Table of Contents
1. Why this Book? 3
2. Why Study in the USA? 6
Advantages of studying in USA 6
Trend of Indian Students in USA: 8
3. About F.A.C.T. 11
Vision and Mission 11
Role of F.A.C.T. in career development 11
Our offices: 12
4. Career Planning 15
General objectives of students 15
Limitations of Indian Education System 16
Who should plan to study in the USA? 17
5. Cost of Education 18
Tuition and Fees 18
Living Expenses 19
How to fund the cost of education 20
6. Scholarships 22
Schools with Awards to More than 150 Students 22
Schools with Awards to 100-149 Students 23
Performance based scholarships 23
Need based scholarships 24
Sports scholarships 24
7. Entrance Tests 26
GRE 26
SAT 29
GMAT 30
Test-taking Strategies for GMAT 32
TOEFL 33
Training at FACT 33
8. Application Process 35
Selection of Universities 35
Selection of Program 37
Academic Documentation 38
Financial Documentation 39
After applications: 40
Once you have been accepted: 40
Admissions Counseling at FACT 40
9. VISA Issues 42
Requirements of students visa 42
What Visa Officers look for while issuing visa 42
How to Apply 42
VISA documentation 43
VISA interview 45
Risk of VISA rejection 45
VISA Consultancy at FACT 45
10. University Listings 46
Top Engineering Schools 46
Top Management schools 49
11. Pre Departure Information 55
Travel Tips 55
Things to be done in advance 56
Packing 56
Things to be kept in the boxes 57
Clothes 58
Things to be kept in Hand Baggage 59
Things to be left at home 59
To do in the last week before the flight 59
On the day of the flight, in-flight and later 60
12. Testimonials 63
13. The last Words… 68
Higher Education Opportunities in USA
1. Why this Book?
India is emerging as a major economy of the world. Also, the Indian education system was always considered to be one of the best in the world. We have some of the best educational institutions of the world in India. Even the Indian professors are teaching in universities all over the world. Then what is the need for studying in USA? What is it in US education that is not available in Indian education? These and many more questions may be floating in your mind while browsing through this book. It is our effort to give you the most correct and relevant information about education system in the USA so that you can make a conscious and informed decision.
Over the last 12 years the number of students going to America for higher studies have increased manifold. With liberalization and Internet revolution, even students of the middle-income families find it an extremely practical and affordable option. In spite of this, we have experienced that more students lose the opportunity of studying in the USA not because they cannot afford it but because they do not have accurate and relevant information about how to go about it.
F.A.C.T. and its team have been guiding students towards higher studies in the USA through its network of offices, newspaper articles, TV programs and seminars. This book is also aimed at providing accurate guidance and up to date information about educational opportunities in the USA. We sincerely hope that the students and more particularly the parents will find information in this book very useful while planning careers. We once again state that students lose on to the opportunity of studying in the USA not because they cannot afford but because they do not have information about the possibility.
Tushar More was an average student with only 62% marks in HSC. However, he was keenly interested in pursuing degree in automobile engineering. He tried everywhere in India for an admission but failed. Disappointed, he took an admission for bachelors program in mass management. During his first year, he attended one of our seminars and understood the opportunity of pursuing higher studies in the USA. He completed all the formalities in six months and went to pursue his dream career in Southern Illinois University. We feel happy for being of help to such students and we take pride in helping them build their careers.
Abhijeet was a brilliant student during his engineering. During his final year of B.E., he had already taken GRE and had an impressive score of 1320. Simultaneously, he also got selected in a reputed software company at the campus interview. Thinking that education in the US will be expensive, and getting tempted to a high paying job, he joined the software company as a trainee.
Six months of working in the monotonous environment, he realized that this is not the career that he can enjoy for a long time. He was however, still very skeptical about the option of pursuing MS in the US as he was reluctant to put his ageing father in heavy expenditure. He attended one of the seminars of FACT and voiced his concern. FACT assured him of admissions in the best universities where scholarships will be available. This was really not a difficult task considering his academics, GRE score and work experience. Furthermore, in order to make him feel comfortable, he was told to just apply to 5-6 universities and see the result. That would cost him only a few thousand rupees but he will atleast come to know his worth in the US universities.
He agreed and today, he is pursuing his MS in systems engineering from one of the top ranked universities in the US with full scholarship.
There are hundreds of students like Tushar and Abhijeet who have gained from the information about study opportunities in the USA. You can also go through the various chapters in this book and understand all the pre requisites for studying in USA. If you need any further information, you are most welcome to visit any of the offices of FACT. A list of FACT office addresses is given in this book. For the most up to date information about where we have our offices, visit our web site www.USeducation.in.
2. Why Study in the USA?
Globalization and Internet revolution has shrunk the world into a global village. Boundaries of the nations are only politically important now. For the trade, commerce and industry, the world has become one market place. In such times, we need to have global compatibility to survive and grow. We need to have exposure to the various cultures and business practices of various countries.
Advantages of studying in USA
One must understand the advantages that America offers as a place for higher studies before investing the time and money. Also, it is not just enough to decide to study in the USA just because it is trendy. We are therefore putting forth the most distinct advantages offered by the US education system:
ü International Exposure: more than 500,000 international students come to study every year in the United States from different countries. No other country in the world attracts so many international students. Naturally, the international exposure that you get while being a part of such a diverse students body is one of the most important advantages of studying in the United Sates.
ü Educational Infrastructure: as you study higher and higher, you need educational infrastructure, which is as important as the quality of syllabus and quality of teachers. While the quality of syllabus and teachers are quite high in India, the availability of educational infrastructure is far better in the USA.
