Ask the Advisor: Choosing a Degree or English Program

• Beginning the process?
• Choosing a school and preparing a study plan?
• Studying in the USA after secondary school?
• The community college alternative?
• Short-term programs?
• Transfer after partial completion of university program in my country?
• College entrance after high school study in the U.S. as an exchange student?
• MBA programs?
• Studying for an MBA after an engineering degree?
• GMAT and top MBA schools?
• Language study and testing?
• Studying on a spousal visa?
• Tourism and Travel Marketing courses?

How do I begin the process of studying in the United States?

Answer: There are four basic steps you must complete in order to study at a university in the United States. The first step is to decide which universities to apply to. This is often a complicated task, because you need to know a lot of information to make a good choice. If you have no idea about how to do this, you may consider contacting the closest academic advising center sponsored by your government or by the government of the United States. Each of these offices can provide excellent advice about schools that you should consider. You should also look at the schools that have links to this site (see earlier pages).

After you have decided which schools interest you, the next step is to contact the Office of Admissions at each school and request an application for graduate study. This application will give you details about the process at each school. While you are waiting, it would be a good time to take the TOEFL and any other examinations that will be required by most schools.

The third step is to complete the applications you decide to pursue and to arrange to have all of your records of secondary and post-secondary study sent directly to the schools you have selected. Then send in the applications and the application fees according to the instructions in each application packet.

The final step requires some patience .You must wait until the universities make their admission decisions. This can take some time, so be patient (and apply early!). When you have been accepted, you will be sent a form called an I-20, which is the document you will need in order to get a student visa. Take the I-20 form from the school you wish to attend to the U.S. Embassy or Consulate nearest you. Take your passport and proof of financial support (bank statements, scholarship awards, etc.). You will be requesting student visa status, which is usually an F-1 visa.

After you are interviewed and receive approval, a visa will be stamped in your passport. Then you are ready to come to the U.S. to begin study. Make your travel arrangements early to avoid a last minute disappointment.

I'd like to study in an American university and I need some information on 1) how to choose a university 2) how to make a study plan 3) what courses I would need to take 4) requirements needed etc.

Answer: There are many factors involved in choosing the university that is the best one for you. We suggest that you spend some time looking at other parts of this website for some of the information that will help you make your plans. You should visit the offices of a government sponsored academic advising center such as a Fulbright office or a bi-national center.

As far as a study plan and course selection are concerned, these are ordinarily done in direct consultation with a faculty advisor. In assessing your situation, he or she will guide you through the degree requirements and options. One factor that will influence your study plans will be the level of study that you intend to pursue. For example, if you intend to complete an undergraduate degree in the US, you will receive a certain amount of credit for the study you have completed in your country. However, this determination will be made individually by the US university and may vary from school to school.

If, on the other hand, your interest is in a single year of study in the US, your course selection may depend largely on the acceptability or unacceptability of each course by your local university. Finally, you may be thinking about completing your degree in your own country, then coming to the US for graduate study. In that case, there will be an entirely different set of requirements and processes than would be the case for an undergraduate transfer.

The prerequisite requirements for admission will vary widely, both by institution and by the major field of study you select. Once you determine which schools interest you, you should examine the catalog of each (available at the Fulbright office) to find out about the entrance requirements. If you still have questions, you may wish to contact the admissions office of each school and ask for whatever information you require.

I am a first year A-level student in one UK school. I am planning to study aboard and USA is one of the places I want to go. However, I have some questions:

1. I hold a British citizen passport and I am not sure if I have to apply a student visa for studying in the US.
2. Where can I ask questions about studying in the USA?
3. If my A-level results are very average, then can I use my previous secondary school's academic results for applying?
4. How do the US universities grade the UK's secondary schools' academic result? As I know, the D or E grades can be good enough to apply for a university and to get admitted. Do the D or E results claim a good chance to be admitted into any US university?
5. I have already studied in England for over 5 years. Do I still have to take the TOEFL exam?
6. If I am planning to go to college in September, when is the best time to apply?

Answer: Here are some general answers to your questions: individual situations vary, and you may wish to seek specific guidance in choosing the universities that best suit your needs.

