The US Universities have one of the best education system in the world, with excellent programs available in almost all the streams. Universities in the United States stress more on the factors like practicality and employment related skills. The Universities are popular for their academic excellence and for providing the latest technology equipment and resources.
Indian students contribute to the highest International student population in U.S. Universities surpassing China in the latest year. There are 74,603 students presently enrolled in US Universities.
The following are the factors that influence any student's decision to pursue a Masters program in United States.
1. World Class Education
2. Excellent research facilities
3. Easy to survive
4. International exposure
5. Immense Opportunities for the deserving
6. Sizeable Indian population
US Education System:
In United States of America, the education system comprises of 12 years of primary and secondary schooling. A student who has completed 12 years of education will be eligible to apply for a bachelors program and a student who has completed 16 years of education is eligible to apply for a Masters program. Its unlike in India where 3 years traditional degree is not sufficient to apply for masters program in US. Student from India with 3 years degree should complete an additional year of degree program to become eligible for admission.
There are four semesters mentioned below are available in the US Universities,
1. Fall semester
Starts in the month of August / September
Apply before end of March month
2. Spring semester
Starts in the month of January / February
Apply before end of September month
3. Summer Semester
Starts in the month of April
Apply before November of the previous year
4. Winter Semester
Starts in the month of November
Apply before end of May month
It is strongly recommended to opt for Fall semester as their first priority in applying to Universities followed by Spring semester. The choice of Universities is wide and the chances of financial aid are also high during Fall semester.
If one wishes to improve his chances of securing admission and financial assistance, it is advised to students to send their application packets to the respective Universities 9-12 months prior to the start of the semester.
Rolling Admissions: Some of the Universities follow the system of Rolling admissions, where they do not have any application deadlines and accept applications throughout the year. They provide admissions based on the availability of seats for that respective semester. Once the intake is full, they defer the application packet of the students to the next semester.
General terminology used in US unlike in India:
Graduation/Graduate Programs
In India, we refer to B.Tech., B.E., MBBS, B.A., B.Sc., B.Com, B.Pharm., etc. as graduate programs, and M.Tech, M.Sc., M.A., etc as post graduation programs. In the US, programs like B.Tech., B.E., MBBS, B.A., B.Sc., B.Com, B.Pharm. are referred to as undergraduate programs.
M.S., M.A., MBA and Ph.D. are referred to as graduate programs by the US universities.
So, remember that you have completed (or studying) your undergraduate program and you are applying for admission into graduate programs in the US universities.
Courses
For us in India, B.Tech is a course; B.Com. is a course. In the US, the term course is used to refer to (what we call as) subjects. For example, if you are Computer Science Engineer, you would have done a course called Digital Signal Processing (Note that this is one of the subjects that you would have done).
So, in your Statement of Purpose and other documents where you want to mention the subjects that you have done, use the word "courses."
Major
The branch of study is referred to as major. For example, if you are a mechanical engineer, you will say that you majored in Mechanical Engineering.
Grade 10 and 12
When you are talking about your Tenth Standard (SSC, etc.) or Twelfth Standard (HSC, etc.) in your essays, it is better that you use terms like Grade 10 and Grade 12 (respectively) rather than use words like SSC and HSC. The universities will immediately understand words like Grade 10 and 12 as that is the terminology they are familiar with.
Your Academic Scores
The US universities use GPA (Grade Point Average) as a measure for expressing academic performance. However while quoting your marks, if your university gives percentage marks, use only percentage marks. If your university gives a scale of conversion from percentage to GPA, use such a scale and convert your marks to GPA - otherwise, do not use your own conversion scale or methodology to express your marks in GPA.
Credit hour
Credit given for attending one lecture hour of class each week for 15 weeks or equivalent. Most college classes are three credit hours, meaning their total meeting time for a week is three hours.
Admission Process:
Factors that play a major role in the admission process:
1. Test Scores (GRE® / TOEFL®): Your scores in GRE (General Test)® and TOEFL® are required by good universities before they decide on your application for admission into their universities. Some universities may also ask you to take GRE® Subject test depending on your background and the major area you are applying for.
2. Academics (GPA): Your marks in Tenth and Twelfth standards and undergraduation will form an important part of the admission process. Your marks up to the semester you have completed should be sent along with the application packet. Good academics of the student always improve the admission chances and chances of financial assistance.
3. Statement of purpose: SOP is an essay stating your objectives and why the university should select you. This forms an important part of the admission process. An effectively written SOP can always make a difference in the deciding the admission status.
4. Recommendation Letters: The comments/recommendations of the recommender put down in the form of a written document is known as a Recommendation Letter. Recommendation letters also form an important part of the admission process.
Types of Financial Assistance:
1. Fellowships and Scholarships
2. Assistantships
i) Teaching Assistantship
ii) Research Assistantship
3. On Campus jobs
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