5 steps towards being a grad student in the US.
This article is a quick overview of steps necessary for a foreign applicant to apply to US universities for a graduate(sometimes called master) degree. In other words, a short and direct guide for people who are considering to do a graduate study in the US.
The idea of writing this article came to me just recently when I realized that many of my friends keep asking me about the process of applying to US universities. Of course they ask me because I have previously experienced in it. I’d be very happy if this article could answer some of their questions.
The bullets below will be covered in this article. I've tried to be as direct as possible avoiding to leave any doubts for you guys.
Step 4: Happy and unhappy days
Step 5: Finding a scholarship
Most probably you finished your bachelor degree and now want to continue your education in one of the best universities. If you calculate the ratio of applications from foreign countries for graduate and undergraduate programs in the US you will see that it’s about 7/1. Why is it so? Why do people prefer to study abroad for their graduate degree rather than undergraduate?
Well, I believe there are many reasons which actually can affect this tendency; however, it’s worth mentioning few of them which are more understandable for me.
Overall the undergraduate program is comparably better developed and stronger in the world than the graduate program in terms of academic curriculum.
Financially it’s more affordable if you compare 2 (I assume 2 years is the maximum length for a graduate program) years with 4 years study. It’s about paying a half less.
In the US and I believe in the world as well, scholarships provided by universities are more accessible for graduates than for undergrads.
Even if you're planning for an undergraduate degree further reading would be relevant for you, maybe as an addition you will be required to pass one or two more tests. That’s not a big deal, so don't be disappointed if you're going for undergrad degree.You can carry on.
The idea about starting a new educational journey in your life usually starts at the moment when you look for something new and more than you can get in your country.Maybe you live in a developing country where educational system is still on it’s way to be better. Or most probably when it doesn't make any sense for you to spend a couple more years in the university where you have already spent 4 years learning nothing or something, or you’re just tired of everything and want to start a new life event in a different culture and environment.If one of those assumptions is true, you’re most likely to open your laptop and google ”top 10 universities in the world”.
And that’s how it usually starts.
However, the influence of your friends who’re studying abroad or studied might also be a possible push for your start. This inspiration could be pretty much natural for everyone including me. I personally was inspired and motivated by my friends choosing the same path as they did (well, they chose different universities then I chose, but anyway all of us studied abroad). I’m so glad that right now some of my friends are willing to pursue my path.
When you’re sure about your decision it’s time to make it real. Set a goal and start thinking about they ways to do it.
If I tried to split this part into multiple sub-sections I would get these bullets. I’ll explain each one more precisely, so don’t be confused now.
English Proficiency Test (TOEFL, IELTS)
Recommendation Letters (2 or 3)
Statement of Purpose (SOP)
Sometimes your resume and cover letter, but very rarely
English Tests are the toughest part for a foreign applicant unless you are in a country where English is a widely used language in the community including schools, workplaces,movies on TV, etc.. Very good illustration of this is India. Students coming from Indian are good English speakers in terms of grammar and vocabulary because they have a goof opportunity to use the language. But if you are like me and English is just a class that you have taken in your school years you might want to improve your language skills. You can go to a specialized English center where you can learn all necessary skills for taking proficiency tests. Usually at the beginning you study general English then you continue to prepare for the test. For me learning a new language or improving is not easy when I’m luck of practice. Being said, “Practice makes perfect” is really make sense for language learners. Speak, read, write as much as you can and that would be the key to success which you should hold all the time during your preparation. It could be listening to new songs and remembering lyrics by heart or watching movies in English. The latter is widely used among language learners as it gives you fun and language improvement at the same time. To find a good English teacher is not difficult. Ask your friends and they will instantly get back to you with many suggestions. That’s how it happened to me. I went to the same English center as my friends did. Keep in mind learning language is not easy when you are a lazy person. You should spend fair amount of time on that and you will see your progress.
In order to be able to apply for a university and considered by admission committee you have to satisfy the minimum English requirements which is vary based on university and program. Some universities offer you paid English courses before starting (of course if you are accepted) your program if your score is lower than it must be. Well, I don’t want you to rely on this option. Just do your best and you will be set.Most cases those courses are expensive.
Even though English preparation is the most time consuming step, it’s worth mentioning that neither of them is less important. Especially, I would emphasize the role of the recommendation letters. It’s not only how beautifully and impressive your letters are written, but also who is your reference. If you have someone in your previous or current university whom you can ask for a recommendation go ahead and ask.
Remember, there is nothing to be embarrassed for asking. I think it should be a pleasure for the professor when you choose him/her as a reference.
Most universities require 3 recommendations and most likely one professional and two academic. Academic letters are the ones which you get from your professors who remember you and know well enough to evaluate your achievements and write it down on a paper. The professional recommendation you usually get from your workplace, it could be your direct chief or someone whom you work/worked with. Of course, it’s more preferable to get it from high positional chief. Make sure your letters are not longer than two pages. I don’t believe that admission committee members don’t get tired of your recommendation letter if it goes longer. Make sure your letters grammatically correct. You can ask your English teacher to go through it with you.
Statement of purpose (SOP) is usually not more than a page long letter which shows your motivation and purpose for applying that specific university and program. However, it could be a template and you can use it for all universities just changing the university name and maybe the program name. It’s basically your answer answer to this question
Why do you want to study “Program name” at “University Name” ?.
Show your passion about the major you have chosen and indicate the role of the university. The reader should definitely see your inspiration sources and motivation. Some people just ignore the importance of this letter, but I wouldn't do the same if I were you. Must remember rule for SOP is —
Write once and use always.
