1. education
2. graduate school

The News, Tuesday, February 19, 2013
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HOW TO APPLY FOR ADMISSION IN
US COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
ith thousands of
accredited US colleges and universities in the United
States, where do you begin to
find the one that is right for
you? No official ranking system exists for colleges and universities in the United States.
The best college or university is
the one that is best for you and
meets your requirements-academic, financial, and personal.
EducationUSA Advisers in The
United States Educational
Foundation
in
Pakistan
(USEFP) can help you in selecting
the
“best
fit”
college/university for you. To
learn how to contact an EducationUSA Adviser, please visit
www.usefpakistan.org .
W
What is EducationUSA?
EducationUSA is a US Department of State-supported
network of hundreds of advising centers around the world.
Each year, EducationUSA advisers provide millions of international students with accurate, comprehensive, and
current information about how
to apply to US colleges and universities. EducationUSA staff
also work with US higher education professionals to promote international student recruitment.
For
more
information, please visit
www.educationusa.info
To learn more about upcoming programs or to register
for free advising services, individuals
may
email
[email protected].
The following online links also
offer further information:
www.facebook.com/USEFP,
www.usefpakistan.org
How to apply to a university in
the US: Your 5 Steps to US Study
Take the first step now toward a US college or university
education. Whether you plan to
pursue an undergraduate, graduate, English language, or
short-term program, you have
to follow the five steps stated
below:
1. College search: How to
select the right match?
Years ago, collecting all this
information was a big challenge, but now you can find all
of this information online. Resources like college search engines, college web sites, virtual
campus tours, and online college catalogs and guide books
are great sources of information. www.collegeboard.com
and www.educationusa.info are
great places to get started.
2. Completing your application:
Standardised Tests
Admission
application
forms are available on the college/university websites for
downloading. It is important to
follow the instructions and submit the completed application
before the deadline. Among
other factors like your academic achievements, personal
statement, recommendations
and extracurricular activities,
standardised test scores weigh
a lot in admission and financial
Have you already been admitted to the US college or university? If so, be
sure to attend one of our ‘Pre-Departure Orientations’ this summer to
prepare for what lies ahead! Write to [email protected] or visit
one of our Facebook pages to learn more:
Islamabad: www.facebook.com/USEFP
Lahore: www.facebook.com/USEFPLHR
Karachi: www.facebook.com/USEFPKHI
Faisalabad: www.facebook.com/USEFPFSD
USEFP advisers pose for a photograph with students interested in pursuing higher education in
the US at an informational seminar
aid decisions. Standardized
tests (SAT, ACT, GRE, GMAT
and TOEFL) are a global standard that help colleges overcome the challenges of unequal
opportunities, variable standards and grade inflation.
ducts *free* GRE workshops
for students and offers GRE
test preparation classes at Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi.
Please write to [email protected] for more information.
* What is the GRE and how to
prepare?
Most universities in the US
require GRE scores for admission in to Master’s or Doctoral
study programs. If you are
looking for financial assistance,
higher GRE score will give you
an edge. The test consists of
three sections; Verbal Reasoning (English language skills),
Quantitative Reasoning (Math
skills) and Analytical Writing.
Engineering and Basic Sciences generally attach more
weight to Quantitative scores
while Business and Social Sciences may consider both
equally important. Applicants
of Journalism and Media need
to score higher in the Analytical section.
Students can prepare for
the GRE through the free official test prep tools available on
www.ets.org/gre. These tools
include practice tests, sample
questions and test taking
strategies and tips. Books that
may be used for preparation include those by Barrons, Kaplan, Petersons and Princeton
Review. USEFP frequently con-
* What is the GMAT and how to
prepare?
The GMAT exam has been
exam. To help you prepare,
mba.com offers the GMATPrep(r) test preparation software, free to registered users.
Available as a downloadable application or as a CD-ROM,
GMATPrep simulates the actual
test experience by using retired
questions from previous GMAT
exams.
Students can prepare for
the SAT through rigorous highschool load, extensive reading,
writing, and free practice tests.
