Most selection committees' review two broad categories of information contained in applications: academic information and personal information. At top-notch universities and colleges, Academic excellence will be the primary criterion for selection.

Often applicants are more interested in the degree they will ultimately earn than in how they will go about earning it. If you can talk about the latter, you will set yourself apart from the other applicants. Do not be concerned of you are not sure what you would like to study. Unless you are applying to a professional program like engineering or architecture, admission officers will not expect you to talk about a specific career interest. You will have more success in the process if you discuss what you want to study instead of what you want to be.

Keep your options open
Here's one more thing you need to know about admission, particularly at selective colleges: Every year these institutions receive far more applications that they have spaces in the freshman class. Consequently, they end up refusing the admission to many students that they know could be successful, often for no other reason than lack of space. Receiving a refusal letter is accomplishments. It is merely a reflection of the competition. And remember just because a school is your "first choice" doesn't mean is the only school for you. With a thoughtful and thorough college search, you'll be applying chances for admission. So even if one or two schools say no, the disappointment will be temporary. Next fall, after a few days at your college of your choice, you won't be able to imagine yourself anyplace else.

Knowledge is a universal currency, and over the past few decades the world has become a global village, the change sweeping across the world has been an exponential curve, it has become imperative that we have globally competent professionals to help our nation find its place on the Global stage. Unfortunately there are very few institutes in our country with the requisite infrastructure and academic environment to produce such professionals. Till the day we can boast of sufficient no of such institutes, it would make sound sense on our part to take advantage of the educational infrastructure of developed countries to achieve this end.

America has always been one of the most preferred destinations for students from India. The driving force of America happens to be technology, just as ours happen to be religion and culture. America has prospered over the years because it has attracted and retained intellectual people from all over the world. What makes America such an attractive destination, is the fact that American universities look at international students as an intellectual input, which translates into economic output for their economy. On the contrary though over the past few years many other countries have tried to jump on to the bandwagon, and have been trying to attract international students, but most countries other than America tend to look at international students as a source of funds. So the value addition of their degree is highly questionable.

The USP of a degree from an American university is, that it makes you professionally acceptable across the world. The reason being, American Universities are actively involved in research work in every department, and therefore one is associated with cutting edge industrial research even while pursuing your education. Therefore on completion of ones education the transition to the industrial realm is seamless. It is not a law that one has to settle in US after the completing his or her education. Because even if a person decides to come back to India on completing his or her education, he can look forward to being the highest paid professionals in the country.

The most common myth associated with the American Education is that it is extremely expensive. Fact is nothing is further from the truth. Ninety percent of the students spend anything between 0- 6lac Rupees for their entire education in the states. The FACT is that an average middle class family with a gross annual income of around 2 Lac Rupees per year can afford to send their children for education to the States.

A simple analysis of the statistics is enough to prove the point. There were sixty thousand students who left for USA last year. An average American university claims that international students will require around $20,000 per university, which translates to around 10lac Rupees per year or around 20lac Rupees for the entire Masters course. It is doubtful whether even ten percent of these 66,000 students had the capability to shell out that kind of money, but the fact is none of these have students have come back to India.

What makes American universities such a financially viable option is the very fact that their core activity happens to be research work, conducted for various industries and Government Organizations. The universities require students who can make a positive contribution to their university by helping professors with their research work directly or indirectly, as either Research assistants or Teaching assistants. The students who in turn have their fees waived off and is paid a monthly stipend. Fortunately for us this is what makes Indian students such an attractive proposition for American universities. Because even an average Indian student has an extremely sound academic platform and their financial constraints make them prime candidates for research assistantships and teaching assistantships. Though most students land this sort of an assistantship after about the first three months of their stay in America, some students with especially impressive credentials and a good "Statement of Purpose" can land an assistantship even before flying to the USA. Though RAs and TAs happen to be the most widely available forms of aid. There are other sources of funding as well. Highly promising students are offered fellowships. Fellowships are outright grants or award by the universities, taking care of all living and tuition expenses. Students with fellowships are not required to work for any professor, but have to maintain a minimum GPA in all his semesters of study. "On Campus Jobs" is the other source of funds. These jobs pay the student an hourly rate, which is usually more than sufficient to take care of the living expenses but not the tuition fees. "On Campus jobs" are the least preferred source of finances, and is usually used as a stop-gap arrangement, but they are freely available.

