| www.sanctatrinitas.com It is a dream to study and live in the US for many international students. If you are one among those who wants to be a part of the American dream, then we have some top articles that focus on the essential things you should know about studying in the US. From student visa application procedures to scholarships and top Universities, we have got them all covered! | |||||||||
| We
hope these articles will help you prepare yourself for the challenges
ahead and make your journey to the land of opportunities simple and
successful.
Top 10 Universities in the USA
Posted by Craig Maxworth to Help and Advice | December 13th 2012
The
Boston Latin School was one of the first formal educational
institutions that was founded in a colonial American era in the year
1635. From then on American education has come a long way to a point,
where it is now the number one destination for international students.
America has many of its institutions ranked amongst the top ten in the
world. The year 2011 saw a six percent increase in international
students studying in America, which was a total of 765,000 students from
all over the world. India came in at a close second place behind China
as being the second biggest source of international students to America.
Since a good number of Indian students scramble for placement into an
American college every year, it would be only fair to take a look at the
top 10 universities for the year 2012 according to ‘The Best Colleges Top 50 Colleges and Universities in America’ rating.
So here we go:
1. Princeton University:
Originally
called the College of New Jersey, it was founded in 1746 for the
purpose of training ministers. Located in New Jersey, the university has
been associated with 35 Nobel Laureates, 17 National Medal of science
winners and three National Humanities Medal Winners. Princeton has
educated US president Woodrow Wilson who graduated in the year 1879.
Amongst its alumni are several, Noble Laureates, Astronauts and other
members in the political field. Princeton ranks fifth according to the
Times Higher Education and seventh according to the Shanghai Ranking.
But the reason why Princeton gets my vote for being the Top University
in the United States of America is… in 1933, Sir Albert Einstein became a
lifetime member of the Institute for Advanced Study on the Princeton
Campus. And that is more than enough reason to put Princeton on the top!
2. Harvard University:
This
university, well, needs no introduction. Ranked fourth and first by the
Times Higher Education and the Shanghai Rankin, respectively, almost
every person around the globe would find the name ‘Harvard’ familiar.
But let me see if I can dig up some facts about the university that not
many people know. Harvard is known to have produced quite a few
intellectuals and its alumni consists of eight US Presidents; 75 Noble
Laureates have been students, faculty or staff affiliates, and 62 living
billionaires. Off the 62 billionaires, the most notable and the most
popular of the lot is Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg. If you think
that was impressive, guess which university educated George W Bush and
Barack Obama?
3. Swarthmore College:
Located
in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, the college was founded in 1864 and is one
of the first co-educational institutions in the United States. The
college has a reputation and history of social activism and was closely
affiliated to the women’s rights movement. The college maintains its
dedication to providing free education to those who cannot afford it. In
2007 the college decided to remove the student loan financial schemes
and replaced them instead with additional aid scholarships.
4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology:
The
growing industries all over America in the mid 17th century led to the
establishment of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to fuel this
growing demand for talent. The MIT was founded in the year 1861 and has
its main focus on scientific engineering and technological education and
research. The Times Higher Education ranked MIT in fifth place
worldwide, while the Shanghai Ranking placed it in third place. It is
divided in to five schools and one college that contains a total of 32
academic departments. The MIT is no stranger to producing some bright
minds. Its alumni consists of 78 Noble Laureates, 52 National Medal of
Science recipients, 45 Rhodes Scholars and 38 MacArthur Fellows.
5. The College of William and Mary:
Established
in 1693, the college’s name was derived from the reigning monarchs at
the time, King William III and Queen Mary II. It is the second oldest
university in America after Harvard and is located in Williamsburg,
Virginia. The College has educated US presidents Thomas Jefferson, James
Monroe and John Tyler. It has also produced many other notable
dignitaries such as Supreme Court judges and 16 members who signed the
Declaration of Independence. The Times Higher Education ranking placed
the College of William and Mary in the 184 position among the best
institutions in the world.
6. Williams College:
Established
in 1793 and located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, Williams College is
a private liberal arts college and is the second college to be founded
in Massachusetts. The Williams education system follows the Oxbridge
style tutorials. A mix between the Oxford and Cambridge system, it is
uncommon as it is probably the only American institution to follow
educational systems similar to that of UK universities. The College is
divided into three academic curricular divisions and 24 departments and
offers 33 majors and two master degrees.
7. Amherst College:
Located
in Amherst, Massachusetts and established in 1821, it is a college for
liberal arts and uses the very uncommon open curriculum system. Students
are allowed to take whatever subjects they want and also get to choose
the order they want to complete them in, and sometimes even have the
opportunity to design their own unique major. It offers a total of about
850 courses covering 36 fields of study in science, arts, humanities,
mathematics and computer science, social science and foreign languages.
