When you are ready to consider a U.S. program, review the school information in this magazine. Read what opportunities each school has to offer and match them with your personal interests and academic goals. Then, contact the schools that interest you. When you send an email please say that you learned about the school using the StudyUSA.com website.

Carefully read each viewbook, visit the school’s website and watch every video you receive. Be sure to note special characteristics about each school. Is there a dress code? What is the surrounding area like? Are Advanced Placement courses offered?

Visit BoardingSchoolsUSA.com or the Secondary School Admissions Test (SSAT) website at ssat.org for more information about schools and links to their websites.

You can send an online request for information directly to schools. If you contact schools via email, please understand that it is important for the school to know how you learned about their program, so please mention Boarding Schools in the USA. The schools will send you an email or brochures with descriptions of their academic programs and activities.

Check to see if the schools accept the SSAT Standard Application Online (SAO). If they do, you may access the SAO from the SSAT website and apply directly to the schools that interest you online.

The application form will ask you to provide detailed information about yourself and your family. You may be asked to write about your interests and abilities.

Most schools will also ask you to write an essay in English. The application may require verification of your family’s ability to pay school costs. There will also be a form requesting your current school to send your official transcripts (grades). You will also include written recommendations from one or more of your teachers.

You might also ask for a personal visit from someone representing the school. Many boarding school graduates living abroad would gladly meet with prospective students in their own country. They will answer questions and give firsthand information about campus life and education at the school. If possible, you should give serious thought to visiting the boarding schools you are considering. An actual visit to the school is the best way to determine if you will be happy there.

Some of the schools presented in this magazine may ask you to take the SSAT and/or the TOEFL®. Outside of the USA and Canada, the SSAT is given five times per year (November, December, January, March and April) at locations around the world. The test costs US$225 and will give both you and the school an objective indication of your academic ability. If you are unable to take the test on one of the scheduled test dates, you may arrange to take the test at another time at an independent test center. A limited list of independent test centers outside the USA is available on the SSAT website. To contact SSAT in Princeton, New Jersey, visit the SSAT website at ssat.org, call (609) 683-4440 or email your questions to info@ssat.org.

You will then send the following information to the schools in which you are interested:

• Application with an essay in English
• Current transcript (school record)
• Letters of recommendation by your teachers (usually two or three)
• SSAT or TOEFL test results (if required)

If you are accepted, the school will send you an official acceptance letter, enrollment contract, and an I-20 document necessary for obtaining a student visa. You must you confirm your attendance at the school by sending an enrollment deposit. After, you will receive a registration packet full of information you will need in order to prepare for your stay in the USA.