Unfortunately another commonly held misconception pertains to the range of opportunities available for professionals from various disciplines in the United States. Higher Education in the States is not the sole prerogative of Engineers. Truth is there exists a wide range of courses for students from commerce and Humanities stream, with aid being more freely available for the more unconventional branches. Even for Bachelor degree holders in Engineering has a whole lot of unconventional branches to choose from. Choosing a discipline of study is of Major importance. It should not be guided by the fact as to whether job prospects exist in that particular field as on date, but more so by the fact as to whether the student has a certain aptitude and interest in the particular field of study. The reason being American universities, unlike us, follow a selection based procedure, wherein the discipline of study and the degree of interest a student professes in the discipline is more important than the stature of the university concerned.
The good news is that they have a highly flexible education system and changing ones discipline after reaching the States is not at all a problem.

Students interested in going to the states can do so at three stages of their academic career

1. To pursue their Bachelors degree after the completion of their PUC-II. The Bachelors degree in any discipline in the United States is a four-year degree course. These students need to take the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test). This is a paper-based test that comprises of verbal and Quantitative sections. One can choose virtually any field of study at this stage of their career, right from Biotechnology to Journalism, and can even make a switchover from a science to arts stream with relative ease. Partial financial waivers are easily available, the amount depends the SAT score of the student. Full tuition waivers are offered only after the first year of study in the University.
   
   
2. To pursue Masters Degree. This is by far the most popular option for Indian students, as aid is more freely available and it poises them perfectly for a career of their choice on completion of their Masters. These students need to take the GRE (Graduation Record Examination) or GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test) depending on the fact as to whether they wish to pursue their MS (Master of Science) or MBA. These are Computer Based Tests having three sections verbal, Quantitative and Analytical. Bachelor degree holders in any discipline can pursue their Masters in their respective disciplines. This brings us to another commonly held misconception that United Sates Universities insist that a student have at least sixteen years of education prior to pursuing their Masters. The fact is though some universities do insist on such a criterion, there are many which accept fifteen years of education, which means that is there is a wide range of universities and Masters courses available to students even after having completed their BSc, BCom or BA degrees in India. The important thing to remember is that, as mentioned earlier, the American Universities follow a selection based system and not an elimination based system. What this means is there are no strict set of guidelines and criterions for admission, and it is the overall profile of the students and not just academic qualifications that determine a student's suitability for admission.
   
   
3. The third category of students being those who intend to pursue their PhD. An extremely lucrative option from a financial viewpoint. Pursuing a Doctorate in United Sates is like a job. Universities admit students only if they can afford to pay him a stipend from the very first day. Stipends range between 1200USD to 2000USD per month. Those interested in pursuing their PhD are required to take their GRE examination. Getting admission to a PhD program is relatively tougher as compared to Bachelor or Masters program.

All of the above have to take another examination called the TOEFL (Test of English as a foreign Language). This is also a computer-based test and aimed at testing your basic communication skills in English. This Test is Mandatory for all international students whose native language do not happen to be English. This test is more of a VISA requirement than a admission requirement, but a good TOEFL score does improve a student's prospects for aid consideration.

It should be kept in mind that except for TOEFL, none of the other tests have a cutoff score, and it may very well be that a University grants admission to a student with a lower GRE score, but rejects a student with a higher GRE score.

There are some pitfalls one needs to be aware of while applying to US universities. There are close to 4000 Universities in the United States, whatever has been said so far applies to about 200 of these universities. So it is very important to be careful while selecting the right university with the right course. All departments of a particular university are not on par; the amount of aid available is directly proportional to the reputation and excellence of a department. So it is very important to have a thorough knowledge of the department one is applying to and its policies.

Some of the lesser known but highly promising areas of study available in the US universities are as follows.

Environmental Engineering: Usually students with a background in Chemical Engineering can look at this option. Students with a BSc honors in Chemistry and relevant credentials can also look at this option.

Fuel Technology: This is an extremely promising career option open to Mechanical Engineers with inclination towards research.

Hospitality: Students with a degree in Hotel Management can look as this option either for an MBA or an MS degree.

