How to get in Graduate Schools USA -
Getting Into a US Graduate School
By DEEPANJALI KAKATI
Courtesy: SPAN magazine - American Center, New Delhi
http://usembassy.state.gov/posts/in1/wwwhspan.html
The United States is a favorite destination for Indians planning to
pursue higher education abroad. There were almost 58,000 Indian
graduate students in the United States in the 2004-05 academic year,
says the nonprofit Institute of International Education. India
overtook China in 2001-02 as the primary country of origin for most
foreign students in the United States.
For Sadaf Humayun, an engineering graduate from Aligarh Muslim
University, the United States represents an opportunity to pursue
cutting-edge research. "There are limits to what we can do in India as
far as research is concerned and the education system itself operates
within certain constraints. But universities in the United States
offer excellent research facilities, students have a lot of freedom to
explore their skills and decide what they want to learn," says Humayun.
A graduate degree program in the United States is what we in India
call postgraduate studies. Degrees awarded by graduate schools include
master's degrees, doctorates and other postgraduate qualifications.
The academic year usually lasts nine months, from August/September to
May/June and may be divided into two, three or four terms, depending
on the institution. If there are two, they are called fall and spring
terms. "It is best to join in the fall term as scholarship
opportunities are more readily available and it is a full-fledged
session," says Luna Das, educational adviser for North India at the
United States Educational Foundation in India (USEFI), the only
official source designated by the U.S. government to give up-to-date,
impartial and accurate information about higher education
opportunities in America.
For students aiming to join in the fall term in 2007, it is time to
get moving. "With more than 3,600 accredited institutions and tens of
thousands of academic programs, Indian students get an enormous choice
for higher studies. In fact, it would not be an exaggeration to say
that there is always one perfect college for every individual," says
Jamshed A. Siddiqui, deputy director of USEFI.
Manish Khanna, an engineering student at the Netaji Subhas Institute
of Technology in New Delhi, says that what led him to plan higher
studies in the United States is that "the curriculum is more flexible
and accommodates the individual student's needs." He also appreciates
the "proper funding for research."
To draw up a list of institutions that meet your needs check out their
Web sites, write to the professors and admissions personnel for more
details, visit USEFI, interact with students who have studied there or
attend U.S. University Fairs in India. During the February-March 2006
visit to India by Linden Educational Services-which helps U.S.
universities recruit international students-students in Mumbai,
Bangalore and New Delhi got to meet admissions officials from more
than 24 institutions. If you have enough money, you can visit the
campuses or take a summer course. Many schools organize campus tours
led by current students. You should narrow down your university
choices by August to be ready for the following year's fall term,
because there is still more to do: applying, seeking financial aid,
arranging for a visa, transportation and housing. "Students should
look beyond Ivy League colleges because there might be some lesser
known but excellent school that offers exactly what you are looking
for. Do not reject a university or college just because your family or
friends have not heard of it before," advises Das. A department's
reputation relies heavily on the quality of its faculty and sometimes
it is more important to study under a particular person than at a
university with a prestigious name. One should also check whether a
degree from the school you are applying to will be recognized in
India.
Suchi Sood, a final year student of physiotherapy at Delhi University
who will apply for a master's program in the United States, says
studying there means "a chance to learn much more because of its
greater expertise in this field. Our options are limited here because
it is not a well known subject in India," says Sood.
All the necessary requirements like the Test of English as a Foreign
Language (TOEFL), Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) or Graduate
Management Admission Test (GMAT) must be taken between May and October
2006 for the fall 2007 term. The TOEFL score is important for
applicants from India, as for other international students. Admissions
committees also assess your proficiency in English through the GRE
verbal score and your written statement of purpose. "Our students need
to be able to think on their feet and to do that in English, which is
the language of instruction," says Stuart J. Sigman, dean of the
School of Communication at Emerson College, Massachusetts. If you have
a list of schools ready by the time you take these tests you can ask
that your scores be sent to them, saving time and money.
After shortlisting the schools it is time to file your applications
between November 2006 and March 2007. Your packet should have the
completed application form, academic credentials, test scores, the
statement of purpose, letters of recommendation, application fee and,
whenever necessary, supplemental materials like a portfolio of
creative work or details about work experience. "Indian students must
remember that admission to U.S. universities takes place on two
levels-eligibility and admissibility.
Besides test scores, they also take into account factors like
published articles, research projects and the focus of your studies,"
says Vijaya Khandavilli, the USEFI country coordinator of Educational
Advising Services. You can expect to hear from the universities in
April, May or June 2007.
To be eligible to apply for a graduate program in the United States
students must complete 16 years of school and college study. As India
has three-year degree programs and students end up with 15 years of
education, they have a number of options to get that extra year of
study. They can do one year of postgraduate study, opt for a
correspondence course with an institution like the Indira Gandhi
National Open University or complete a one- or two-year postgraduate
diploma program recognized by the Government of India. But that extra
year needs to be carefully planned. As Evelyn Tate, director of
graduate admissions and financial aid at the Boston University School
of Management, says, "We would look more favorably upon a candidate
who would have taken some of the more advanced courses as opposed to
having taken more of the introductory level courses and sort of aced
his or her way through." Schools also take into account whether the
candidate has taken courses relevant to the program applied for.
The statement of purpose that American universities require applicants
to write is your opportunity to show how the program you have applied
for fits into your long-term goals. Sigman has some advice: "Write it
yourself. We can actually tell if other people have written your
essay. One of the reasons we can tell is your professional writer does
not have the…interest in the program." Four questions should be
answered in the essay: Why you want to pursue a graduate degree, what
your academic or research interests are, why you have applied to this
particular school and what special skills you can bring to the
classroom. In other words, there should not be details about where you
were born, what school you went to, what sports you participated in,
as these are ignored by the selection committees. Most universities
set a length and you should stick to that.
When seeking letters of recommendation, it helps to choose people who
know you and your skills well. Your recommendation will be much
stronger "if you choose the one professor you really had contact with
and provide him with a reminder of the courses you had together and
the special projects you worked on," says Susan Lee Albin, professor
in the Department of Industrial Engineering at Rutgers, The State
University of New Jersey. A major issue for foreign students is
funding. Besides getting together your financial records like bank
statements well ahead of time, it also helps if you don't send your
application in bits and pieces as this delays the selection process
and you run the risk of losing out on funding. "We have to make sure
that we are following federal regulations and they require that we
demonstrate that students have a full year of funding somewhere,
whether it's funding from the school or from some other source," says
Chris J. Foley, director of international admissions at Indiana
University. Funding at U.S. graduate schools comes in the form of
assistantships-research, teaching and administrative. "Students
interested in research must select departments and universities that
are research intensive and check out the profile of the faculty. For
teaching assistantships, the department applied to should have an
undergrad section. Otherwise, whom will you teach? As for
administrative assistantships, IT and administrative skills are
essential," says Khandavilli.
Once you get admission to the program of your choice, you should have
your student visa in hand by August 2007. Then it is time to pack your
bags and get set for the adventure that awaits in the United States.
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