The Shanghai Ranking placed Amherst in the top 100 institutions in the
world.
8. Stanford University:
Founded
in 1891 and located in the American state of California, Stanford is
known worldwide to be the best educational provider for subjects such as
computer science, mathematics and other sciences. The University is one
of the few universities to provide free education to exceptional
students who cannot afford it. By doing so, it has only served to
provide the world with some of the smartest brains on the planet. Both
the Times Higher Education and the Shanghai Ranking placed Stanford in
second place amongst other institutions in the world. Stanford alumni
are responsible for founding billion dollar corporations such as Google,
Hewlett-Packard, Nike, Sun Microsystems and Yahoo. It has provided the
US Congress with many of its members and boasts of producing 30 living
billionaires and 17 astronauts.
9. California Institute of Technology:
Founded
in Pasadena, California in 1891, the California Institute of Technology
was initially a vocational school under the name Throop University. It
was only in 1920 when Throop evolved into a full-fledged university
providing many professional courses primarily dealing with science and
engineering. The Times Higher Education ranked it in the number one spot
in the world, while Shanghai Ranking placed it at number six. The
California Institute of Technology or Caltech as it is commonly called
is reputed for producing a very prestigious and notable alumni of which,
31 have won the Noble Prize, 66 have won the United States National
Medal of Science or Technology and 110 have been inducted into the
National Academies. Additionally many faculty members are known to be
closely associated with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and NASA.
10. Yale University:
Who
wouldn’t want to study in an institution where five US Presidents and
19 US Supreme Court Judges passed out from? Yes! Yale is known to have
educated some of the most reputed national figures that have made their
mark in History. Both the Times Higher Education and Shanghai Ranking
ranked Yale the 11th best institution in the world. Located in
Connecticut and established in the year 1701, it is the third oldest
higher-education institution that was originally part of the New England
colonial era. So for all those who love the history the place has to
offer or its state of the art teaching quality, you might want to
consider studying at Yale.
Have you picked the institution of your choice to study in the US? If not, try downloading the prospectuses of US institutions.
If you have selected the course of your choice, you can use our managed application service to apply to US institutions online!
All the Best.
Reference: www.thebestcolleges.org
Applying for a US Student Visa
Posted by Ajay Sathyan to Help and Advice | January 29th 2013
A lot of Indian and South Asian students plan for higher education in the US, as the country lodges many top ranking universities and
colleges. But making it to the US involves more than being accepted
academically as a student; it involves dealing with the legal and
governmental hurdles to travel to the US
As
an Indian student planning to study in the US, you need to obtain a
student visa from the US embassy near you. The visa approved to you will
be an F-class student visa which covers your plan to pursue full-time
education at the undergraduate or graduate level.
The
process of obtaining a student visa from the embassy may seem extensive
and difficult, but the more you are equipped and the sooner you put
together your documents, the earlier you will leave to the U.S. for
higher education. The US Visa Procedure can be staged as:
Procedures before the interview
You
need to ensure that you complete Form DS-160 before the interview for
your student visa. After filling Form DS-160, print out the confirmation
page with the barcode and pay the visa application fee in an approved
bank. You should make an online payment for the I-120 form, which is
issued by the American institution affirming your enrolment and you
should pay the I-901 fee online through the U.S. Immigration and Customs
enforcement website. Finally, fix an appointment for a student visa
interview through the VFS website. This will necessitate you to have
your DS-160 barcode and your bank fee receipt. Read more on procedures before the interview
Procedures during the interview
When interviewing for your student visa, make sure that you are present on time carrying the following documents with you:
Always cross check with your nearest American embassy for updates and changes.
The
interviews happen Monday through Friday and majority of successful
applicants usually get their student visas within two business days.
Progressive travel planning and early visa application are important, as
visa applications are subject to a greater degree of inspection than in
the past. It is essential that your passport is in good condition for
an F1 Visa to be placed. Read more on procedures during the interview
Procedures after landing in the US
Just
a visa alone does not guarantee entry into the US. The Department of
Homeland Security, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials
permit or deny admission to the US. You should have your Form I-20 and
in advance of travel, you should review important information about
Admissions/Entry requirements, as well as information related to
restrictions on food, agricultural products or other
restricted/prohibited goods explained on the Department of Homeland
Security, Customs and Border Protection website.
