Yes, this is a strange question. When we talk about education in the United States, most people immediately think of all those articles in the newspaper or online that say you need $20,000 to $50,000 PER YEAR to study in the US. Well, sometimes that’s true. However, there are TONS of educational programs, good ones, in the US that don’t cost that much.
English Language Programs
We now have HUNDREDS of students registered at myUface. Almost all of you say you want to get your undergraduate degree in the US. However, many of you will not likely be able to get the 500 TOEFL score (paper based) to start an undergraduate program (let alone the 550 to begin most graduate programs). If this situation sounds familiar to you, here’s an idea – think about a Summer English Language Program! You will spend between 6 and 12 weeks in the US learning English and, in some cases, improving your study skills.
How much do these programs cost? Some of the shorter programs cost as little as $3,000-$5,000! This includes tuition, dormitory and meals (but sadly not airfare)! That’s hard to beat and it will make you a much more attractive and successful student later. Here are some of the programs we like (but there are literally TONS of others that are fantastic as well….just ask your local educational advisor):
Rochester Institute of Technology – great school, great location in New York and best of all….GREAT PRICE. (7 weeks for about $4400)
Utah Valley University – some of the best skiing in the world right outside your dorm! Very friendly and safe area not to mention it’s a wonderful program. I visited this college and really liked it and the staff. Even better, students who complete the ESL program are automatically eligible to register into regular degree seeking classes!
The University of Pittsburgh’s English Language Institute – Pitt’s ELI program even offers a three week cultural and language program during the summer where tuition is $1800. They also offer a five week program for potential grad students that costs $2400 (tuition only). Check them out!
Again, there are hundreds of great ESL programs out there that won’t break the bank. If you think that an ESL program might be a better start for you, please go back into your myUface profile and choose “Special Program – ESL”. Even better, if you think you might be able to afford the $4,000-7,000 price tag, indicate this on your profile. This is important information for universities when they search your profile.
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Yesterday I mentioned that in order to improve your chances of getting into a U.S. university, you needed to have a “complete” application. What do I mean by complete?
A complete application:
Has ALL applicable fields filled out (no blanks!)
Has an essay, a resume / CV, and a recommendation attached
(coming soon) has your transcripts from secondary school or university attached. As of Feb. 8th, 2010, there is no space to do this at myUface, but we are adding this functionality soon,
Has standardized test scores noted. For guidance on which test scores you need, contact us.
If you have most of these things, we will still share your application with universities, but be aware, if they’re interested in you they will nonetheless require all of the above information. So be sure that, if you don’t have it completed yet, you’re working on it!
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So far, we’ve received nearly 300 applications on myUface, and we’re working to connect all of these students to universities in the U.S.
We believe we’ll be successful with many of our candidates. Others don’t have applications that are complete enough for universities to truly consider. You may be wondering, How can I improve my chances of getting into a U.S. university?
Two things:
Make sure your myUface application is complete. More tomorrow on what “complete” means.
Don’t only apply to universities through myUface. Increase your chances of getting into a U.S. program by applying independently to universities as well.
Some sites want you to maintain an exclusive relationship with them and them alone. Here, our priorities are different: we want you to get into a U.S. university, no matter if you do that through us or on your own.
By applying independently to a few U.S. universities, you give yourself a good chance of being accepted directly to a program. If you also apply through myUface, you’ve ensured that you have several chances for universities to notice you.
Applying to myUface alone is a great step, but we encourage all of you to pursue university applications independently as well.
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Are you considering studying internationally, but can’t make up your mind? Do you wonder if all the effort that goes into studying abroad will be worth it?
Well, here’s a sign that an international education will be considered very valuable in the coming years: the THINK Global School.
The Think Global School is a high school which changes its campus every trimester. If you are a student at the school for four years, that means you will live and study in twelve different cities around the planet. You can see more about the school here.
So why is this relevant to students considering studying at a university i the U.S.? Well, the people behind Think Global clearly believe that an international education is worth a lot, and that parents will be willing to pay very high tuition in order to prepare their students for a globalized world.
Just how much is that international education worth? Well, one year at Think Global school costs $88,000. Yes, eighty-eight THOUSAND.
