Students from abroad who are considering attending US universities have an opportunity to grow and contribute academically and socially to a university community. The challenge these students face is understanding the differences among the 3,500-plus colleges and universities in the States.
All of a sudden, you arrived to the conclusion that studying in your own country did not seem challenging enough, and you are telling yourself you need more. You know for a fact that there are excellent universities in your homeland but you still want something different.
Moreover, you ask yourself: how did I arrive to a decision to study in a foreign land and how am I going to go about it ?
All of a sudden, you arrived to the conclusion that studying in your own country did not seem challenging enough, and you are telling yourself you need more. You know for a fact that there are excellent universities in your homeland but you still want something different.
Moreover, you ask yourself: how did I arrive to a decision to study in a foreign land and how am I going to go about it ?
In evaluating applicants from international schools, admissions committees acknowledge the differences in educational systems around the world and the variety of grading methods and examinations used in assessing a student's aptitude for academic success at the university level. They also realize that in many schools, extracurricular activities are either not available or are limited. Standardized test results are interpreted by the committee in the context of the international background of the student.
Generally, most programs are composed of three levels of achievement: classroom and/or fieldwork courses; examinations; and master's thesis/doctoral dissertation. Class work is usually comprised of three to five courses during each semester, depending on the assigned programs in a department. The aim of the coursework is to assist the student in broadening their understanding of the field, as well as allowing them to experience various styles of teaching from their professors.
The semesters devoted to coursework are also occasions during which the student can sharpen their analytical and critical skills, as well as delve more deeply into the literature of the particular field or its subspecialty. During this period, a student needs to become 'self-starting', taking the initiative in researching areas without faculty class requirements. In other words, a student must begin to read broadly, scan and read journal articles pertinent to your field of interest, and begin to look at topics which may generate articles, and eventually their future dissertation. Reading for the sake of class preparation may have been enough on the undergraduate level, but not so for graduate school. Breadth and depth of knowledge are two prerequisites for a successful course of study.
Many college or university graduates will readily admit that comprehensive examinations were far from their most pleasant memories of graduate school. Frequently, part of a department's comprehensive exam schedule is devoted to field exams, requiring knowledge about the major issues, debates, figures, and concerns of the departmental field, whereas major/minor examinations question the student about the particulars of their sub-specialties.
Preparation for these exams really begins on the first day of your first class in graduate school. Syllabi and lists of books and references become major tools by which students can prepare for the comps. Most graduate students hold on to most of their books and notes until they finish their studies at a college - and many retain them even afterwards. The challenge to students is to filter out the 'gold' from the 'dross', and to use their notes, references, and syllabi/lists effectively in preparing for the comprehensives.
"Not only do secondary school preparation and the college study options in some students' home countries differ significantly from those in the US, but degree programs, majors, concentration areas, preprofessional programs, and even individual course requirements may be very different from what the student is expecting to experience,"
"Not only do secondary school preparation and the college study options in some students' home countries differ significantly from those in the US, but degree programs, majors, concentration areas, preprofessional programs, and even individual course requirements may be very different from what the student is expecting to experience,"
Students who spend time researching the wide range of choices available among US educational institutions as well as preparing a thorough and informative application are likely to have a successful application experience.
