How to enter a university in the USA

Every year, more and more Russians are sent to receive higher education in US universities. However, admission to a university across the ocean is a long and rather troublesome process; preparation will take from one and a half to two years.

You will need

• - the application form of the applicant;

• - transcript (certified list of ratings for the last three years);

• - A copy of Russian documents on education (certificate or diploma);

• - 2-3 letters of recommendation;

• - essay;

• - TOEFL and SAT exam results (for those receiving a bachelor's degree), TOEFL and GRE (for those receiving a master's or doctor's degree);

• - confirmation of financial viability (bank statement);

• - fee for the consideration of documents.

Instruction manual

one

Education in the USA is significantly different from Russian - there are no significant differences between a university and a college, because these educational institutions provide the same higher education. The exception is community college, but college graduates of this kind may be transferred to universities.

2

On average, a year of study at an American university costs $ 20, 000 or more. This includes tuition, student accommodation, meals and study books. Some universities sponsor students, including foreign students. In addition, each year the US government gives foreign students education grants for various programs. Keep in mind that the leadership of the university may ask you to confirm your financial viability by statement of account.

3

First of all, decide in which particular institution you would like to study and what specialty you would like to receive. Be prepared for the fact that upon admission you will be asked to write an essay about yourself and justify your choice of an educational institution and a specific specialty in it.

4

Choose several universities or colleges at once, to which you then send the application form and test results. You will find questionnaire forms and test samples on the official websites of selected educational institutions. There you can also find a form of payment of a fee for paperwork.

5

The transcript is made out in the form of a table, in addition to grades, provide information on term papers, practice and tests. You need to certify the transcript in two versions (in English and in Russian) in the dean’s office of your educational institution. The letter of recommendation should be no more than one page in volume. Each must contain the contact details of the person who wrote it and must be sealed in an envelope. In the essay you should answer three questions: what do you want, why and how are you going to achieve this. Avoid common phrases, give specific examples.

6

Having prepared a package of documents, begin to prepare for tests of knowledge of the TOEFL language. They are held at specialized testing centers. Be careful, contact only certified centers, beware of fraud! Please note that you need a fairly high score, so preparation for testing should start a few years before the test. Use every opportunity to improve your English.

7

Now send the package of documents to several American educational institutions at once. Consider the duration of sending documents (from 2 weeks to one month).

eight

The university that accepted you will send you an I-20 form, which serves as the basis for obtaining a visa. Make an appointment at the embassy, ​​and in the meantime, contact the curator of the university, which is engaged in the placement of foreign students. Visas can take up to 3 months.

note

Remember that students in the US choose their own subjects. You will have to learn a lot, but the format of training is very different from the Russian one. There are no classical lectures: students come already prepared and have a dialogue with the teacher.

Useful advice

The leadership of your chosen institution should see you as a motivated person with leadership qualities, so take an active part in the public life of your “native” Russian university: organize a student club or movement and become its president.

Study in the USA