Applying to US Universities

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Many US Universities like MIT have 2 long semesters, Fall and Spring and one shorter semester in Summer. In these Universities most courses are offered in the two long semesters. Students typically do research or take paid internship on a full-time basis during the Summer semester. Legally international students have to take a minimum of 3 courses per long semester so that the US Govt. is assured that you are really spending your time in full time studies.

Many other Universities, specially in California have 4 semesters of 3 months each, known as quarters. One of the 4 quarters is summer, the other three semesters are known as Fall, Winter, and Spring. Even in the quarter system, enrolment rules are relaxed for international students and very few courses are offered in Summer.

The Summer semester in either system is comparable. But the key difference is that in Semester system you have 2 long semester spanning four and a half months. In the quarter system you have three main semesters (excluding summer) of two and a half months, discounting 15 days for exams, break, etc. As a student, it impacts your schedule and the pressure under which you operate. Even a 4.5 month semester is very fast paced, but in a quarter system the semester is over as soon as it starts! Professors teach at a fast pace and deadlines for assignments are closer. As a student you have no room to relax, waste time or miss any class or assignment.

You should apply to those US Universities which you otherwise would irrespective of the semester or quarter system. After you get many admission offers, and two of your offers are very close, you can use this information as a tie breaker.

Example Calendars for either system:
Fall, Spring and Summer schedule at MIT (2007-08)
Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer at UCLA (2007-08)

In state tuition and out of state tuition

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Private Universities have a flat fee. Public Universities offer a lower tuition fee to the residents of their own state. This lower fee is referred to as in-state tuition. Only US citizens and permanent residents who belong to that US state are eligible for in-state benefits. Residency can be acquired after living in that state for a certain amount of time, typically two years. Again international students studying on F-1 or J-1 visa cannot claim to be state residents even if they have been living there for any length of time.

The in state tuition rates are typically 30% to 50% of the out of state tuition. At some Universities international students who are working as TA/RA get to pay the in state tuition fee because they are considered to be state employees. Even the receipients of open scholarships are awarded in-state tuition. This varies from state to state. This facility is available in almost all public Universities of Texas.

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The 2009 US News Rankings are out. The online access costs US dollars 14.95. While we do not endorse the rankings or suggest that you buy the online edition, it may not be a bad investment if you can afford it. Rankings are a good starting point to shortlist the Universities. Once you shortlist a few Universities based on your academic profile, app2us.com can help you make the final selection. Visit our forum at www.app2us.com

Here are the top 20 Engineering programs:

1. MIT
2. Stanford
3. UC Berkeley
4. Georgia Tech
5. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
6. Cal Tech
7. Carnegie Mellon
8. University of Southern California
9. Cornell
10. University of Michigan Ann Arbor
11. UC San Diego
12. UT Austin
13. Texas A&M University College Station
14. UCLA
15. Purdue
16. University of Wisconsin Madison
17. University of Maryland College Park
18. Princeton University
19. UC Santa Barbara
20. Northwestern University

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The Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree is the degree you should seek if you are interested in becoming a practicing pharmacist in the USA. The Pharm.D. program takes four years of study. The Pharm.D. program prepares students for licensure as a pharmacist. This degree will allow you to practice pharmacy in a number of settings including in a hospital or community setting, home health care, and nursing home care. A prior bachelor’s degree is not necessary. Admission to most Pharm.D. programs is handled through a common admission process of Pharmacy College Application Service (PharmCAS) Application. Some Universities need a supplemental University specific application.

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US Education system encourages students to apply for PhD programs directly after a four year undergraduate degree. If you have a good academic record and genuine interest in research, consider applying for a PhD program while still in the senior/ fourth year of your undergrad degree. PhD at a US University is an intense and intellectually stimulating experience. In the first two years the PhD students take courses like MS students. Subsequent two or three years are mostly spent doing research work.

Those who enroll in PhD programs without a Masters degree have to take more courses before they can graduate. However overall duration is shorter as compared to the time required for separate Masters and doctoral degrees. Many Universities award a M.S. degree after required coursework is completed, check the policy of your target Universities.

Companies do value a PhD degree in the hiring process and there are many research oriented jobs for which those with doctoral degree are preferred. For teaching at any reputable University in the world, PhD degree is required.

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150 hours of coursework is required for the CPA exam. For international students from many countries, the undergraduate degree is equivalent to 120 hours. Working towards an MS degree in Accounting is a good way to complete the 150 hours requirement. And if you want to work in the USA as a professional accountant, CPA certification is essential. Only a few top business schools offer an MS program in Accounting. Mays Business School is one such example.

The application process for the CPA exam is the same for international candidates. Prospective candidates must select the U.S. jurisdiction to which they will apply, contact the Board of Accountancy (or its agent) in that jurisdiction to obtain application materials, submit completed applications and required fees as instructed, and once deemed qualified, schedule the examination. The 54 U.S. jurisdictions include the 50 states, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam.

The CPA exam is administered in English language only. Prospective candidates who are undecided about the jurisdiction to which they should apply may wish to review the requirements of several Boards of Accountancy before making their decisions. Contact information for all boards is available at www.nasba.org

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I came across this headline at msn:US grants parity to India’s medical education

The United States has recognized that the Accreditation system for India’s under-graduate medical courses is at par with theirs.
If you read the news item carefully, it would be clear that the US body has merely recognized that India’s Accreditation system of the Medical education, not the education itself.

Unfortunately, many leading newspapers and sites like the Tribune, The Hindu, Rediff have propagated the story as a big achievement for India’s Education system. While it is a positive development, I do not believe this is going to be of a great value to doctors who apply for US Universities.

The US Department of Education website mentions that the Indian system is considered at par since 1997!

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What is common between Hailey Road New Delhi and Prince Edward Road Singapore? These roads are better known for famous education landmark USEFI / USEIC.

The USEFI in India has offices in New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. These centers offer quality advice on US Education, University selection, even Visa preparation help.

If you live in one of these cities or any other city in the world which has a US Education facility, try to visit there and check out. Check the website of the US Embassy in your country to find out if they offer any special educational help or information session.