Upon
arrival, you will be enrolled in the US-VISIT entry-exit program and
when allowed to enter the US, the CBP official will decide the length of
your visit on the Arrival-Departure Record Form I-94. Read more on procedures after landing in the US
Procedures to extend a visa
When
you enter the US on a student visa, you will be allowed for the
duration of your student status i.e. you may stay as long as you are a
full time student, even though the F-1 visa expires while you are in the
US. If you have completed the course of studies shown on the I-20 and
any authorized practical training is to be taken, you will be allowed
additional time before departure. As an F-1 student you will get
additional 60 days to prepare to leave the US or to transfer to another
school. Read more on procedures to extend a visa
Have you picked the institution of your choice to study in the US? If not, try downloading the prospectuses of US institutions.
If you have selected the course of your choice, you can use our managed application service to apply to US institutions online!
All the Best.
List of US Embassies and Consulates
Image Source: www.start-in-brussels.com
Financial Assistance for Higher Education in the US
Posted by Ajay Sathyan to Help and Advice | February 05th 2013
Isn't
cost the first element that comes to your mind when you think of
foreign higher education? Hasn’t the idea of studying in the US lingered
in your mind? Pursuing higher education in the US has been a dream of
many Indian and South Asian students. Students of diverse backgrounds,
at various points in their academic ladder, wish to study in the US as
the country has some of the best educational institutions in the world.
Everything
has a price and education is no exception. You might have to spend a
lot of money for your education but a degree from an internationally
celebrated institution and a career following that will make up for the
investment. If you are that gifted student with impeccable academic
record you might get funded for your education and living expenses
abroad. Students are funded through scholarships, grants and fellowships
on a regular basis by the government and non governmental institutions.
Below are some of the American and Indian financial aids available for
students.
American Financial Assistance for Indian Students
Financial
aid is a significant chance serving thousands of meritorious students
to finish their higher education and understanding the potential of
Indian students, the US offers several prominent scholarships, grants
and fellowships. Some of the popular American scholarships, grants and
fellowships are:
Washington & Jefferson College Merit-Based Scholarships are
offered to international applicants amounting up to $5,000 per year
with a possible increase up to $20,000 over four years of classes.
Council on Library and Information Resources Mellon Fellowships provides
a stipend of $2,000 per month ranging from 9-12 months. Each fellow
will get an additional $1,000 upon participating in a seminar on
research in original sources and submitting a report adequate to Cross
Language Information Retrieval (CLIR) on the research experience
contributing to the maximum award of $25,000.
Fulbright Foreign Student Program is
a $ 20,000 grant designed to increase the understanding between the US
and other countries. 10 Fulbright grants are sponsored by the US
Department of State and 2 are sponsored by private organizations as
“Friends of Fulbright” towards the cost of tuition fee and other
expenses. These are non-renewable grants for 10 months.
International Fulbright Science and Technology Award is a funding for students pursuing Ph.D. study at top American institutions.
The Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant Program funds
foreign students who are doing a degree in teaching English as a
foreign language providing students with the opportunity to study
English at an American institution, while learning American culture and
customs.
The American Association of University Women sponsors
annual International Fellowship for women in 116 countries, funding
them to pursue their graduation or under graduation at a renowned
American Institution.
Humane Studies Fellowship is a non-residency program which awards $2,000-$15,000 per year.
Roothbert Fund Scholarships are awarded to eligible students with impeccable scholastic record. The scholarship starts from $2,000 to $3,000.
Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholarships have
been awarded to thousands of eligible scholars. The 2010-2011 class of
Ambassadorial Scholars received $9.6 million through individual grants
of $25,000.
As
an international student you should also consult the Institute of
International Education for information on other grants, fellowships and
scholarships, for higher education in the United States of America.
Indian Financial Assistance for Indian Students
In
India most scholarships and grants are provided in the form of interest
free loans by nongovernmental Indian institutions and by the Indian
government to help Indian students who are looking to study abroad.
National Overseas Scholarships\Passage Grants comprises
30 overseas scholarships and five passage grants awarded by the central
government. 27 scholarships and four passage grants are awarded to
Scheduled Castes, two scholarships and one passage grant is awarded to
Nomadic and semi-Nomadic Tribes and one scholarship is awarded to
Landless Agricultural Labourers and Traditional Artisans.
American Alumni Association Scholars Abroad Program is
a merit-based grant for international educational exchange of students,
scholars, teachers, professionals, scientists and artists.
Asian Cultural Council Grants and Fellowships enable
cultural exchange between Asia and the US in the performing and visual
arts, providing individual fellowship grants to students and specialists
from Asia to study, research, travel and work in the US.
So
here is the chance, with exemplary higher secondary scores and
qualifying test scores American higher education is no longer a distant
dream. Hope this article helped you understand the various kinds of
financial assistance available for higher education in the US.
Also, have you picked the institution of your choice to study in the US? If not, try downloading the prospectuses of US institutions.
If you have selected the course of your choice, you can use our managed application service to apply to US institutions online.
Apply Now! All the Best.
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Monday, 29 July 2013
USA Study guide
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