1. All non-U.S. citizens or permanent residents require visas to study in the United States.

2. You should visit the offices of a government sponsored academic advising center such as a Fulbright office or a bi-national center.

3. Many schools accept beginning students based on examination results done after Form 5 (whether in UK or Hong Kong), and use A-level results for determination of advanced standing. However, this practice varies widely from university to university. Some will only take A-levels into account for initial admission if there is a deficiency in other examinations. Others will not consider students without a certain number of A-levels. In other words, there is no set rule. However, it is extremely important that you include ALL of your results with your application: failure to do so could have very serious consequences.

4. Again, practices vary widely from school to school regarding the quality of grades expected from A-levels. Obviously, A and B results are preferable, but almost all universities (even very selective ones) will give credit for C grades. A large number of schools give credit for D passes, and some for E. However, as practices vary so widely, it may be important for you to contact the international admissions offices of the universities which you are considering in order to determine their policies.

5. Some universities do not require TOEFL scores of students who have completed a certain level of instruction in an English medium. However, the great majority of schools DO require TOEFL or another English Test. As you do not yet know where you will study, it is strongly advised that you sit for the TOEFL in order to keep your options as open as possible. Remember that the registration takes some time and results are not usually available until about 6 weeks after the examination, so you should take this into account when you are looking at admissions deadlines. As the TOEFL results are valid for two years, we suggest that you take the examination at your earliest convenience so that you will not have to worry about it at the last minute.

6. In general, students should begin their searches one to one and a half years before they intend to enroll. Many colleges have September international admissions deadlines in the early part of the year, although a few (such as many of the public universities in California) may be as early as the November of the prior year. In other words, you should start your search early and be prepared to meet deadlines well in advance of the time you wish to begin study.

I wish to enroll into a college as soon as possible. However I recognize that my chances of making it for the September intake is relatively slim. An alternative that I am considering is to attend a community college for one or two semesters and transfer my credits to the University when the term starts. Is this decision feasible? I would also like to know whether I am required to pay the tuition fees for a full year in a community college if I am only interested in enrolling for one or two semesters.

Answer: The community college alternative may be an attractive one. There are more than 1,000 2-year colleges from which students can transfer to 4-year schools. Fees are normally based on a semester-by-semester basis, not an annual one. Every year more than 50,000 international students decide to study at community colleges for a number of reasons:

• you may only wish to take a short program;
• you want to save money in order to attend a more expensive school to complete your program;
• your grades are not competitive at the school you really want to attend and you hope to raise them at a community college;
• you haven't decided which 4-year school is the best one for you and you want to begin without wasting time;
• you don't really know which subject you want to major in and you want to take advantage of the excellent guidance programs at community colleges.

There are as many reasons as there are applicants. These schools are not well known in many countries, but they offer some outstanding opportunities for international students, including ones with very strong grades.

I would like to study computer science or some kind of computer networking course for 1-2 years. How do I find out which institutions offer these courses?

Answer: It is likely that the kind of program you are seeking will best be found at one of the more than 1,000 two-year community colleges, technical colleges or junior colleges in the United States.

In order to locate schools that offer the programs you seek, you should visit the offices of a government sponsored academic advising center such as a Fulbright office or a bi-national center. Also, many schools describe their programs in detail on their websites. An Internet search for your area of interest will probably return many places for you to consider.

I am currently studying in an undergraduate program at a university in my country. Can I apply for study in the USA? What if my current major is not taught in the USA under the same title?

Answer: You may certainly apply for advanced standing in the United States based on your university work. Each university will make its own determination of transfer credit, and it would be worth your while to query individual schools as to their general policies. One caution: students coming from specialized programs sometimes fail to note that almost all universities here will have "general education" requirements which may add to the time you will spend here, even if you are given credit for all your previous work.

Even if there is no specific major with the same name as yours (for example, AQuantity Surveying@ is a common major in some countries, but is not taught under that name in the USA), there are usually good matches under other names.

