General Guide to Study in USA

By: Dr. Hameed-ur-Rehman and Munir Moosa Sewani

Studying abroad is a trance of most of the youngsters, but only few make it up because of proper
planning and knowledge about the process of applying to their desired universities. Education
consultancy has become a lucrative business in Pakistan and has attracted many prospective
students. The mushroom growth of education consultants have given boost to their business, but
ruined the future of many brilliant stars by providing improper guidance. Students and parents
willingly spend thousands of rupees as a consultancy fees in order to secure their children's
future, but most of them are forged. Students having poor academic background are trapped by
assuring them admission to any good International university. Unfortunately, there is no law
specifically to prosecute fake educational consultants.

Rehman, student of DePaul University, Chicago tried his level best to get admission under the
supervision of one Karachi based consultant, but he wasted 1 year till he found that the
consultant was forged. Later, he succeeded to get admission in US University through his self
efforts. So the only formula of success for the youngsters is proper counseling, guidance, and
research, which could lead them to get admission in any International university of their desire.

Students usually look for such universities, which are cost effective and of good rapport. Out of
many countries, USA has attracted many youngsters to embark upon the desired field. Students
usually prefer to apply to US universities due to many reasons. First of all the education is
cheaper than UK and Canada. Secondly U.S. colleges/ universities are known worldwide for the
quality of their facilities, resources, and faculty. Moreover, it provides global exposure to the
students later in the corporate world.

The best time to apply is after A-Levels/ Graduation for fall semester. For A’ Level students the
trajectory is considerably easier, while the road ahead can be a difficult for those who were not
Cambridge system student. Remember it is not easy to get admission in either case. It requires
skills and lots of vigorous work to get acceptance, loans/ funds and student visa.
The first thing to do is to pre-plan and brain storm your mind before applying to any university.
Compare your education status; know your skills and potential and later search for good graduate
colleges/universities for degree courses. I suggest to search for multiple universities and to apply
for multiple programs. The graduate courses last from 1-4 years, depending on the type of degree
you want. There are three types of universities- private, public and community colleges.
Comparatively, the fee structure of private universities is higher as compare to public/community
colleges. If we compare the cost, exclusive of accommodation, fares, etc, two-years program at
public community colleges ask for $2,272- $3000 and four years public institutions program ask
for $5,836-$6000, while four-years of private institutions program ask for $22,218- $30,000,
depending on the course applied for and the status of university. For searching universities,
www.abet.org is the most valuable website where you can find the database of institutions,
which are accredited by recognized United States Accrediting Organizations.

After searching desired universities, the next step is to search for good course/s. For searching
good course/s, you must define your education and career goals and then develop a short list of
programs. To find a suitable course/s, you may also visit www.useduguides.com,
http://www.imahal.com/education/usa/biz/list.htm (for business), www.usmle.org (for medicine),
www.ilrg.com (for law), www.artschools.com/international (for art), and
www.gradschool.about.com (for engineering and computer science) and www.petersons.com for
general queries. These websites have a pool of information related to universities and courses.

Once you are done with searching courses, the next step is to overlook the requirement for
admission. The requirement may also vary, depending on the status and course/s. The minimum
requirement for most of the course/s is to have Language Proficiency Proof like TOEFL, which
is mandatory. Most of the universities in USA ask for TOEFL while IELTS (academic) is rarely
acceptable in USA. Beside that, you should have strong academic background; must submit a
personal statement/ academic essay and 2/3 academic letters. Community Service/s and
Internship certificates are value added documents to make your application strong. You must
also have strong financial statement. Standardized Tests like GMAT/ GRE/LCAT is required for
specialized course at higher level. It is also important if you want to get scholarships/ loans/
Assistantship.

After fulfilling the requirements and giving required standardized test/s, you must request
application materials and start preparing it. The best option is to fill application online, which is
mostly free, while for paper application, you may have to pay nominal fees of around $30-150.
Online application gives liberty to fill, edit and save it before submitting it within a span of
around 30-60 days. Remember, you can only apply for full time degree in USA, so do not make
any mistake by applying for any part time course.

While filling form at a slow pace, you will have to obtain official transcripts from all the
institutions you attended previously. Few of the universities ask for official document
verification from www.ece.org, which charges up to $200. Along with your official transcripts,
you may have to write Personal Statement/ Academic Essay and arrange 2-3 Academic Letters.
You must also gather community services, internship and extra curricular activities letters/
certificates as a supporting documents.

You may be asked before or after submission of application, to submit strong financial statement
to receive I-20 form. Form I-20 is a United States Department of Homeland Security document
issued by colleges, universities, and vocational schools that provides supporting information for
the issuance of a student visa. For that, submit bank balance of at least 30,000-50,000 US $,
depending on the University fee structure for the first academic year. 90% of the students come
to US on self-finance initially as it is tough to get scholarship for the first academic year unless
you are selected by USEF Pakistan www.usefpakistan.org on scholarship basis. Aga Khan
Foundation http://www.akdn.org/akf_scholarships.asp also offers International Scholarship for
Pakistan Resident in the month of January-March every year. Moreover, the competitive tests
such as SAT and GRE may be helpful to get partial funds. Beside that, individual scholarships by
International universities are mostly granted to Research or PhD students, depending on the area
of research. You may also visit www.iefa.org, www.american.edu,
www.internationalstudent.org,www.finaid.org and www.fastweb.com to find alternative options.
You will be allowed to do part time job for about 20- 25 hours per week, which is another option
to meet up the expenses.
Once you are done with transcripts, relevant documents, personal statement, letters and financial
statement, compile your application and make it review by someone. Send the application either
online (you have to send document via registered post) or application and documents via
registered mail earlier than deadlines. Wait for at least 8 weeks after filing application. If you're
selected, you'll be informed. You'll receive an I-20 form and the interview will be conducted at
embassy to grant you F-1, or Student Visa. This visa is the most common for those who wish to
engage in academic studies in the United States.

Before leaving, you must search for accommodation. You can opt from on campus, sharing
basis, or rent house scheme. The cheapest accommodation may cost you $300-500 per month
(depend on the location). Learn driving and get International driving license for your
convenience before departing from Pakistan.

Wish all the students best of luck for future endeavors!