MIS- Management Information Systems, this is a option available to students from the Computer Science strea m as well as MBA aspirants.

Automobile Engineering: Mechanical Engineers with a passion for automobiles, will find this a highly satisfying field.


Energy Management, Polymer Processing, Developmental Economics, Organizational Behavior, Film Technology and careers related to media are the various other options available to students looking to making a career in the US.

It is important to remember that choosing a discipline of study is one of the major decisions when applying to American universities. One cannot afford to be vague, because the universities look for students with a clear focus and definite and well defined objectives.

The admission process for admission to US universities is time consuming and requires a hard work. But the rewards are enormous. An average student from India on completion of his/her masters draws a salary of something in the vicinity of $50,000 to $150,000. A recessionary economy affects these figures to a slight degree but not much.

Of the 12 million students pursuing post secondary education outside their home countries, more than 1/3rd choose to study in the United States. Why do so many students from all over the world choose U.S colleges and Universities? What does the United States have to offer you…

The country has one of the world's finest University systems, with outstanding programs in virtually all fields. At the undergraduate level, excellent programs exist in traditional disciplines as well as in professional fields. At the graduate level, students often have the opportunity to work directly with some of the finest minds in the world. US degrees are recognized throughout the world for their excellence. If you are looking for an institution where you can study a particular field - no matter how unusual or specific- you can usually find several from which to choose in the United States.

A bachelor's degree course in the U.S is usually of four year's duration. You can seek a Bachelor's degree course after passing class XII. This can be done in two ways i.e. either going in for a four year undergraduate program or you can join a community college in the U.S and study there for 2 years and then join a college or University for further two years study.
The degree is awarded after you complete a specified number of credits, which are usually completed in four years of full time study. The first year is called the freshman year, the second is called sophomore; the third, junior; and the fourth, senior. International students, however, cannot study part time and must maintain full time status. Courses taken in the first two years are known as lower division courses, and courses taken in the last two years are known as upper division courses.
Choosing Universities from thousands of miles away presents some challenges - especially when these are so many great colleges to choose. But if you plan ahead and do your research carefully you will come up with a manageable shortlist of colleges that match your needs. Every student is different, and when making your choices you should consider carefully the factors that are important to you in both your education and your life style. Any student seeking admission should begin the process of application, reflection and research 12 to 18 months before you want to start studying in United States.

After reading to all of the above mentioned points, it definitely lingers in our mind about the financial aspects of your education in the U S. Education in the Unites States may appear expensive, but you have probably already realized that it offers excellent value for the money invested and on the contrary, even if the student wants to study in India, he spends almost the same amount of money.

All types of scholarship and financial aid for international students are available in plenty but we mustn't forget that these are slightly competitive and require excellent academic records. You will often find the terms "Scholarships" & "Financial aid" used interchangeably, but technically speaking, a scholarship is a financial award based on merit, including outstanding academic performance, special talent in sports or performing arts, or perhaps community service or leadership. Financial aid is a "need based" grant documented by family income, assets and other factors.
International students often ask advisers about full scholarships, which cover all the costs of education except for airfare. To get a full scholarship, you must be one of the top students, higher SAT & TOFEL scores, and distinguished performance in other areas such as leadership and community service.
Financial assistance from colleges is awarded at the beginning of the academic year and is rarely available for students entering mid-year in January.
Current immigration regulations permit international students to work only part time up to 20 hours per week - and only on campus during their first year of study. By working 10 to 15 hours a week, you could earn enough to pay for incidentals such as books, clothing, and personal expenses. Campus jobs may include working at the University's cafeteria, bookstore, library or health club, or within the University's administrative offices.
With liberalization and globalization setting its roots into the Indian economy several of the barriers of yester years no longer exist today, the Nationalized and Private Banks are ready to support as much as $ 30,000 in loans. This money is lent out at a soft rate of interest of about 13% per annum, and repayment of the capital amount commences after finishing of the studies.
If you analyze in totality, Global Education in an international setting is a marketable commodity. Your long-term career prospects can be enhanced by & experience that develops Self-Confidence, Independence and Cross-Cultural skills - attributes in demand by employees worldwide.
And it is rightly said by Mark Twain that, "Twenty Years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, Dream and Discover."