Guide To U.S. Colleges For Dummies

A GUIDE TO
U.S. COLLEGE
APPLICATIONS
FOR DUMMIES
1
WHAT YOU’LL NEED FOR U.S. COLLEGE
APPLICATIONS AS AN INTERNATIONAL
1) High school transcript from grades 9 to 12- This has to be

signed and stamped by an official from your high school.
Usually, it’s your principal. If you are in 12th grade as you are
applying to colleges you will have to send in your 12th grade
mid-term marksheet along with a predictive marksheet. What is
a predictive marksheet? A predictive marksheet is a document
that your respective subject teachers write for you predicting
your marks in your board results based on your past
performance. Your job as a student is to come as close as
possible to the marks predicted by your teachers. It is a common
notion that students with major differences between their actual
board percentage and their predictive board percentage have
NOT faced any issues. However, this varies from university to
university such that there also have been cases where students
have got their offers rescinded.
2) Standardized tests- Most U.S. colleges require standardized

test results to assess all applicants on the same scale. The
accepted tests are the SAT or the ACT. Be sure to start
preparing and appearing for these tests as early as possible
(most international applicants start in grade 11; however,
students have been able to get a score of their choice even when
they started as late as after mid-12th grade). Usually, students
sit for either of tests 2-3 times, or even sit for both tests multiple
times. There have been cases where students sat for one of the
tests- either the SAT or the ACT- but didn’t feel very
comfortable and decided to switch. Out of these students, some
saw a significant improvement in their scores with the other test
while some didn’t observe any improvements and hence
decided to go back to square one. It is suggested that before
2
starting to pursue one of the tests, students should take a
diagnostic test/mock test for both and then decide based on their
results or the level of comfort with the test. Colleges don’t
differentiate between their applicants on the basis of which test
the applicant chose to submit. Similarly, neither of the test is
‘easier’ or ‘harder’ than its counterpart. Also, some colleges do
not require the SAT or ACT. A list of those institutions can be
found here.
Apart from this, there is another standardized test called the
SAT Subject Test or the SAT-2. Over the years the SAT Subject
Tests have lost their value as a test required for college
applications. However, the test still holds its gravity for colleges
in the top 50s. It is, therefore, recommended to take at least take
one subject test, two if one can afford to do so. A list of the
subjects administered can be found here.
How to register for these tests?
For the SAT here.
For the ACT here.
For the SAT Subject Test here.
3) English proficiency tests- Although you might be very fluent

in English, U.S. colleges require you to submit scores of an
English proficiency test- either the TOEFL or the IELTS.
English is not your first language if the first language that you
learnt to speak as a child was not English and/or you attended a
school where the primary mode of instruction is English.
However, the english proficiency test requirement CAN be
waived by getting a ‘high’ score on the Verbal portion of the
SAT or the English portion of the ACT. Most colleges usually
specify that score above which they would waive the English
proficiency test requirement. However, some colleges don’t
waive the requirement irrespective of your score on the
aforementioned tests. In that case, the best thing to do is take
either of the tests.
3
4) Letters of Recommendation- Colleges want to know from the
perspective of a teacher. For those reasons some colleges
require letters of recommendation (LOR) from at least one
teacher, and a maximum of two. That teacher could be anyone
who knows you personally, the only basis being that he/she
should’ve taught you in high school at some point in high
school. Your tuition/coaching teacher CANNOT write your
LOR.
5) Essay- Almost all colleges will require you to write essay(s) on

multiple prompts in order to get to know you better. The essay
is a vital part of your application as it gives an insight into your
character as a student on a college campus. Hence, you should
put in time, efforts, and thoughts into this part of your
application.
1) Finances- Actually, this should come before everything that’s

been written before this (hence, the messed up numbering, in
case you did not notice). Knowing your family’s financial
position is the first step toward U.S. college application. While
there is financial aid and scholarship available for international
students, it makes it hard for an international student to bag one.
The average total cost of attendance of a U.S. college is USD
200,000 or INR 1,44,00,000 for a full 4-year bachelors degree
(at the conversion rate of $1=Rs.72). Any amount of scholarship
will bring down that figure, but both parents and students should
have an honest discussion about managing finances before
starting with the procedure.
4
APPLYING TO U.S. UNIVERSITIES
Following portals can be used to apply to U.S. universities:
1) The Common Application: Most widely used. Opens in

August. Deadline varies by college.
2) The Coalition Application: Next most widely used. Opens

in August. Deadline varies by college.
3) The University of California Application: Only used by the

nine University of California colleges. Opens on November
1. Deadline is November 30.
4) Individual College Applications: Apart from the above

listed portals, almost every university has its own portal. This
is however not recommended as you will have to enter the
same basic details over and over again. Best is to create an
account on the Common Application and/or the Coalition
Application as they serve as a common gateway to most
college applications.
5
TYPES OF COLLEGE APPLICATION
DEADLINES
1) Early Decision/Early Decision 1/ E.D. 1- First deadline

is the early decision which is usually in the month of
October or November. The decision of ED applicants
comes out mid-December. It is to be noted that the ED is a
binding decision which means that if one is accepted in the
ED round, he/she HAS to attend that university and
withdraw all other college applications. The only way the
ED Agreement is deemed void is if an applicant doesn’t
receive the projected amount of aid from the college, or if
he/she is not admitted to his first-choice degree program
or campus. It should be noted that few colleges do not
offer this cycle of admission. If you have been rejected in
the ED cycle then you cannot apply to the same college in
any other cycle in that year.
2) Early Decision-II/ E.D. 2- Early Decision II is a binding