Tuition at a U.S. university doesn’t look so expensive any more, does it?
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Generally speaking, international students studying at U.S. universities will live in that institution’s dormitories. American students refer to these simply as “dorms.” Generally, a dorm is a large, multi-story building in which students live in small, apartment-like rooms. Most dorm rooms fit 2 or more people into a single room. Bathroom and shower facilities are shared between several dorm rooms.
Many international students are used to living at home with their parents, and the transition to “dorm life” – especially to living with a roommate – can be challenging. For that reason, it’s a good idea to learn as much as you can about dorms before you ever set foot in one. Try googling “dorm life” to find articles such as this one.
The more you know about dorms, the better prepared you’ll be to study in the U.S.
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Here’s an excerpt from a video on culture shock. In it, international students share their experiences with studying in the U.S. It’s an interesting window into culture shock.
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This week we’re proud to rollout a new feature for our myUface users: the myUface message center.
This is a new tab that appears on your screen immediately after you log in to myUface:
By clicking on the green “Messages” tab, you will be taken to your personal message center. There you will have three option: first, you can view New Messages you’ve received from myUface or from universities that have looked at your application. When you view those messages, you will have a chance to REPLY:
You can also view SENT MESSAGES and READ MESSAGES (that is, messages you’ve already checked).
Finally, when you log into myUface you should see the text of any messages you’ve received on the right, below your application menu:
What does this mean for you as a user of myUface? Well, it means that universities and myUface will have the chance to contact you directly through the site. It meas you can keep all of the correspondence associated with your myUface account in one place – with your profile – instead of cluttering up your inbox.
It means you should log into myUface at least once a week and CHECK FOR NEW MESSAGES. Now, at the beginning, don’t be surprised if you don’t have any new messages. If you’re application is close to complete, however, you should be hearing from us (and hopefully from universities).
We hope you enjoy this new feature of myUface!
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Many international students wonder, what is the minimum TOEFL score required to gain entrance into a U.S. university?
This is a complicated question, because each university in the U.S. will have different requirements. What’s more, each university may have two different requirements: one for students who will enter directly into the university; and another for students who will enter through a pre-academic ESL program. Finally, this question is complicated by the fact that there are three different kind of TOEFL scores – for the Computer Based TOEFL (CBT), the Internet Based TOEFL (IBT), and the paper-based TOEFL.
Confused yet? A number of sites (such as this one) give a good but brief overview of the required scores for entry into a U.S. university. ETS (the owner of TOEFL) gives the best summary of minimum scores here.
As you can see from the ETS site, the minimum requirements vary widely from university to university. One thing is for certain, though: you will almost certainly need to take the TOEFL and do reasonably well in order to get into a good U.S. university. So get studying!
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If there is one thing we love at myUface, it’s a 100% full scholarship that also fully covers all living expenses. When we find an opportunity like this, even if it’s not at a US-based university, we have to let our students know about it.
Thanks to the US Central Asia Education Foundation, citizens of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan can apply for a limited number of full scholarships. Check out the USCAEF Student Fellowships here.
Let them know you heard about the opportunity at myUface!
If you want more information on this opportunity, let us know. We would be happy to get you in touch with the staff of this program.
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A lot of myUface users are asking if there’s a deadline to complete their myUface application, or whether there’s a deadline to complete university applications generally in the U.S.
The answer is, yes and no.
There is no strict deadline for completing your myUface application. No matter when you complete it, we will do our best to connect you with a good program as soon as possible. However, the earlier you start, the better. If you are planning to study in the U.S. in the fall of 2010, you need to get us your completed application by sometime in March, probably, in order to give us time to connect you with universities. Remember also that there is no promise that U.S. universities will be interested in your application. This is especially true if you need a lot of financial assistance.
U.S. universities generally have a few different deadlines for submitting applications, and they tend to fill up their classes as applications come in. Many of them do have a hard and fast deadline as well (usually in March, April, or sometimes May).
Also, remember that in a sense your myUface application is never complete – you can always come back and update or change it to make it better. Even if you miss out this year, you can get an early start on next year!
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