Need Help on How to get Admission in US universities

[lappadakanti]

Hi,

 

I am currently working in South Africa and would like to study further higher studies in USA.

 

I have no idea where to start and how to get an admission in universities (USA), could any one please give me details and procedure.

[JoeF]

Hi,

 

I am currently working in South Africa and would like to study further higher studies in USA.

 

I have no idea where to start and how to get an admission in universities (USA), could any one please give me details and procedure.

Decide what you want to study, what you are interested in.

Then search for good universities that offer what you want to study.

You ask the universities for application forms. You need to submit TOEFL and GRE scores. You have to take these tests beforehand.

Stay away from shady fraudulent institutions that don't require TOEFL and GRE. Such institutions are worthless, and are only interested in taking your money.

[catx]

As I posted in another topic in reply to a similar question ...

 

An accreditation by itself does not mean that an university / college is reputable or a good choice.  (A lack of accreditation does mean that the 'school' is questionable (probably not genuine nor legitimate).  In fact, it cannot really be called an university or college if it does not have accreditation.)

"So how can a student from a different country judge the best universities".  Here are a few general pointers ...

• Public state universities / colleges are by definition a good choice.
• Private, non-profit universities / colleges affiliated with a recognized non-profit organization such as a church are typically a good choice.
• Other private universities / colleges, even if they claim to be 'non-profit', should be questioned, and it is best to not choose these schools.
• For private universities / colleges ...
  • What is the university / college ranking published by various organizations like U. S. News & World Report?  It is probably best to avoid an unranked or low ranked private school.
  • What is the percentage of foreign students to U.S. students (relative to the average at various public universities / colleges).  A high percentage of foreign students would be a 'flag' not to choose the school.
  • Does the university / college have NCAA athletic teams?  A private school with no competitive athletic teams may be questionable.  A private school with NCAA athletic teams is probably okay.
  • Do not judge the school solely on its web site.  Questionable private schools can have very legitimate looking web sites.

The above and other information need to judge whether an university / college is a good choice (or not) is available on the Internet through diligent research.

 

Further to my post quoted above ...

 

For reference when children and their parents in the U.S. are doing their university / college planning and decision for most of them it is a 6 - 12+ month process.  This process involves online research; narrowing the list of universities / colleges down to typically around 4, but 7 or 8 is not uncommon; visiting each of their top 3 or 4 universities / colleges; applying for admission to the chosen list of universities / colleges (more than 1, and typically 3 - 4).

 

It is important to note that the majority of good universities / colleges have very specific, published, fixed admission guidelines including application deadlines and subsequent admission starting semesters once, sometimes twice, and occasionally three times a year.  (Schools that offer a quick admission decision and starting at multiple times throughout the year are probably questionable.)

 

Another feature of good universities / colleges is that they have regular weekday (Monday - Friday) on-campus classes and require attendance.  Schools with classes once a week, especially on the weekends (Saturday or Sunday), are also probably questionable.

 

The point to all this is that selecting an university / college is a major life and financial decision and investment, and needs to be done thoughtfully with as much information as possible.  The good news for foreign students is that most if not all the information needed to make a decision (short of an actual campus visit) is available online.