The catalog (or prospectus) of each university generally gives good information about the emphasis of each major field, and this may prove useful to you. You may also wish to check professional journals in your field in order to discover the departmental affiliation of U.S. scholars who are in fields similar to yours.

I'm an exchange student from another country spending a year in the US. After my graduation from high school this summer, can I start studying in this U.S. right away or do I have to finish 12th and 13th grade in my own country first, since these are required for entrance to a university there? I'm not sure what the requirements are to enter an American college. Also, can you tell me which colleges offer programs in classical and jazz piano (performance)?

Answer: The answer to your first question is a qualified yes. Entrance to a U.S. postsecondary institution would be based on graduation from a U.S. high school (assuming you do not have an immediate obligation to return to your country). Having said that, we urge you to think carefully about the implications of your university decision. Do you have alternate career plans in music education, for example, if performance doesn't work out for some reason? If so, are you comfortable with the possibility that your education here may not satisfy licensing requirements in your country? While you may wish to begin study here immediately, you should also be aware that completing a 13th year program in many other countries would provide a considerable amount of transfer credit toward completion of a bachelor's degree in the United States. In other words, there may be some hybrid options to consider (some study in your own country and some in the U.S.), particularly if cost is an important factor.

In response to your second question: there are a large number of music programs available in the U.S., including many of the universities linked to this website. Your high school counselor will have standard references on U.S. colleges and universities, and it would be a good idea for you to spend some time checking out possibilities. Your school may have a computerized search program that you can use. Unfortunately, we cannot recommend specific schools.

However, in your search, you should note that there are principal categories of postsecondary programs where you can study music. The first is the college and university program; such programs are offered by hundreds of institutions along with many other fields of study. Some of these schools have very strong reputations in various fields of music. The second category is specialized music institutions, often identified as "conservatory" or a "school of music."

For schools with strong reputations in music, you should be prepared to audition as part of your entrance requirements.

I am a senior studying at a university in my country. I plan to do my Master's in Business Management in the near future. If possible, I am willing to start this program in the fall semester next year. I would like to ask you about graduate study in MBA programs in the USA.

1. How can I get information regarding the program I want to study?
2. What I have to do next after getting that information?
3. Is it important to go to visit universities in the USA?
4. Is it better to go to apply in person instead of mailing my application to universities?
5. Is it true that the one who is taking an Intensive English Course has more opportunity to get into the program?

Answer:

1. The best way to get detailed information about any program is to examine the catalog published by the university where it is offered. Since there are many programs in Business Management, you will have to do a considerable amount of research. In order to locate schools that offer the programs you seek, you should visit the offices of a government sponsored academic advising center such as a Fulbright office or a bi-national center. There you may be able to narrow your search by using some of the standard references which list MBA programs and give summaries. Take careful notice of whether or not a particular program requires a certain period of job experience before considering an applicant for admission.

   While you are searching, it would be a very good idea to take a TOEFL examination if you do not have a recent score on file. You should also take the GMAT if you are seeking an MBA, or the GRE if you are seeking another kind of degree.

2. Once you have located some programs that look interesting, you should write to the Office of Admissions at each university and ask for details about admission to the MBA degree program in Business Management (or whatever they call the program at that university). You should also ask for information about housing. The universities will send application packets. You should complete the ones that seem to fit your needs best, then send the applications, the documents they ask for and the application fee to the universities. Pay careful attention to deadlines.

3. Your admission will not depend on a campus visit. However, you might find such visits very useful in making your decision if you are accepted at more than one university. My general advice is to visit campuses if it is convenient to do so, but don't make a special trip to the U.S. only for that purpose. However, if you are in the area of a school you are interested in, you may certainly call the admissions office and ask for an appointment with an admissions counselor. Generally, the university will be happy to have someone meet you, show you around and answer questions.

4. In most cases, applying by mail is just as good as applying in person. Usually, a clerk will accept your hand-delivered application and just put it with the ones that have been received by mail.

5. We do not know of any case in which attendance at a university's ESL program gave a student an advantage for admission. There may be some confusion over the fact that some ESL programs only admit students who have ALREADY been accepted by the university.

