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Choosing the BEST Colleges
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Choosing the BEST Colleges

 

When you intend to study in US, you have to choose your favorite colleges that match with your criteria or where you can pursue the best education of your dream. Choosing the best colleges is not an easy process. You have to invest time, energy and money. OK, let’s get started.

 

 

 

1. Researching the Colleges

 

You have to research the colleges and universities whether they offer the program you hope to pursue, financial aid you would like to win, services you like to receive or programs you expect to participate.

 

You should make the research process at least a year before you plan to start your academic year. So you can have plenty of time to search for the best colleges to which you will apply for admission.

 

1.1 Understanding terms of US academic year

 

 

The US colleges and universities start the academic year in every September.

There are usually three semesters in US education system.

v     Fall semester ( start in September )

v     Spring semester

v     Summer semester

Myanmar students usually start their freshmen year in Fall semester. Fall semester is the traditional time that every US student start to attend the colleges. You should choose to start your freshmen year (1st year) in Fall semester too because financial aids and scholarships offers only in this term.

For spring and summer semester, it would be difficult for you to win any scholarship opportunities.

 

You should familiar with the names of year that US colleges use.

v     Freshmen year ( 1st year in Myanmar )

v     Sophomore year ( 2nd year in Myanmar )

v     Junior year (3rd year in Myanmar )

v     Senior year ( final year in Myanmar )

In Myanmar, most colleges offer three year programs. However, you have to attend four years to pursue the Bachelor Degree in US.

 

There will be a word, which you will encounter during your research process.

For example,

Ø      If you plan to attend the college next year (September, 2008), you will be a graduate in 2012.

Ø      Then, the college will use the application process for Class of 2012 that you should use for your admission process to the college.

Ø      If you plan to attend the college in Fall semester 2009, then you should look for the application for Class of 2013.

Ø      For me, I will be a student of Class of 2011 as I plan to start my freshmen year in coming Fall 2007.

 

 

1.2    Starting the Research Process

 

As I mentioned above, you should start choosing the colleges and universities at least a year in advance of academic year. So, start researching the colleges.

 

As the requirements of each person is different each other, choose the colleges that match with your expectations not with your friends.

 

Use the following guidelines.

 

1) Location or place in which you would like to attend the colleges.

 

·        As there are 51 states in US, thousands of colleges will make the research process difficult.

·        Most Myanmar students attend at East Coast (eg. New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, etc) and West Coast (eg. California, etc)

·        If you have a relative in US, discuss with them whether if there is a good college in that area or whether you can study at there.

 

2) Major or field you would like to pursue the best preparation at a college.

 

  • For example, if you are interested to become an engineer, research the colleges that offer engineering programs.
  • If you are interested to become a physician or doctor, research the colleges that offers pre-med or fields that you can study.
  • Not all colleges offer what you want to achieve.
  • Thus, don’t forget to look out for the degrees that the colleges offer.
  • You can also find out about the explanations of major and requirements in the books at American Center’s library. Ask the librarians about those books if you can’t find them.

 

3) Selectivity

Every college has their own minimum requirements for international students. So, make sure that you reach the minimum requirements of the colleges. Eg. 550 for TOEFL or 600 for TOEFL.

Aware of their selectivity (for example, ranks in US News and Reports). You will be difficult to enter to top (most difficult) colleges than moderately difficult colleges.

 

You should access of the following things when you like a college.

  • Matriculation Marks or 10th standard mark
  • Class ranks or performance throughout your school years (7, 8, 9, and 10 standard)
  • SAT score
  • TOEFL score
  • Community services and working experiences
  • Hobbies (example: sports or anything you do very well)
  • Special talents (example: playing piano skillfully or winning some kind of awards)

 

Compare with the above things with the college’s selectivity.

If you choose most difficult colleges, you have to compete with the students of that level.

If you choose non competitive schools, your talents will become a waste.

Thus, always aware of the LEVEL of the college you will choose or you would like to attend.

 

 

Useful tips:

You can check out the selectivity and ranks of the college using below resources.

 

Websites

 

US News and Reports

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings

 

Princeton Review’s BEST 361 Colleges

http://www.princetonreview.com/college

 

 

Books

You can check out the written version of the above webpages as books at American Center’s Library too.

 

 

 

4) Cost or financial expenses that you will have to pay throughout your college years

 

Always consider carefully about the tuition cost of the colleges. These are varied with colleges. Private colleges will cost twice the amount of money than public universities and community colleges.

 

However, private colleges award more scholarships and financial aid to international students.

