myUface Blog

Dear myUfacers!

It’s hard to believe but it’s been one year since we started myUface to help international students find the best universities for them. As you know, at myUface, universities contact for you instead of you wading through hundreds of programs trying to find a fit.

myUface highlights of the first year include:

• almost 400 students registered representing over 10 countries;
• helping place 16 students at U.S. colleges and universities;
• over 50 students contacted directly by colleges; and
• over 5,000 visits to the site from 97 countries;

What We’ve Learned and Want to Share with our Students

We started myUface with the goal of changing the way international students search for, and get in to, U.S. universities. The good news is, we’re doing that! However, we have certainly learned some lessons and plan on adapting myUface to them. We’ve also learned quite a bit about you, the students and what your goals are.

The main thing we want to say is that, if you weren’t placed in this first year, please keep trying. We had a number of students where universities were really interested in them.  With another year of effort, they can find that great placement!

QUESTIONS FROM STUDENTS THE FIRST YEAR

Do I need to fill out the entire myUface profile for universities to see it?

Universities need to get a good sense of who you are. Therefore, your statement of purpose, essays, school grades, test scores and other information are key. You don’t need to answer every question, but sending in your name and resume won’t get you into a university! In fact, we won’t even let a university see your profile if it’s obvious you haven’t spent any time on it!

Communication

To be honest, we were very happy with all the great students that signed up with myUface. We need to do better at communicating with you and we will. We would also note that it’s VERY IMPORTANT for you to answer emails from universities that contact you. It’s professional. Even if you aren’t interested in that university, you should take the opportunity to talk with them and learn the school. And don’t forget to thank the university representative for contacting you.

What kind of university can I get into with myUface?

If you want to go to Harvard, wonderful! We encourage you to apply directly. myUface works with great colleges and universities but if you have your heart set on a specific university, you should apply directly. Consider myUface as a “safety” mechanism. If, for some reason, Harvard does not admit you, then we can help you find an alternate.

All kinds! myUface is popular with community colleges (2 year), undergraduate (4 year) and graduate schools of all levels. If you have a specific university where you would like to study, we encourage you to apply to that school. myUface can provide you with alternative schools that might be different, but might also be a better fit!

Go BACK to “Questions and Answers.”

When students from Turkmenistan or other countries first think of applying to universities in the United States, they often think of a handful of “famous” universities: Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Duke, Stanford, NYU, Georgetown, MIT, and perhaps a few others. These universities are rightfully known throughout the world, and you can find their names at the top of almost every set of university rankings. International students understandably want to find the very best education available, and so they often decide, early in the application process, that they will go to one of those universities.

Of course, if it’s your dream to go to one of these elite universities, then you should apply to one of these universities. And if your application is good enough, you may be accepted. You might even get a wonderful scholarship offer. All of this is possible.

However, please do not apply only to that university. Do not ignore other universities that may be interested in you. Do not research only that university.

Why not? Because, to be perfectly honest, you probably won’t get in to one of those universities. This has nothing to do with whether you are a good candidate. These universities turn down thousands of great candidates every year. The fact is, the competition to get into these “famous” universities is so intense that even the greatest, most accomplished students have difficulty getting accepted.

Even if you do get in, these universities are extremely expensive. They do offer some scholarships, but again, the competition for those scholarships is intense.

So apply if you must, but do not build your plans around getting into one of these institutions.

That’s the bad news. But I have good news too. Really, really good news. The really, really good news is that there are hundreds of U.S. universities who are interested in you, who will accept you, and who might even offer you a big scholarship. And the really, incredibly, extremely good news is that these universities are often just as good as those famous universities we mentioned earlier.

Right now you’re thinking I’m crazy. “What? Just as good as Harvard? That can’t be possible!”

Education is an economic product just like anything else. Just like any other product, if you buy the famous, well-known brand, you’ll end up paying more, even if the quality is similar to other, lesser-known brands. Take shoes, for example: a genuine “Air Jordan” basketball shoe costs more than any other shoe. When you wear it, though, it doesn’t make you play like Michael Jordan. It’s a shoe just like any other. A similar situation exists with U.S. universities: every university has high-quality faculty. Every university has talented students. Every university has programs that are some of the best in the world. In fact, in many cases lesser-know universities offer a better education in some areas.

Don’t get me wrong – the “famous” universities are great schools. But the difference between them and other, lesser-known schools is not as great as you think. Remember, these famous schools spend millions every year in advertising. But if you do your research, you can find a U.S. university that is just as good a fit for you.

So, when you apply to schools, take the following approach:

• Apply to a “famous” university if you want. It can’t hurt and maybe you’ll get in.
• Research other universities, and find 3-6 that meet your needs. Apply to these as well.
• If you’re accepted to more than one university, compare their offers and take the one that is best for you.

One final word: remember that the most important part of your U.S. education is you. Whether your university is at the top of the rankings or at the bottom, you will get a quality education if you study hard and get involved in student life.

Interested in studying at UC Berkeley, UCLA and UC San Diego?  Who isn’t?!  Great schools in fantastic locations.  What if we were to tell you that one of myUface partner schools had over 50% of their international students successfully transfer to these schools while savings thousands of dollars in the process?  It’s true.  Diablo Valley College (www.dvc.edu) in California has transfer agreements with these three UC schools and 51% of their international students successfully transferred last year.  Let us know if you’re interested in applying! DVC is a great place to start, is reasonably priced and can help you transfer to the school of your dreams!

Yesterday we talked about how the U.S. universities you’ve never heard of nevertheless offer a high quality education.  Today I want to tell you that they also have high standards for admitting students.

