An important indicator of the quality of any U.S. college or
university is its accreditation status. Unlike many other countries,
the United States does not have a central government office that
approves educational institutions. Instead, it relies on a system of
voluntary accreditation carried out by non-governmental accrediting
bodies to ensure that schools meet standards.
While almost all U.S. colleges hold widely recognized forms of
accreditation, it must be noted that accreditation in the United
States is a complex area; there are different types of accreditation
and a large number of accrediting bodies. There is also no legal
requirement that degree-offering institutions be accredited or hold
a particular form of accreditation. Because of this complexity, you
should check carefully well in advance whether a degree from the
institutions you are applying to will be recognized by your home
country government and any relevant professional associations,
ministries, or employers in your country. Also, talk to graduates
who have returned to your country to see if they have been
successful in applying degrees earned from such institutions to
their chosen professions. If you think you might wish to transfer
from one U.S. college to another during your undergraduate studies,
or if you might want to pursue graduate study in the United States,
you should also check whether other U.S. universities will recognize
credits and degrees from the colleges you are considering.
EducationUSA information and advising centers can advise you
regarding recognition of U.S. degrees in your country and tell you
whether a U.S. degree-offering institution is appropriately
accredited. More detailed information on the topic of accreditation
can be found in 'Short-Term Study.'
"Get to know the colleges you are really interested in. Some of the
so-called big names have very strong departments — but also some
weak ones too."
— Politics and fine arts student from Finland
Your major is the field of study in which you plan to specialize. It
is not essential to declare the major you plan to undertake when you
enter a university. If you have a definite degree objective,
however, you need to identify universities offering that field.
Some subjects are taught at many universities. Knowing which subject
you wish to major in may help, but you could still be left with a
long list of institutions to choose from. If there is a particular
specialization within a field that interests you (for example, if
you are interested in 20th-century history, or environmental
geography, or painting within a fine arts degree), identifying which
schools offer that specialization will also help you draw up a
shortlist of institutions.
Most directories of U.S. universities list schools by the most
commonly offered majors. Computer-based search packages available on
the Web or at U.S. educational information and advising centers can
also help you narrow down your choices. Make use of college catalogs
and bulletins to check if your interests are offered and that the
programs have the particular focus you want.
You should check to see how the university emphasizes its
curriculum. Is the emphasis on professional education or liberal
arts? Do undergraduate or graduate students dominate the campus?
Many liberal arts colleges emphasize teaching and professor-student
interaction, rather than research, so the teacher-to-student ratio
is quite low. Some research-centered campuses are dominated by
graduate students, but the facilities at these universities are
often state-of-the-art and the professors world-renowned. However,
at some of these campuses, first- and second-year classes may be
taught by graduate students instead of professors.
Because the U.S. university system is so extensive, admissions
requirements vary greatly. Highly selective private universities and
liberal arts colleges may receive enormous numbers of applicants and
accept only a small number, while other colleges may accept all
applicants who meet their admission standards. Most university
directories and college catalogs list the number of applicants and
the number of students accepted the previous year, plus the average
Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) score, the ACT score, and grade
point average (GPA) for the previous year's accepted students.
Selectivity assessments using this type of data, however, tend to
put weight on admissions test scores, which are only one part of an
application. Remember that admissions officers look at a variety of
factors, including essays, prizes, community service and work
experience, hobbies, and special talents, as they review
applications to try to determine your potential for success at their
institutions.
You should study the course catalog and course descriptions for each
institution. Many international students choose the U.S. system
because it is flexible enough to allow them to choose courses
according to their interests. However, degree programs in some
subject areas are highly structured, and universities dictate
exactly which courses a student must take and when they must take
them in order to graduate with a major in that area. This type of
prescribed coursework limits flexibility and, for example, does not
allow student athletes to have a lighter workload during the playing
season or permit motivated students to pursue a double major.
It is important to check the requirements of any majors you may wish
to pursue. For example, if you want to major in engineering but also
want to gain a strong academic background in business, be sure to
check the requirements of the engineering degree — are they too
numerous to allow you to take additional business courses? Or is
there a specific program for people who wish to combine engineering
with a related subject?
There is also great variation between course requirements in liberal
arts colleges. Some colleges require students to take a certain
number of classes in each of the broad subject groups, while other
liberal arts colleges have no such requirements, merely making
"strong recommendation" that students complete a well-rounded
education.
U.S. students begin higher education after 12 years of elementary
and secondary education. Some U.S. universities award advanced
credit to students from education systems with 13 years of
elementary and secondary education or those who have taken the
International Baccalaureate. Students who have undertaken
postsecondary vocational and technical diplomas, certificates, or
similar programs may also qualify for some credit toward their
degree. Such students may not have to be enrolled for the full four
years in the United States and may be able to enter the university
with advanced standing. You should ask admissions officers about
this possibility and read "Transferring to a U.S. University," for
further details.
At large universities, undergraduate freshman and sophomore classes
are usually large, and you are likely to be taught by graduate
students rather than professors. At a college, where there are fewer
graduate students, you are likely to be taught by a professor and
will be required to make a greater contribution to the class from
the start. A high student-to-teacher ratio indicates that classes
will be large, reducing the amount of attention faculty can give to
individual students. |
|