option, meaning students must attend the college if
accepted under ED II. The difference between Early
Decision I and Early Decision II is timing. The deadline
for ED II, on the other hand, is on or around Jan. 1.
Students typically have a decision in late January or early
February.
Note that the application deadline for ED II is generally

the same as the Regular Decision application deadline.
The advantage of ED II is that its timing allows you to
first hear back from your ED 1 college. However, very
few colleges offer ED II. If you have been rejected in the
ED II cycle then you cannot apply to the same college in
any other cycle in that year.
6
3) Early Action/ E.A.- The deadline for early action is
usually very close to that of early decision. The decision
of EA applicants also comes out mid-December. However,
the EA application is non-binding.
4) Regular Decision/ R.D.- Last comes the R.D. The

deadline is usually on or around January 1. This is a non-
binding admission cycle and all colleges follow this.
7
CHOOSING COLLEGES
Following factors could be kept in mind while making a

college list. It is recommended that by September one
should be able to finalize the list of colleges they want to
apply to. On an average, international applicants usually
apply to 8-15 colleges. It is suggested that applicants
should divide their college list into three categories:
1) Dream (x)
2) Reach (2x)
3) Safety (x)
Following factors should be kept in mind while deciding,

in no particular order:
1) Location in terms of employment
2) Location in terms of weather
3) Location in terms or health/allergy issues
4) Cost of attendance
5) Cost of living
6) Safety
7) Crime rate
8) Campus size
9) Student-to-faculty ratio
10) Average class size
11) Ranking by college
12) Ranking by major
13) Ranking by student-happiness index
14) Ranking by return-on-investment of degree
15) Term followed by college- semester, trimester, or
quarterly.
16) Average annual salary upon graduation
17) Average standardized test scores
8
18) Any family members currently at that university/
graduated from that university
19) Average number of years taken by students to
graduate in a particular major
20) Major employers of that institution
21) Location where most graduates were employed
22) Graduation rate
23) Type of institution- public, private, semi-private,
government funded, state school, etc.
24) Notable alumni
25) Notable personalities as professors
9
TYPES OF COLLEGE DECISIONS
Based on your application colleges might:
1) Accept you
2) Reject you
3) Defer you- If you applied early decision 1/2, then a
college might defer you to regular application. This
means that they are not able to make you an offer yet
but would want to reconsider your application in their
regular decision review. In such a case, your ED
Agreement is deemed void.
4) Waitlist you- During regular decision review, some
colleges might waitlist you. This means that if a student
that they accepted chooses not to accept their offer, they
make that offer to a student on the waiting list.
10
U.S. COLLEGE DEGREES
1. All U.S. undergrad college courses are of 4 years.

2. Majorly, there are two types of degrees- STEM and
non-STEM. STEM stands for science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics.
3. Colleges may offer a B.S (Bachelors of Science) as
well as a B.A (Bachelors of Arts) in the same
subject. The difference lies in the rigority of
coursework.
OPTIONAL PRACTICAL TRAINING (OPT)
While applying for a student visa (known as the F-1), all students are
given an additional years’ worth OPT. During this year,
undergraduates are allowed to work upon graduation. However,
STEM course graduates can extend their OPT up to 2 years, thus
making the OPT 3 years. A list of courses that are designated as
STEM courses by the ICE can be found here.
11
SOME USEFUL LINKS
1) College rankings:
a) U.S News
b) The Princeton Review
2) Should I apply early decision? -By PrepScholar
3) How college applications are evaluated:

a) By CollegeVine
b) By BusinessInsider
c) By New York Times
d) By The Washington Post
e) By CollegeBoard
4) How to finalize your college list- By CollegeBoard
5) College Comparison Tools:

a) By CollegeBoard
b) By US News
12

Guide To U.S. Colleges For Dummies

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Guide To U.S. Colleges For Dummies

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Guide To U.S. Colleges For Dummies

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

A GUIDE TO

1) High school transcript from grades 9 to 12- This has to be

2) Standardized tests- Most U.S. colleges require standardized

3) English proficiency tests- Although you might be very fluent

5) Essay- Almost all colleges will require you to write essay(s) on

1) Finances- Actually, this should come before everything that’s

Following portals can be used to apply to U.S. universities:

1) The Common Application: Most widely used. Opens in

2) The Coalition Application: Next most widely used. Opens

3) The University of California Application: Only used by the

4) Individual College Applications: Apart from the above

1) Early Decision/Early Decision 1/ E.D. 1- First deadline

2) Early Decision-II/ E.D. 2- Early Decision II is a binding

Note that the application deadline for ED II is generally

4) Regular Decision/ R.D.- Last comes the R.D. The

Following factors could be kept in mind while making a

Following factors should be kept in mind while deciding,

Based on your application colleges might:

1. All U.S. undergrad college courses are of 4 years.

OPTIONAL PRACTICAL TRAINING (OPT)

2) Should I apply early decision? -By PrepScholar

3) How college applications are evaluated:

4) How to finalize your college list- By CollegeBoard

5) College Comparison Tools:

You might also like