For a long time, the United States has been an international hub of education. Each year colleges in the US receive multiple applications from both native and international students.
In this blog, I will be discussing every aspect of application and admission to colleges in the US.
Similar to other universities around the world, colleges in the US expect international applicants to contact their admissions office requesting a prospectus and generally information about the college, at least a year before they start their first term.
To start off, there are four types of application :
1) early action
2) early decision
3) regular decision
4) rolling admission
Early action is when you apply early to college, say in the first week of November and also hear back from the college early, in January or February. In this type of admission, the colleges offer you admission early, but you don’t need to accept it immediately, you can accept it by the normal deadline for acceptance, May 1st.
Early decision has the same timeline as early action, but involves a binding contract that states that you will attend that college no matter what, and if you are given admission to a college under early decision, you will have to withdraw your application from all other colleges.
Regular decision is exactly what it sounds like. The deadline for application is around January - February. Colleges will process your application and get back to you in April - May.
Rolling admission is typically a method colleges use to make sure that all their seats are filled, that enough students are given admission. In rolling admission there is a large window of around 6-8 months within which you must apply and confirm your admission. Places in the college are usually given on a first come first serve basis. At this point, rolling admission probably sounds really good right? Well, there are a couple of catches. To get rolling admission, your SAT score should be extremely high. More than 1550 on 1600. You must also expect not to have campus accommodation. You should have been greatly into sports and extra curricular activities during your years in high school.
Think long and hard as to which method of application you will apply according to. My advice would be apply for early decision to a college that is quite high in the list of colleges you want to attend, but at the same time, make sure that it is a college you have a fair chance of getting into, as you can apply for early decision only to one college. Then you can apply to as many other colleges through any of the other three methods.
Now, lets talk about the application itself. The application process for all the four methods of application, is the same. Its just that the timeline will differ.
To meet deadlines, college planning must start at least a year or two out. This includes prepping for the SAT or ACT and writing essays, but it also includes the time it takes to reflect on your interests, explore new ones, and think deeply about where you'd like to go to college.
The college application form is the most essential thing in the whole process of applying to college. It requires three major things. One is your SAT or ACT scores. Another is the recommendation letters that you will have to request your teachers to write. And the third is your personal essay.
Typically, the SAT or ACT tests are taken at least twice by students, in the 11th grade. One last resort is to take it in December of the year before you start college. But this can be done, only if you are applying through regular decision. So it is advisable to start preparing for the SAT or ACT at the end of 10th grade and take it twice in the 11th grade, if the score you obtained in the first attempt is not good enough.
Recommendation letters are extremely important to give your college an insight into your character and personality as perceived by others. Application forms usually leave a lot of blank pages for you to attach your recommendation letters. You can submit as many recommendation letters as wanted. Make sure to ask your teachers at least a month or two in advance. Do not leave any space for error on anybody’s side. Recommendation letters are extremely important and play a huge role in your admission.
Your personal essay is by far the most important aspect of your application. The essay can be written on any topic of your choice. Generally personal essays are utilised by students to highlight their academic, sports and dramatic achievements. You should spend a few months thinking about and writing your personal essay. Giving yourself space to brainstorm and mull over ideas is an important part of the writing process that can take weeks. Since your essay is such an important part of your application, you should spend a couple of months drafting, getting feedback, and revising it until it feels precise and authentic. The minimum number of words is 250 and your maximum limit is 650 words.
Apart from your personal essay, some colleges also expect you to write a short, maybe 100 word essay on why you wish to study the subject of your choice. So, make sure to check if this is also needed as part of the application to your college or colleges of choice.
TO SUM UP
apply using any of the four methods I have mentioned
work on your personal essay for at least 2 months and perfect it
prepare for the SAT and ACT
get your recommendation letters out of the way, early on
apply to college while keeping in mind all the deadlines
Remember, going to a school abroad is not cheap, so make sure that the college you wish to attend is worth it and really offers a great course.
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Thank you for reading this article, I hope it was helpful :)