myUface Blog

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.

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.