 

Always make realistic plan ahead. Calculate the budget with the educational expenses when you consider a college.

 

5) Housing or where you have to stay during your study at the college

 

When you study in US, you have to decide where you will live. If you have a relative near the college that you will attend, you can stay at your relative’s house. If you don’t have one, where will you stay?

 

You should look forward to stay in on-campus housing of the college whether you have relative or not.

 

Living in on-campus housing makes you in touch with your new friends; moreover, you can have a chance to enhance your sociability.

 

You can also easily commute with the college and its campus. You will be saved by living within the college’s campus.

 

The most important fact is that you will be free from trouble with renting a apartment or house near the college.

 

Therefore, always choose the colleges that guarantee on-campus housing.

 

2. Filtering out your favorite colleges

 

Based on the above conditions, you can have filter out 30-40 colleges that you might have interested to apply. You can also use the services from college related sites too.

 

1) Collegeboard.com

College MatchMaker

 

You can go to the college matchmaker using the below step.

www.collegeboard.com

Home  >  Find a College  >  College Search  >  MatchMaker

 

You can search the colleges that will be matched with your desired conditions using College MatchMaker from College board.

You can even select the options by checking the box and the final result will come out.

You can save the result and can even start the whole search from the beginning too.

 

This will help you to find out the colleges effortlessly; however, you should search your favorite colleges on your own too.

 

You should also use Find Similar button too. This will provide you with other colleges that have similar criteria.

 

2) Petersons.com

College Search

 

You can go to the college search using the below step.

www.petersons.com

Home>College search

 

You can save and filter out the colleges like collgeboard’s college match maker too.

You can save the results even in Microsoft’s excel format.

 

But, I think College Board’s college matchmaker is more easy to use.

 

3) Collegedata.com

College Match

 

You can go to the College Match using the below step.

www.collegedata.com

Home > College 411 > College Match

 

Unlike other search formats, you can see your chances of getting into those colleges using College Match.

Although it is not exactly true for everyone, you can have a sense of finding the favorite colleges.

 

In Collegedata, you can also find out the information of other students of your class (2012 or 20**) using Admission Tracker form.

 

Collegedata is really fun to use. Save your profile and track what other students are doing.

 

 

USEFUL TIPS

 

When choosing the colleges for the first time, don’t limit yourself.

The colleges may be up to 30 colleges or more. Don’t worry. It’s OK.

Discuss with your friends about the colleges they choose.

Find out those colleges whether they are matched with your criteria too. If not, cross out.

Choose only the colleges that match with your criteria or standards.

 

 

 

3. Requesting Application Materials and Information from colleges

You should do this task at least 12 months before you plan to enroll.

When you have chosen your favorite 20-30 colleges, you can request necessary information from those colleges whether they are really matched with your criteria.

The easiest way to contact with a college is using Internet.

If you like a college, you should learn more about it through its website about the school, services, courses, costs and other necessary things.

After browsing through school’s website, you can request more information from it by submitting the on-line request form or Request more information.

Many colleges and universities use that kind of form, from which you can receive further information from schools.

 

On-line request form (or) Request more information

  • Use the form that is only intended for international students.
  • You must fill your Name, Birth date and Address.
  • Always fill the correct information about you.
  • Include the proposed starting date (example, FALL 2008 as freshmen) or ( September 2008 )
  • Fill the address, using your real house no. , street, township, city and Country (MYANMAR or BURMA).
  • Never leave the field unless it doesn’t require.
  • When asking for your grade level, choose as High School graduate and your matriculation passed year ( example, 2007)
  • If you have already taken SAT and TOEFL exams, fill your scores if they are asked.
  • Include your own valid e-mail address too. If you do not have one, create a new one.
  • Remember to fill the country name as MYANMAR.
  • There may a word name ZIP code (or) Postal code which means your township’s postal code.
  • For example, for Mingalar Taung Nyunt Township (MTNT) – 11221
  • You can find out those codes about your township from your nearest post office.

 

  • You should also check the boxes of fields that you would like to know more.

ü      For example, courses about your interested major

ü      Financial Aids for international students

ü      Application Materials for international students

ü      College’s Catalogs

ü      Etc…

 

After you submit your request information form, the college will contact you via email.

They will send you latest information about the schools.

The materials you requested will be arrived after 2 weeks or 1 to 2 months later into your mail box of your house.

As it takes a lot of time to process international mail, you should start requesting the info from the college as soon as you can.

 Learn the materials from schools carefully especially application materials and financial aids and application dead lines.

Narrow down your colleges into 20 to 15 colleges.