Studying in the US is a dream for most students. However, one has to see what kind of programme one wants to pursue before applying to various foreign universities. Adarsh Khandelwal tells you that if you are applying for History, English or Medicine, the best options are in the UK and India, not the US
Right at the outset, it must be stated that an education in the US isn’t of utility to everyone. At the undergraduate level, a student interested in subjects like English literature, history, medicine and law might be better off in India. Humanities majors have notoriously low returns on investment and job prospects are projected to remain poor for the coming years. Medicine is a professional post-graduate course in the US. The extra four years coupled with the prohibitively high costs for medical schools (no scholarships) in the US makes India and possibly the UK more viable options. With law, tuition is high and the law industry has been on a steep decline. An undergraduate education in law in India followed by post-graduate law degree in the US might make more sense.
An undergraduate education in the US would be an option for those looking at the STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), quality undergraduate business programmes, social science programmes with research opportunities and unique interdisciplinary options unavailable in India. The US immigration policy favours STEM majors when it comes to work permits. Over the course of a typical four-year undergraduate education, a student would get unparalleled access to research facilities, internship opportunities, personal interactions with professors, a global alumni network and most importantly, a holistic education.
MBA students stand to benefit from the pedagogical experience, global exposure and long term brand value of a top US MBA colleges. Post-graduate students get an opportunity to work with world renowned professors and have access to cutting-edge labs and facilities.
Period for applying
Undergraduate: Early round in October-November and the regular round in January. On occasions, there is also an early decision II round in January. November applicants receive their decisions by Christmas and January applicants by mid-February. Regular decision applicants receive decisions by March-April.
Graduate: Applications for most PhD programmes are due in December or January while the applications for master’s programs tend to be spread over the months of January, February and March. Many programmes have ‘rolling admissions’ where applications are evaluated on a first come first serve basis.
MBA programmes: Round 1 (October-November), Round 2(December- February) and Round 3(March- April).
Points to keep in mind
For undergraduate applicants, the process should begin no later than September of Class XI to leave ample time for multiple test attempts and well written application essays. Since universities evaluate records from Class IX to XII, top applicants have been known to start building their profiles from grades IX and X itself. For graduate school and MBA applicants, to keep options open, one should ideally work to maintain a respectable curricular and co-curricular profile from the first year of college itself.
Testing requirements
Undergraduate applicants are required to take the SAT Reasoning and Subject Tests. This evaluates a student’s reasoning and critical thinking skills. It has three sections of 800 points each on Math (Class X level), Critical Reading and Writing (Essay and grammar questions). The Subject Tests are out of 800 points and are offered on a wide range of subjects. Graduate School applicants are required to take the GRE General and Subject tests. The general test, evaluated on a 170 point scale, tests verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning and writing skills. The subject test, evaluated on a 200-990 point scale, is offered in biochemistry, cell and molecular biology, biology, chemistry, etc. MBA applicants are required to take the GMAT. It is evaluated on a 200-800 point scale.
Finance the education
A degree comes for a cost of $100,000. Meritorious students have a number of scholarships up for grabs. At the undergraduate level, not many external scholarships are available, so students usually seek the ‘financial aid’ offered by their universities. This aid is given on the basis of a student’s financial need. For post-graduate and MBA students, a number of external scholarships are available in addition to university funding. Most students take up campus jobs to manage living expenses. Getting a loan is not easy. Indian banks have caps on their loan amounts and American banks require a co-signer residing in the US.
But the return on investment on a degree from a top university is good in the long run. For example, the mean starting salary of a Stanford computer science graduate is $93,850 and the median starting salary of a Harvard MBA before bonuses and benefits is $120,000. So, even with the falling rupee, a US degree would still be worth it for top students.
(The writer is co-founder, Collegify)