There are resources on the
website including practice
tests, SAT Question of the Day,
Skills Insight, and Counselor
Resource Center. Books that
may be used for preparation include those by Barrons, Kaplan
and Princeton Review.
* What is TOEFL and how to
prepare?
The TOEFL(r) test is the
most widely respected Englishlanguage test in the world, recognized by more than 8,500
colleges, universities and agencies in more than 130 countries, including Australia,
Canada, the UK and the US.
Education Testing Service
(ETS) offers a variety of practice materials to help you prepare for the TOEFL iBT(r) test
and build your English language skills. These include free
sample questions, practice
tests, interactive skill-building
programs, and detailed tips and
information. USEFP’s Prometric Testing center also has a
mock testing facility for
TOEFL. Please write to [email protected] for more
information.
* What is a Statement of
Purpose and how to write one?
The Statement of Purpose
(SoP) will tell the admissions
committee who you are, what
has influenced your career path
so far, your professional interests and where you plan to go
from here. A good SoP will certainly improve your chances of
getting admission to the school
of your choice, and even compensate for weaker portions of
‘How to Write an Effective Statement of Purpose’ is one of the many
*free* seminars and workshops conducted regularly at USEFP
the test of choice by the
world’s business leaders to get
into the world’s leading business schools.
Understanding the format,
practicing sample questions,
and reviewing one section at a
time will help you arrive fully
prepared on the day of your
* What are the SAT and ACT
and how to prepare?
SAT-I, SAT Subject Tests and
ACT are standardised admission tests designed to test your
academic readiness for college.
Students need to take these
tests to apply for undergraduate programs in the US
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Are you an alumnus of a US college or university or are you currently studying in the US? Join
the EducationUSA alumni network by contacting [email protected]. This is a
chance to get in touch with other
Pakistani students like you!
Please note that alumni of US
Government funded programs
such as Fulbright should contact
their program’s local alumni
chapter instead.
GRE Test Preparation Workshops are frequently conducted at
USEFP. Write to [email protected] to become a part
of the next workshop
your application, such as lessthan-perfect grades.
Writing your admissions essays or Statement of Purpose is
a long and intensive process.
There are many resources
available online to help you get
started. USEFP frequently conducts *free* ‘How to Write an
effective Statement of Purpose’
workshops at Islamabad, Lahore & Karachi. Please write to
[email protected] to
find out when the next workshop is. Let USEFP help you
figure out whether you are eligible.
3. Financial Aid
The terms ‘scholarships’
and ‘financial aid’ are sometimes used interchangeably, but
they are different. 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, on the other hand, can
also be a ‘need-based’ grant
based on the student’s financial
need. There is financial aid
available to international students at both the graduate and
undergraduate level. Graduate
students can also secure financial aid in the form of research
and teaching assistantships.
Fellowships are offered to stu-
dents with proven academic
records, regardless of their citizenship.
4. What is an F-1 student visa?
The F-1 student visa is one
of the most flexible Non-Immigrant Visas (NIV). It is for
those who want to study or
conduct research at an accredited American college or university. F-1 students are allowed to work on campus for
as many as 20 hours a week
during fall and spring
semesters and as many as 40
hours a week during summer
semesters. F-1 visa students
have to attend university full
time during fall and spring
semesters, but are not required
to take any classes during summer. We encourage students to
begin the student visa process
as soon as they are accepted.
5. Pre-departure Orientation
The Pre-departure orientation is meant to prepare students for an easy transition to
US campus life .
If you have already been accepted by a university in the US
for Fall 2013, you can be a part
of the pre-departure orientations. These will be held in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi
on June 20-22. For details,
please write to [email protected].
Many colleges and universities in the US are still accepting applications for
bachelor’s admission this year. Learn more about studying in the US by visiting your local EducationUSA center in Pakistan or start your research online:
www.bigfuture.collegeboard.org, www.educationusa.info, www.usefpakistan.org, www.facebook.com/USEFP