cityAdventures:
A lot of people wish to study abroad especially in the USA. While they find it difficult, the USA actually has thousands of academic programs, world-class institutions, and unmatched flexibility offering a wealth of higher-education opportunities that you will not find anywhere else in the world!

Getting to study in the USA takes just 5 simple steps:

1. Research your options
The first step to studying in the United States is researching your options to find a college or university that best fits your needs. You shouldn’t try to match yourself to the school, but rather find the school that matches you and your priorities and long-term goals.

Remember that no official ranking system exists for colleges and universities in the United States. The best college or university is the one that is best for you and meets your requirements—academic, financial, and personal. At least 12 to 18 months prior to the academic year in which you hope to attend a U.S. college or university, you should begin your research.

Start by answering these basic questions and looking at the more specific ‘define your priorities’ pages under each level of study: Why do you want to study in the United States? Where will you fit in best? Which colleges or universities will meet your needs? Will you need financial assistance? What are the application and financial aid deadlines? Where do you want to live in the United States?

2. Finance Your Studies
Invest in yourself! The cost of living and studying varies across the United States. With the right amount of planning and research, pursuing a U.S. higher education can be made affordable with high returns on your investment. Start your financial planning as early as possible. Each year international students receive significant amounts of financial assistance for their studies. However, competition is high.

When looking into studying in the United States, evaluating your finances should be one of the first things you do. As with any investment, you need to evaluate what’s best for your educational and career goals and what you are willing to spend. U.S. institutions offer a wide array of programs with a wide array of tuition and fees. The United States is a large country and the cost of living varies greatly from place to place.

You need to assess your funding and what you are able to spend on your education and living expenses. Choose your level of study (community college, undergraduate, graduate, short-term, English language) to learn more about financing your options. You need to Know that Location matters! Depending on where you live and study, costs for housing and food vary greatly in the United States. Suburban or rural areas in the South and Midwest of the United States generally have the lowest cost of living.

3: Put In Your Application
This step covers the general application requirements for U.S. colleges and universities. Applying for U.S. study is a task that takes time and concentration as each application is different and involves collecting recommendations, writing essays, and routing the results of required standard examinations. Plan to give this step the time it deserves for a successful result. You may need to know that an original high school or postsecondary transcript will be required for each institution you apply for so start collecting these materials well in advance of application deadlines.

4: Apply for your U.S. student visa.
This next step cover F, J and M student visa types. Information pertaining to visas and travel can be found on the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs website and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Study in the States.

Know that because visa interviews are short, do your best to explain why you want to study in the United States, how you plan to support yourself while in school, and what your plans are for when your studies are finished.

5. Prepare For Departure
Key components to this final step include making your travel arrangements, attending a pre-departure orientation at the embassy or online, gathering pre-departure materials and documents for arrival, as well as reporting to your school and attending orientations.

Check your new institution’s website for additional pre-departure information that will be more specialized and have information about health insurance, average local temperatures throughout the year, local transportation options, housing, and more. Attend Pre-Departure Orientation at the US Embassy.

US embassies organize pre-departure orientations for students getting ready to depart for the United States. They will provide information and resources that will help you prepare for new experiences and develop skills to adjust to new challenges. Topics discussed include cultural differences, motivation, changes from your home environment, academic systems and expectations, housing, and coping in a new cultural setting.

SCHOLARSHIPS
Now, do you also know that you can get scholarship to cover your tuition and living expenses I the USA? There are several scholarship opportunities you can apply for. For instance, do you know that the Florida Institute of Technology, Florida Tech offers academic scholarships through the Office of Admission? These awards are based on merit (combination of secondary school grades as well as SAT/ACT.)

Academic scholarships range from $12,000 to 50% off full tuition. These renew annually and are awarded automatically at the time of admission. Separate scholarship application is not required. See a few others here To Be Continued

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