Why do I say this?  Because, to be honest, many myUface students didn’t put a whole lot of effort into their applications.  In many cases they didn’t complete all the parts of their application.  In other cases they completed their application, but clearly didn’t spend a lot of time on their essays and recommendations.  The attitude seemed to be, Hey, I’m a smart student, so of course universities need me.

You are all smart students, no doubt.  But remember, to get into any U.S. university you are competing with other smart students from the U.S. and perhaps across the world.  In order to choose between so many smart students, universities have created very detailed, demanding applications.  myUface bases its own online application on those created by universities.  What message are you sending a university when you don’t complete the application, or you complete it poorly?

The message you are sending is clear:  This doesn’t actually matter very much to me. Now, ask yourself, if you were in charge of a university, would you admit such a student?

Probably not.

So, here’s a realistic expectation for you:  unless you fully complete your applications (both for myUface and for universities), you should not expect to gain acceptance to a U.S. university.

We’ll talk more tomorrow about what a “complete application” means.

Yesterday we wrote about having realistic expectations regarding “elite” universities n the U.S.  Many international student set their heart on attending a university like Harvard without understanding:

• how difficult it is to get into such universities, especially if you need a scholarship; and
• how the demand for an education at such universities makes them extremely expensive, generally speaking

The flip side of this expectation is that most international students think that every U.S. university that isn’t a well-known school must be bad.  We hear this at myUface all the time:  “What?  I’ve never heard of that university.  It can’t be very good.”  Nothing could be further from the truth.

To gain accreditation in the U.S., every university has to meet a set of exacting standards.  Those standards ensure that the quality of the education you receive at any U.S. university will be high.   At every U.S. university you’ll meet interesting students form all over the world.  At every U.S. university you’ll take classes with brilliant professors who fascinate you, and you’ll take classes with boring professors who frustrate you.  At every U.S. university you’ll have a chance to earn not only a degree, but knowledge and skills that will positively impact your career.

So, if every U.S. university is similar, why do people go to so much trouble to get into the “elite” schools?  Don’t get us wrong, there are advantages to going to such universities:  for one thing, the prestige associated with your degree will be higher.  For another, the alumni networks of such universities tend to be stronger, and this can lead to advancements in your career.  And many would indeed argue that the quality of the faculty and fellow students at such universities is a little higher, leading to a more challenging educational experience.

The point here is not that Harvard, Yale and such universities are “bad,” or even that they’re overrated.  They are exceptional institutions that rightly have wonderful reputations.  The point is that all the other U.S. universities – the ones you haven’t heard about – are also high-quality institutions from which you can benefit immensely.  And that’s GREAT NEWS!!!

So before you form an opinion about whether a university is good or not, do some research.  Don’t judge the university solely based on whether or not you’ve heard of it.  And understand that every U.S. university, if accredited, offers an outstanding educational experience.

We’ll start our look into how students can improve their applications for next year by tackling a difficult subject:  realistic expectations.

Let me start out by saying that I realize everyone has a dream to study at one of the “elite” U.S. universities, like Harvard, Stanford, Yale, etc.  And there’s nothing wrong with having that dream.  At the same time, you have to understand that millions of students from around the world share the exact same dream, and so the competition between students to be able to study at these schools is intense.  That competition does two things:

• First, it makes it much harder to gain acceptance to those universities
• Second, it allows those universities to charge higher tuition if they so choose.

This means that it is incredibly hard to get into one of these universities; and it’s even HARDER to get into these universities with a large scholarship.

Many students have a dream to study at an elite U.S. university.  But most of the students who accomplish that dream have been working at it for years.  They’ve spent the time, and identified the financial resources necessary to make their dream happen.  If you’re just starting to think about your university options, or you’re not willing to put in the time and effort to make your application near-perfect, you are operating at a huge disadvantage.

The good news is that you have many alternatives to those “elite” universities.  And we’ll turn to what you can expect from them tomorrow.

So this year’s rankings of America’s best graduate schools has recently been released by U.S. News and World Report.  It’s interesting reading, but keep in mind our previous warnings about taking rankings too seriously.

One thing that’s useful to notice is the number of top programs that aren’t at “famous” schools.  Just look at any of the rankings lists, and while you will certainly see some well-known schools (like Harvard), you will also see a number of lesser-known, but equally quality, institutions.

Readers of this blog know that we love nothing more than 100% fully funded scholarships.  Many of you have indicated that you cannot afford to finance a graduate education.  Well, apply to sponsored programs like Muskie!In Akmal’s case, we had been working to find a good university placement when we heard that Akmal had applied for, and received, a Muskie.  Now, it looks like Akmal will have all his costs (including travel, visa, tuition, living expenses, etc) paid for to do his graduate degree!  For those of you not familiar with the Muskie Graduate Fellowship check it out.

myUface will send out information on this scholarship once recruitment begins the Fall of 2010.  Also, check our our blog for information on other sponsored programs.

At myUface, we’re always looking to identify way for our students to get into the best programs at the lowest cost.  Well, that’s the definition of the community colleges these days.  Here are some programs that we like (but, as usual, there are hundreds of other programs that you should research):

1. Diablo Valley College – www.dvc.edu – Pleasant Hill, California with a great record of students transferring to the UC system;
2. Northwest College – www.northwestcollege.edu – outside beautiful Yellowstone National Park in a safe, small town, small class sizes and great record for transfering to 4-year schools; and
3. Deanza College – www.deanza.edu – a great feeder school to both the University of California system and California State colleges….and it’s in the Bay Area!

More tomorrow about community colleges and the benefits to international students.