C O L C H E S T E R R O YA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L

STUDYING IN THE USA

INTRODUCTION:

G E N E R A L TA L K I N G P O I N T S

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN UK AND US UNIVERSITIES

TYPES OF US UNIVERSITY
H O W T O A P P LY T O A U S U N I V E R S I T Y
FINANCIAL AID
MY PROCESS TO MIT
 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN UK AND US
UNIVERSITIES
Course Structure

Friendly Professors

Money, everywhere

Campus Resources

Orientation and Student Life

Food and Meal Plans

College Spirit
COURSE STRUCTURE

THE FREEDOM!
COURSE STRUCTURE ( C O N T )

You apply to a university, not a course.

You decide what you want to major in during your

degree, normally your sophomore year. (2nd year)

You can choose a major and a minor.

You can take classes in any topic that interests you,

allowing you to build the perfect degree for you.
F R I E N D LY
PROFESSORS

World Renowned
Professors.

Door is always open

feeling.

University feels its lucky

to have you.

MITs UROP Programme.

M O N E Y,
EVERYWHERE

MITs yearly endowment is 13

billion.

If youre part of a club, you

can just ask for money or
resources.

Money given to social events.

So many programmes, e.g.

MITs start-up fund the
sandbox.
S E R I O U S LY W H A T T H E H E L L

CAMPUS RESOURCES
FA C I L I T I E S & R E S O U R C E S

Endless buildings.

Stunning dorm perks.

Free University Shuttle Buses.

University Run Medical Centre.

University Police Force.

Obscenely large sports facilities.

O R I E N TAT I O N A N D S T U D E N T L I F E

At MIT specifically (because I know some details):

CPW, REX, RUSH.

Rich Alumni Pay for Loads of Events, especially at Rush. These

can include Motor-boating, Indoor Surfing, Eating at 5*
Restaurants every night, Helicopter Rides

Students pretty much run the university, there seems to be a

lot of trust.

Loads of clubs, everything from Card Games to Fire Spinning.

MEAL PLANS

It is pretty common for

students to eat in
University Dining Halls.

Significant quantities of
great food, no more beans
& toast.

At MIT 5 dorms had their

own dining halls, serving
breakfast, lunch, and
dinner.
 School Spirit!
Much more passion and school pride. Makes for a nice community, and brings
students together.

Lots of intercollegiate competition.

EXPLORING YOUR OPTIONS

TYPES OF US UNIVERSITIES
IDENTIFYING
FA C T O R S

Private vs Public

Four Year vs Two Year

Ivy League

Liberal Arts
CASE STUDIES
H A R VA R D UPENN
4 years 4 years

Private University Private University

Ivy League Ivy League

22,000 Student Population 24,800 Student Population

UCLA C A LT E C H
4 years 4 years

Public University Private University

45,000 Student Population

2,240 Student Population
CASE STUDIES
H A R VA R D UPENN

International Acceptance Rate International Acceptance Rate

5.9%. 12.3%.

Located in Cambridge, Located in Philadelphia,

Massachusetts. Pennsylvania.

UCLA C A LT E C H

International Acceptance Rate International Acceptance Rate

22%. 5-6%.

Located in Los Angeles, California. Located in Pasadena California.

DIVERSE RANGE OF CHOICE

DEEP SPRINGS COLLEGE

M I T S TATA C E N T R E 42 USA
H O W T O A P P LY T O A U S
UNIVERSITY
AN OVERVIEW

What are US universities looking for?

Admissions Applications/Portals

Test Requirements

Essays

Deadlines and Fees

W H AT A R E U S U N I V E R S I T I E S
LOOKING FOR?

The match between the university and you.

- Apply to the universities which really suit you! It pays off!

Pointy vs Well-Rounded students.

Extracurriculars really do shine.

STRENGTH OF CHARACTER. < I cannot stress this one enough!

Theyre looking for less than 5% of candidates in most cases. (for

international undergraduate admission)
ADMISSION
A P P L I C AT I O N S

Most universities use the

Common-Application.

This requires you to fill in a

general essay, then each
university you apply to has
additional essays and
questions.

MIT has its own application

portal, my.MIT.edu
 TEST REQUIREMENTS

Most decent universities require the ACT/SAT and 2 SAT subject

tests. (for instance Maths and Physics)
HELPFUL HINTS

Take the SAT and use KhanAcademy. Seriously, Use KhanAcademy!

You cant take the SAT and the SAT subject tests on the same date.

A No. 2 pencil means a normal (NON MECHANICAL) Pencil. Dont

mess this up, I got caught out.