Transcript is a document showing your current or previous academic grades .Of course if your transcript is in your native language you should translate it into English making sure that all course names are translated correctly. This document is really important because it shows how successful you were as a student. If your GPA (Grade Point Average) is low it doesn't mean you don’t have a chance. Yet it could be a good point to mention in you SOP why you got low grades when you were at school. Of course the best GPA that you could ever have is 4.0 out of 4.0. However, I think any GPA that is greater than 3.4 might be viewed as a good accomplishment. You will need to scan and submit this document to the university. There might be universities which will ask you to send them hard coded version of your resume.You don’t have to send your original transcript, instead you will need to get a copy of your transcript stamped by your academic institution.
It takes some time for universities to translate your transcript and give you copies of it. You can start this process two weeks before you want to apply.
Some universities may require your resume and cover letter. I hope you have a resume and it’s always up to date. There are many resume tips on the web. Always remember resume should be only one page unless you have more than 10 years work experience, do you?
When I send my resume to someone I always convert it to pdf format.
Applying process (Step 2)
When you have collected all required documents and have passed the English proficiency test you are ready to apply to universities. Saying passed the test I mean you got a score which is enough to cover the English score requirement which is again differs based on universities. Usually IELTS 7.0 and TOEFL 92 are good scores to not thinking about retaking the test. One thing I noticed while I was looking at required scores that US universities require lower TOEFL score compared to IELTS in this way trying to encourage you to take a TOEFL test instead of IELTS. The reason of that is that TOEFL is an American test while IELTS is British.I think IELTS 6.5 score kind of corresponds to TOEFL 88-91. Keep in mind you can retake the test as many times as you want.
I assume you have already created your university list. it’s really encouraging to order your list. No matter how you do that but you may want to consider the application deadlines for each university when you’re creating your list. That’s what I did. If you are planning to apply for fall semester the earliest deadline that you might face is the mid of December. I remember the deadline for University of Chicago and UPenn for CS programs were December 15. To make it more clear If you are applying for 2014-2015 (starts from September 2014) academic year your deadline will be the mid of December 2013. However, most deadlines are open till the late April.Make sure you have your deadlines written down. You can find my university list draft right here to have an understanding how it should look. Applying process is not difficult but it might take a lot of time from you. So many fields to fill out in each application and many documents to convert and upload into the system. I remember I usually spent a day or two to finish one application.
As the name says this part is about the days when you spend on waiting for emails from the universities where you applied to. Sometimes you reply those emails and sometimes you just read and go ahead. It’s not like you enter this stage right after submitting the application. I believe it takes at least two weeks for universities to get back to you. Doesn't mean that they inform you whether you’re accepted or not. They may ask you to send more additional documents, or maybe you forgot to upload a required document, so they send you a reminder. I remember every time when I got an email from any university my heart started beating very fast. Then, I saw it was just an informative email about the university and its programs.
Your admission decision might come two weeks after you successfully submitted your application (saying successful I mean you don’t have any missing bullet or document).In most cases it takes a month or even more.
When you are in this stage make sure you have your mailbox checked every day.
I remember since “Email” days I started to check my mailbox daily and I continue it now. I have attached my email account to my phone so every time I got an email I was notified. I suggest you to do the same.
Happy and unhappy days (Step 4)
Well, I know this title sounds funny, isn't it? Yes, but this exactly what explains your feelings when you are done with applying process and waiting for admission decisions. There are three type of decision emails that you might get from the university.
rejection — You’re not happy, but not disappointed either. You still have more decisions in progress.
waiting list ( rarely) — You can just smile. This is not the end. This happens when you still have a chance to be accepted. You are currently in the waiting list and if someone who has got an offer rejects the offer you can fill his/her place.
conditional offer — You should be happy. This happens when one of requirements is not covered by your application. Very often when your English test score is a bit lower than it supposed to be. As I mentioned earlier some universities can offer additional English courses instead of retaking the test.Well, if you have money go for it. If no, just retake the test and submit your score again and get unconditional offer.
unconditional offer — You should be very happy. The happiest decision for you. This means you are fully admitted. Next step would be to find financial resources and buy a ticket.
Finding a scholarship (Step 5)
The toughest one. I know…education is very expensive especially in the US. Maybe educational system in the US is the best one in the world which itself leads to high prices. Maybe not, and there are other subtle reasons which I have no idea, but people pay for it. Yes, guys, people pay. Well, of course it would be awesome if you could find someone who is willing to pay for your education, it could be a foundation, a benefactor or just your family. Most Americans pay their education by loans. The US banks offer very good loan condition for its permanent residents, particularly for students rates are even less. But what about foreign students, how are they going to cover their educational expenses? Well, if you have a co-signer who is a US citizen you are lucky because you can apply for a loan in the US (not necessarily get). Many of my friends did and got. If you don’t, the only option left is trying to find a scholarship. Do a research on the web, find scholarships and apply. Apply to as many scholarships as possible but make sure you know the requirements.
I promise I will write another article about how to find a scholarship describing this process in detail. This step could be really confusing. There are many questions to ask before finding and applying to any scholarship.
Keep looking and keep applying. Never lose your hope. My personal experience states that the latter is always leads you to success.
I’m so glad that you chose to follow this path and ready to overcome all coming obstacles. It’s worth mentioning that sometimes these steps can be different for a student depending on programs, universities. For example some programs (MBA, Economics, etc.) may require GRE/GMAT score as an addition to IELTS/TOEFL.
To be a student in the US is really fascinating . I hope you will do your best to accomplish your goal and you will share your experience and knowledge with others.
