abilities, goals, and interests match what they have to offer and what kind of contributions you might be able to make to the college and its students. You should present yourself in your best light, but do not give incorrect information. Admission officers can usually tell when an application statement does not sound like the truth. In addition, the legal implications of giving false information about yourself can be very serious.    

A complete application that is ready to be evaluated by the admission committee typically contains the following:    
- Fully completed preliminary (if required) and final application forms    
- Teacher recommendations (if required)    
- Secondary school report (if required)    
- Transcripts and academic records    
- TOEFL or other English language proficiency test scores (if required and applicable)    
- Standardized test scores (SAT, ACT, and SAT Subject Tests if applicable)    
- Nonacademic information as requested by the college or university    
- Financial aid application (if applicable)    
- Application fee    
    
Preliminary Applications    
Some colleges require international applicants to complete a preliminary application.    
If a school uses this process, you will receive a preliminary application with the materials they send to you. The preliminary application helps admission officers determine whether or not you will be a likely candidate before you go through the more complicated process of completing the final application form.    
The preliminary application will request basic information about you and may also ask for a brief statement of your goals. Your statement should indicate the reasons why you feel the school would be a good place for you and what contributions you can make to life on campus. Return the preliminary application as quickly as possible.    
If the admission officer finds that your goals, abilities, and general background are compatible with what that particular college is looking for, you will be sent the final application to complete. If it is determined that you are not a competitive candidate, you will be notified of this decision and can then focus your attention and energy on the other schools you have selected.    

Final Applications    
It is important to complete the final application and provide all the required information and documents the college has requested as quickly as possible. The sooner the college receives your application and all the required supporting documents, the sooner they will be reviewed and evaluated. An application submitted early can only help your chance of being offered admission and will give you extra time to supply additional information if it is requested.    

Personal Information    
The personal information requested on an application form is an important part of the complete application package. You will likely be asked to answer a variety of questions about yourself—your abilities, goals, special talents, and why you wish to attend that particular college. Many international applicants have wonderfully rich backgrounds and experiences they can share.    
Most admission officers will take into account that you are from another culture and, if applicable, that English is not your native language. Share your experiences and your enthusiasm as clearly as you can. Samples of your writing, art work, or tapes of musical performances, as applicable to the program of study you wish to pursue, may be included if you wish. If any portion of the application does not apply to you, note that on the form, along with an explanation. For example, many secondary schools in other countries have fewer school-sponsored activities than U.S. high schools. Some schools do not award academic honors. These situations should be explained.    
    
Keep in mind that the personal information asked for on the application will provide admission officers with the information they need to get to know you as a person, not just your academic achievements and test results. Make the most of this opportunity.    

Teacher Recommendations    
Policies regarding teacher recommendations vary from college to college, but you should be prepared to have at least one teacher provide a reference for you. Select someone who knows you well and has taught you in a subject that is related to the course of study you are thinking of following at college. If you are undecided about a specific course of study, then it is wise to select a teacher who knows you well and has a high regard for you academically and personally.    
You have the option of making these recommendations confidential between the letter writer and the college. Many teachers, headmasters, principals, and tutors will often write a more open recommendation if they know it will be confidential.    

Secondary School Reports and Transcripts    
The school report and the transcript of your academic record are essential to the evaluation of your academic abilities. The report form should be filled out by the official in your school who is responsible for college placement. This is usually a counselor, principal, headmaster, or careers master. This form should introduce you in the context of your whole school experience in relationship to the other students in your class.    
Admission committees will be interested in learning how you have performed in your own educational system. The school report should talk about your accomplishments and provide a prediction of your chances for success in university-level studies.    
Your official transcript or academic record is the objective part of your application.    
Academic records vary greatly from one education system to the next. Systems of evaluation or grading and the formats used to present this information also differ widely.    
Ask your school to include a guide to the grading standards used in the educational system in your country and for your school specifically. If your school ranks students by their level of academic achievement, make certain the ranking is included with the information they send. It will provide an easily understood picture of how well you have done. If your school does not rank students, an estimate of your rank (for example, top 10 percent) would be helpful. Admission officers will want to know how you have performed over time, so be sure to have records sent that describe your academic performance for the past three to four years. If there is a national school-leaving certificate examination at the end of secondary education in your country (such as British GCSE’s or British-based O and A Levels, French Baccalaureat, German Abitur, Hong Kong Certificate of Education, etc.), have official results sent as soon as they are available.    
If your transcripts, academic records, and leaving-certificate examination results are not in English, make sure that you have officially certified literal English translations of all documents sent along with the official documents in the original language.    
    

TOEFL or Other English Language Proficiency Test Scores    
Your ability to speak, write, and understand English is an absolute requirement to be considered for direct admission to most degree programs in the United States. If English is not your native language, language proficiency can be demonstrated in several ways.    
The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is the most widely accepted test of proficiency. If English is not your native language but most of your formal schooling has been in English-speaking schools, you may not be required to take an examination. The policies regarding English language proficiency vary from institution to institution. Be sure that you know the policies and requirements of each school that you are considering.    
If you know that your English ability is not up to acceptable standards, you may wish to consider intensive study of English in your country or in the United States. There are many English as a second language (ESL) programs available in the United States.    
Entrance requirements are minimal, and students are placed at the correct level of study through testing of their ability. Programs may last from five weeks to as long as a year. Sometimes a student is admitted to a college conditionally, pending study in an intensive English language program. U.S. consular officials abroad will frequently not grant an F-1 (student) visa for admission to an ESL program in the United States unless the visa applicant also has conditional admission to a full-time undergraduate program.    
Many international students arriving in the United States for the first time are surprised to learn that they must take an additional test in English even though they had already submitted results from the TOEFL or other approved English proficiency examination.    
Retesting is sometimes done to enable academic counselors to make the best course placements and to determine if some additional English language training might be useful.    