Take practice tests, the secret to the exam is exam technique, the
content is easy. Things like Speed, Trick Questions etc
T E S T D AT E S A N D F E E S :
T E S T D AT E REGISTER BY

JUNE 3
M AY 9
( S U B J E C T T E S T S O N LY )

OCTOBER 7
SEPTEMBER 8
( S AT + S U B J E C T T E S T S )

NOVEMBER 4
OCTOBER 5
( N O S AT + S U B J E C T T E S T S )
DECEMBER 2
NOVEMBER 2
( S AT + S U B J E C T T E S T S )

Do Some Research, Sooner Rather than Later!

(I Guarantee you will need to re-take either SAT or Subject Tests)

SAT (with essay, which you will need) is $60

ALSO REMEMBER:

Most Colleges require your Test Scores by January 1st.

Sending Scores from CollegeBoard.com to each

university can take several weeks, so as soon as you
know your scores, send them to the universities you are
applying to.

If you have left it until the December test date, make

sure you have already chosen to send your results to the
universities you are applying before you take the test,
or they will not get there on time!
Whilst taking the SATs is a pain, it means that US
offers are unconditional thats a pretty great
relief!
E S S AY S A N D
LETTERS OF
R E C O M M E N D AT I O N
E S S AY T I P S

The US admission essays are very different from the UK essays. If

you fill in your US application in the same manner as your UK
application, you will not get in.

Half Decent Tips for your Essays:

1.) Find a subject you care about.
2.) Do not ramble.
3.) Keep it simple.
4.) Have the guts to cut.
5.) Sound like yourself.
6.) Say what you mean to say.
7.) Pity the readers.
With Regards to your Essays:

Try not to fill them with billowing clouds of "my global perspective" and "future
potential as a leader" and "desire to leverage my education" to
bllllllaurhfhasklafsafdghfalkasf

Do not do this. Do not allow your essays to descend into an impenetrable bulk of
buzzwords and banality. You are an interesting person. Your essays should be
yours.

Simply put, you need something memorable about your essay. Make it vivid - let
your story shine.
A Q U O T E F R O M M Y U K P E R S O N A L S TAT E M E N T

As co-founder of Engineering Society I am always arranging group STEM-

based activities as well as presenting talks or even organising trips out to
industry and notable engineering lectures. The interpersonal and
organisational skills obtained from this role are invaluable for my career
and help to develop my management skill set.

A Q U O T E F R O M M Y U S P E R S O N A L S TAT E M E N T

The process of coming out is a delicate one, preferably handled with tact
and care. Unfortunately, I lacked both in this particular story, and instead,
accidentally sent a rather distressing text to my Dad. A text that was
definitely meant for somebody else. The following moments consisted of
me freezing, panicking, and finally, wishing I could hide in a very deep hole.
E X A M P L E E S S AY
QUESTIONS

Write a note to your future

roommate that reveals
something about you or that
will help your roommate
and usknow you better.

Tell a story from your life,

describing an experience
that either demonstrates
your character or helped to
shape it.
layout your application like a mosaic

-MY INTERVIEWER
DEADLINES
AND FEES

Regular Decision: January 1st

Early Action: November 1st

. (or November 15th)

Common Application Fees

(per university) range from
$50-100.

SAT Costs $60, 2 Subject

Tests Cost $67.
 FINANCIAL AID

Because unfortunately, money matters

NEEDS BLIND UNIVERSITIES

Universities who do not consider financial need when

assessing candidates:

-Massachusetts Institute of Technology

-Harvard University

-Princeton University

-Yale University

-Amherst University
 OTHER SCHOOLS
WITH AID:
Lots of other schools
offer financial aid to
international students
(including Stanford,
Caltech, Cornell etc).

However admission is not

need-blind, so applying
for financial aid will count
against you and decrease
your chances of
admission.
Take significant care over your financial aid application,
you will regret it if you rush it.

The process is pretty intrusive, but definitely worth it.

MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

MY JOURNEY
M I T: F A C T S
AND FIGURES

MIT is a top research university, not

just in science and engineering,
but in many other fields like
architecture, economics, political
science, management, brain and
cognitive science, and philosophy
and linguistics.

MIT has been ranked as the No. 1

university in the world by QS World
University Rankings for 5 straight
years.

MITs international acceptance rate

is 2-3%.
MY TIMELINE
SATs in January and October 2016

Subject Tests in November 2016 and

January 2017. (MIT is one of the only
schools which accepts January Test
Scores).

Letter of Recommendation Requests

sent in November.

Interview on Thursday 8th December,

in a Costa Coffee in London.

Entire Application completed in 3

weeks of Christmas Break. Submitted
on the deadline, January 1st.

Heard back on March 14th, at

10:28pm.
APPROACHING
T H E A P P L I C AT I O N

I only applied to MIT.

I thought of the application as an

investment and spent lots of time
crafting my essays.

I ended up submitting two

supplemental portfolios with my
application (Music and Maker).

Its definitely wise to apply to

multiple universities since the
admissions statistics are pretty
tough, but it panned out okay in
the end.
My Trip to Visit the MIT Campus
QUESTIONS?