I am a student in my last year of an engineering school in my country. I am looking for information about studying for an MBA. What is the level of English required? How much time will it take to achieve this level? Some people have told me that it takes 16 months. What universities provide this program and which ones are the best?

Answer: There are many MBA programs available in the United States. Each one has individual requirements regarding English level, expected results on the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) and your previous academic record. MBA courses vary widely in length (from one year to several years), although a typical program is two years. As to the best ones, we feel that you should be asking about which are the best ones for you. In our opinion, the "rankings" that are made by various magazines, etc., are not very useful for international students.

You should also be aware that, while engineering is considered an excellent background for MBA study, most business schools will expect you to have a certain level of preparation in economics, accounting, statistics and business law as well. If you have not done these subjects, you may be expected to do some "bridge" studies before beginning your MBA work.

With a score of 670 on the GMAT, and two years of work experience, should I be looking at the top 15 business schools for admission?

Answer: While your GMAT score is very strong, you should be aware that GMAT is not the only significant criterion for admission to Graduate Schools of Business. Some highly regarded schools do not even require GMAT, basing their admission on other criteria entirely. Nevertheless, if your undergraduate record is strong, you should definitely be seeking admission to an outstanding program. We do not regard so-called "rankings" as definitive, however. For example, many of the factors that go into such unofficial estimates do not pertain to international students very strongly at all, and relying on such a ranking could be self-defeating.

We encourage you to look for factors that fit your needs, not just the overall reputation of a particular program. It may well be that a school with a lower unofficial ranking (and note that different rankings are hardly consistent with each other!) may in fact be the best choice for your particular circumstances. In other words, don't restrict your search unnecessarily. Finally, if you do decide to choose a school that a news magazine has seen fit to rank highly, and if it meets your personal criteria of excellence, by all means apply. You will certainly be competitive, as your GMAT is somewhat above the average score of admitted students at virtually every MBA program in the U.S.

Can I enter into a language school for further English study and then take the TOEFL and GRE test in USA? How can I find the school? Can I study English in the USA?

Answer: It is possible to be accepted at a language program and then to take examinations in the United States. However, this approach involves some serious difficulties: in the first place, it may be extremely difficult for you to obtain a visa for English study only without having been accepted at a university too. You may also experience difficulty as far as timing your application for graduate study is concerned; if you do not have a prior acceptance, you might have to return to China after your language study to wait for the proper time to apply.

We think your best approach may be to find the universities to which you want to apply for further study in your field, then contact the graduate department and explain your situation. You might also want to include a copy of your grades from your university. We cannot promise that this approach will be successful, but it will help you to narrow your search.

The process of selecting a school for graduate study and English language is a complicated one. We suggest that you contact a government sponsored advising center in your country (for example, a Fulbright office or a bi-national center).

I'm studying music education in my country. I will graduate in early spring of next year. My husband recently got a job in the United States. We will probably move there shortly after Christmas and stay at least a year. I would like to know if it would be possible to study music or music education in San Francisco and what would the costs be?

Answer: There are many institutions that offer music instruction and music education training. Part of the answer to your question depends on the visa status that you expect to hold during your stay. Another part of the answer depends on the goals of your study: self- improvement; a degree; course work that could be applied to a degree; a certification of skill; or something else. The cost of your education would depend on the program you attended; costs will vary rather widely.

We suggest that you contact a government sponsored advising center in your country (for example, a Fulbright office or a bi-national center) to get a list of the music programs near the area in which you will be living. Then contact those schools to find out about their policies and requirements.

Please tell me which schools, academies or colleges provide a one year course in tourism and/or travel, preferably in Florida, Texas or California?

Answer: There more than twenty programs available in Tourism and Travel Marketing in the states of Florida, Texas and California, plus many more in other parts of the United States. Each program has its own requirements and length of study. If you are not interested in a degree, you should be looking at "Certificate" programs, which are shorter and more specialized than degree courses.

We suggest that you contact a government sponsored advising center in your country (for example, a Fulbright office or a bi-national center) to get a list of the travel/tourism programs in the United States. Then check some standard reference works in the counseling center to find out about those programs and to select the ones that offer what you need.

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