Standardized Test Scores    
Many U.S. colleges and universities require all applicants to take either the College Board’s SAT or the American College Testing’s ACT Assessment (ACT). A few may also require three of the College Board’s SAT Subject Tests. These examinations may present problems for some international applicants. The context and format of the tests are often unfamiliar to them, and sometimes it is difficult to find a testing center that is close enough to home. If information on these examinations is not available at your secondary school, it can be obtained by writing directly to the Educational Testing    Service, Rosedale Road, Princeton, New Jersey 08541 U.S.A. (SAT, SAT Subject Tests,    TOEFL) or logging on to their Web site at www.ets.org. You can also write to American College Testing, P.O. Box 168, Iowa City, Iowa 52243-0168 U.S.A. (ACT) or log on to their Web site at www.act.org.    
Students often express concern over taking these tests. You should not allow these worries to grow into any unwarranted anxiety over how well you will score. Most U.S. admission officers are aware of the difficulties that tests like these present to students educated outside of the U.S. system or whose native language is not English. They will take this into account. Universities generally place greater weight on the quantitative  
(mathematics) sections of these tests, particularly for applicants who do not speak English as their native language. The tests are only one part of the academic evaluation, and admission committees will place the results of your examinations in the proper context.    
If you are applying to a college that requires any of these standardized tests, you should make certain you know the school’s requirements and expectations for level of performance.    
These vary from one school to the next. Another important point is that you may take the tests several times. Your performance may improve as you become more familiar and more comfortable with them. Most U.S. students begin taking these tests almost two years before they plan to enter college. If you are beginning the application process that early, it would be wise to do the same.    

Nonacademic Information    
While academic ability is certainly the most important factor, other factors can also play a large role and will be considered in the admission process. Since a college education is primarily an academic experience, it is important that a candidate have the academic preparation necessary to succeed at the schools to which he or she is applying. Once a candidate has demonstrated the necessary academic ability, however, the admission officer focuses attention on the nonacademic factors that set that candidate apart from the rest of the applicants. The deciding factor in an admission decision can be the nonacademic information. (However, some candidates with extremely strong academic backgrounds may be admitted almost solely on the basis of their academic achievement and potential. This type of candidate usually has a combination of very high grades, excellent standardized test scores, and enthusiastic school support.)    

Financial Aid    
You must submit a financial aid application if you intend to seek financial assistance for your undergraduate studies. Unfortunately, assistance for non-U.S. citizens is generally quite limited. The policies regarding financial aid vary considerably. Find out early what the policies are at the colleges that interest you. You should also explore the possibilities for aid available through the government of your home country.    

The Application Fee    
An application fee is usually required to cover the cost of processing your application.    
The fee at most colleges is around $50 and is typically payable in U.S. dollars only. Some colleges will waive the fee for very needy students.    
    
Check each college’s application requirements. Complete all forms and submit the application package as early as possible.    

Timing    
Timing can be one of the most difficult problems that international applicants face.    
Make certain that you have carefully read all of the information provided by the institution. Make a list of all of the deadlines that exist for various steps in the admission process for each institution to which you are applying. The list can be used as a quick resource in the future to make sure that you do not miss any important deadlines. Send all items and correspondence by air mail, and mail them as far before the deadlines as possible. Most schools will send a card acknowledging receipt of your application and will also inform you if any required items are missing from your application package.    
It’s a good idea to include several mailing labels filled out with your address with your application. The admissions office will appreciate your thoroughness.    

Interviews    
A final step in the application process may be an interview with a college representative.    
The interviewer may be an admissions officer or a graduate of the institution who is living in your area. Many U.S. colleges send representatives abroad to meet with prospective students, and an increasing number of graduates are available to meet with international students in their home countries. These meetings provide an excellent opportunity for you to learn more about the institutions that interest you. They also give the interviewer a chance to get an impression of you and how your abilities, goals, and interests match those of the institution. The interviews are generally informal and should be viewed as an opportunity to exchange information. A written summary of the meeting is typically sent to the college, but it does not usually play a large role in the actual decision to admit or reject an applicant.    
Some U.S. colleges and universities use what are called “third-party” representatives or recruiters to interview prospective students in other countries. When these representatives are not actual members of the staff, faculty, or alumni of the institution, you should be extremely careful in evaluating the information you receive. Promises of admission expressed before the college receives detailed information about your academic background may indicate that the institution has lower standards than you wish to find in a U.S. college. When you are not dealing directly with an actual faculty or staff member or an alumnus of a college or university, you should seek additional information about the institution before making a final decision concerning your application.    
Be sure to check with each institution to determine its policy regarding interviews and to find out if an interviewer is available in your area.    
    
There is one final suggestion about presenting yourself to a U.S. college or university.    
Most colleges are looking for a varied student population that comes from many backgrounds and represents many different academic interests and personal qualities.    
Don’t forget to stress the unique experience you will bring to the school.