ü Research in the Universities: this is the most distinct advantage of American Education System. Unlike most other universities in the world, the universities in the USA are engaged in conducting practical research work for the benefit of the industry and government of the USA. These researches are conducted under the supervision of the college professors and the students get an opportunity to work on these research projects.
ü Career Choices: with more than 3,000 universities and colleges offering tens of thousands of different programs, the choice of careers is the widest in the United States. There is nothing which is worth pursuing a career in which is not covered by the American higher education system.
ü Flexibility: American education system is credit hour based. These credits are widely transferable from one university to another. Also, you can take credit hours as per your requirements and therefore the duration of completing a four-year degree may range from three to five years as per the capacity of the student.
ü Acceptability: this is a very important advantage from the Indian student point of view. How many times we come across a deserving Indian student not getting a career of his choice in India? Students lose their careers by a fraction of percentage and then they have no other choice but to either change their field of study or settle for an inferior institution by paying heavy donation. Such things rarely happen when you are applying to an American institution. The universities in the USA give due consideration to the desire of the students and admissions are based on a complete assessment of the students overall personality and not just the mark-sheet.
Overall, the advantages of studying in America are far too many and most of the parents and students already know about them. But most of the time they are unaware about the affordability of the courses or the exact procedure and timetable for preparation. This book will deal with these issues in the subsequent chapters.
Trend of Indian Students in USA:
Over the last 10 years, the number of Indian students studying in the United States has increased more than 2 times. From a mere 35,000 students in 1993-94, the number of Indian students has gone up to almost 80,000 students in 2003-04.
This significant increase is an indication of the growing confidence of Indian students in the American education system and more importantly its relevance in the current era of globalization.
Not only that, India is the largest country sending students to USA amongst all countries of the world. Almost 13% of the total international students studying in USA are Indians.
About 20% of the students studying in the USA are studying for a bachelor’s degree. Most of the students are studying in fields such as engineering, information technology, core sciences and business management programs.
Also, if we compare the popularity of different countries amongst the Indian students, once again, USA is on the top with substantial lead. A comparison of Indian students in the major four countries of the world is “All the above statistics clearly indicates that Indian students have preferred USA as their most suitable destination for higher education abroad.” This trend is likely to continue in future.
Indian Students in Foreign Countries by Percentage
3. About F.A.C.T.
Foreign Academic Consultancy and Training is a division of Gurukul (India) Ltd. This division is set up specially to guide the Indian students wanting to study abroad. As of today, FACT has 7 offices and the number is steadily growing. For locating the office closest to you, refer to the list of offices given in this booklet or visit www.useducation.in for the latest information.
Vision and Mission
Our vision is Globalization and Internet revolution has shrunk the world into a global village. Like any other change, this change is lead from the front by the education sector. For students of the new millennium, suitable career option is more important than the geographical proximity. This need has created a generation of students who are looking at the world as one identity to search for their career aspirations.
The mission of FACT is to effectively guide career aspirations of students of the new millennium. To achieve this objective, FACT has provided highly qualified and committed career counselors through a network of consulting infrastructure. The quality of analysis and efficiency of delivery of services will ensure long-term benefit and more importantly, achieve the position of a “Catalyst to Globalization.”
Role of F.A.C.T. in career development
F.A.C.T. has helped more than 6,000 students till date to realize their dream of studying abroad. We have always believed in providing comprehensive services covering all aspects the process, be it academic, financial or administrative. Our highest contribution in the area of career development has come through the following achievements:
Middle Income Families: most of our students have come from middle-income families. Most of them always thought that studying abroad is unaffordable. However, our extensive research on the availability of scholarships and other funding opportunities have helped students of hundreds of families pursue their careers abroad.
Academic Performance: this is another area where FACT has done substantial value addition in the careers of its students. The Indian education system is highly marks oriented. All the students for all the courses are evaluated solely on the basis of their marks. The American education system however, is much different. It gives importance to the OVERALL background of the student rather than his/ her marks alone. FACT has utilized this feature of the system to the benefit of the students and even students with average academic performance are studying the fields of their interests.
Our Team: FACT has a team of highly qualified and motivated career counselors who are operating from its network of offices. Each one of them is experienced in guiding aspirations of the students and more importantly, they can draw knowledge from the experience of other team members. As a result, the most up to date and relevant information is available to the students.
Our offices:
FACT always ensured that quality services are available to all the students, whether they are coming from metros or non-metros. We therefore set up offices in metros like Mumbai, Pune etc. and also in smaller towns like Nashik. Each of the offices are well equipped with library of books and CDs, computers with connectivity, and most importantly, expert trainers and career advisors. You can contact us at:
List of F.A.C.T Locations
LOCATION / ADDRESS /PHONE
THANE(Head Office) / Gurukul Campus, Behind McDonald’s, Naupada, Thane. / 25397777
25393991
DADAR / 403/404, Jasmine Apartment, Dadasaheb Phalke Road, Opp. Ruptara Studio, Dadar-East / 24170056
BORIVALI / 1, Shri Pancham Apt. CHS, L.T. Road, Vajira Naka, Opp. BEST Quarters, Near Don Bosco High School, Borivali-West / 28984773
VASHI / Shop # 27, Real Tech Park, Near Inorbit Mall, Next to Four Points Hotel, Sector 30A, Vashi / 65224435
PUNE
(Deccan) / Pallav Apt., Ground floor,
Anand Colony, Income Tax Lane, Off Prabhat Road, Lane No. 14, Pune. / 9520-25444081
NASHIK / E-1, Chandan Apartment, Besides Café Maharaja, Near Landmark Apartment, Opp. Farmaish Hotel, Model Colony Chowk, College Road, Nashik. / 0253-2341144
0253-2343667
Also, you can visit the web site: