Organizing Perfect Application Kit for

US Universities

By Aakriti Jain

• About us• Why study in the U.S.?• Admission Intake and Preparation timelines• Courses Offered• Application packet components

Formal Application Academic Documents Test Scores English Proficiency Test Scores Letters of Recommendations Statement of Purpose Financial Documents Others

• Understanding University Documents Requirements• Some Tips

Contents

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Study in US World renowned education

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Rewarding job opportunities

Intake and Preparation Timelines

The major intake sessions in the U.S.

Fall, Spring & Summer Fall (August, September) Spring (Jan, Feb)

Timelines Preparation about 6-7 months in advance/ 10-12 months including Test Prep Preparation includes detailed research on institutions, standardized test taking,

preparing the application contents , sending out applications

Courses Offered

Application Packet Components

• Formal ApplicationOnline Application Completion/ Paper Based Application + Proof of Application fee payment (containing Application ID if generated)

• Academic Documents*

All documents should be in English Only*Some Universities might require Transcripts to be Officially evaluated (by WES, ECE Etc.)

Type of Document Method of PresentationDegree Certificate & Provisional/Course completion whichever is available).

In sealed envelopes to be attested by The Registrar of University/Controller of ExamsProvisional/Course completion Certificate required for final year students. Original attestation on Photocopy

Individual Mark statements and consolidatedAll dms required including retakes

In sealed envelopes to be attested by The Registrar of University/Controller of Exams. Only Consolidated mark sheet will not be accepted. Original attestation on Photocopy

Official Transcripts (Apart from Marksheets)

In sealed envelopes to be attested by The Registrar of University/Controller of Exams. To be send directly to the University by issuing authority or with the Application Packet

10+2 / equivalent mark sheet In sealed envelopes to be attested by the College Principal/Technical Board. Original attestation on Photocopy

10th / equivalent mark sheets In sealed envelopes to be attested by The School Principal.Original attestation on Photocopy

Application Packet Components

• Test Scores

• English Proficiency Test

Type of Test Conducted by Test Fee

GRE (Graduate Record Examination) ETS $195 (+ $27 per additional score reporting after 5 Univs)

GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test)

GMAC (mba.org) $ 250 (+ $28 per additional score reporting after 5 Univs)

SAT Scholastic Aptitude Test) Collegeboard.org $ 103.50 (+$11.25 per additional score reporting after 4 Univs)

LSAT (Law School Admission Test) LSAC $ 118.00 ( + $30 for each Score Reporting)

Type of Test Conducted By Test FeeTOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)

ETS $ 170 (+$19 per additional score reporting after 4 Univs)

IELTS (International English Language Testing System)

IDP and British Council INR 10,600 (+INR 1250 per additional score reporting after 4 Univs)

Application Packet Components

• Recommendation Letters*Letters of recommendation from persons who know your academic qualifications are required. Recommenders should be chosen from people most familiar with your former studies, research interests, or work, including at least one instructor in the institution you last attended.2 Min with at least 1 academic In sealed envelopes with attestation (inside outside) Dated Signed On the Original Letterhead in different formats(*Some Universities accept Online Recommendations as well)

• Statement of Purpose (Essays)Prepared by the student-soft copy uploaded at the time of application and hard copy on A4 size paper (duly signed) with the application packet.Subject Essays (if required) to be uploaded at the time of online application

Application Packet Components

• Financial Documents

• Other Documents

Type of Document Method of Prepration

Bank Statement Savings Account Bank Statement/Fixed Deposit Account Bank Statement/ Combination of both.Signed by the Bank Manager with a seal of the bank, A/c no. & Date Approx. amount equivalent to US$44,000…….On the Original Bank Letterhead

Affidavit of Support Signed by the Sponsor & has to be notarized on Rs. 10 Stamp Paper- Send in as Original Only

Type of Document Method of PresentationExperience Certificates Clear copies of Relieving letter from the previous company and employment letter from the

current one (Required if > 6 months gap/ showing experience in Resume Photocopy)

Extra Curricular Certificates Only those certificated which can add further weightage to your profile-Clear Photocopies

Resume Updated-Duly Signed, Soft Copy uploaded at the time of application and hard copy to be send with the application

Passport Copy Clear Photocopies -First & last 2 pages

Understanding University Document Requirements

U.S. universities will present you with a variety of different requirements for your academic documents. Some of the terms and phrases you will see in relation to your academic documents include:Stamped and sealed | OfficialAttested | OriginalSent from the institution | NACES certifiedCredential evaluation | Course-by-course credential evaluationand more

To understand what you need to send a university, you must first understand the differences between:

• TranslationA conversion of your document from the non-English language that it is written in to English. Whatever is written on your academic document will be literally translated into English following the documents format as closely as possible.All universities will require your academic documents to be in English, but some may also request a native language version as well.

Understanding University Document Requirements

Translation services include:EducationUSA Advising Centers (select centers only – https://www.educationusa.info/)National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) Members:Academic Evaluation Services (http://www.aes-edu.org)Foundation for International Services (http://www.fis-web.com)Josef Silny & Associates (http://www.jsilny.com)SpanTran Educational Services (http://www.spantran-edu.org)

• AttestationA stamp, signature, or other official seal placed on a photocopy of your academic documents. By stamping, signing, or placing a seal on the photocopy, the attestation agent/agency is stating that the photocopy was made from an original version. An attestation is a verified photocopy of your original academic documents.An attestation would fulfil the requirement for a stamped, official, or attested document. Attestations, however, are not always considered “original.”Attestation services include:EducationUSA Advising Centers (select centers only – https://www.educationusa.info/)Various ministries, consulates, or other governmental departments in your country might also be able to attest your documents.

Understanding University Document Requirements

• Credential EvaluationAn assessment of your academic documents that recalculates and converts your academics studies and performance to the U.S. educational equivalents. A credential evaluation takes your academic documents from home and changes them to the U.S. equivalent. The equivalencies are based on the U.S. 4.0 grade point average, and the U.S. semester credit system for university studies.Credential evaluations also give general comparisons of your studies based on the U.S. educational system. For instance, if your studies are equal to a U.S. high school diploma, bachelors degree, masters degree, two years of undergraduate study, one year of graduate study, etc. Different types of credential evaluations exist. It is important that you review each university’s application requirements to ensure that you order the correct credential evaluation. The primary options you will see are:1.“Basic,” “General,” or “Document-by-Document”This type of evaluation will offer a general equivalency for your academic documents such as, “equivalent to a U.S. bachelors degree.” Depending on the credential evaluation service, you may get some additional information, but these types of evaluations are very simple. Be sure that a university will accept this type of evaluation before ordering.2. “Course-by-Course” or “Detailed”This type of evaluation gives specific equivalencies for each and every course you studied. Each course will be identified along with its U.S. semester and grade equivalents. A cumulative U.S. grade point average will also be calculated. The evaluation also includes the information that you would receive in a basic evaluation. This is usually the type of credential evaluation that a university requests or requires.

Understanding University Document Requirements

WES ICAP Evaluation: World Education Services (WES) offers a special kind of course-by-course evaluation, where they also send an attested copy of your original transcript along with the credential evaluation. If you are applying to a school that wants both an evaluation and a transcript, this could be a good option for you. Currently WES is the only company offering this service.Credential evaluation services include:National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) - http://www.naces.org/American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) - http://ies.aacrao.org/You must be very careful in your research so that you know exactly what each university needs to fulfill their admission requirements. Some universities will only accept transcripts sent directly from your home school, while others will accept a transcript from you. Some universities will accept any credential evaluation, while others want an evaluation from a NACES certified service, and still others will only accept an evaluation from a specific company.Similar to universities, credential evaluation services have rules and regulations about evaluating academic documents. Some are very strict about documents being sent to them directly from your home school or ministry, while others will accept documents from you.While submitting transcripts and academic documents seems like it is a simple process, based on all of these requirements, it might not be. It is important for you to research university, and other, requirements long before the application deadline so that you can create a plan to fulfil those requirements on time.

Some Tips..

Try a send a small profile of your last Educational Institutions just to give a fair idea to the applying Universities about its affiliation and accreditations.

Never Leave a column to fill in, even if it is not mandatory; Remember if its not important, they would not be asking for it.

Try to collate all documents and send it in a single go, it is cumbersome for admission officers to relate to receiving every single piece of document separately every other day from the same student.

Use a Physical calendar to mark all the mock test dates, test dates, Application deadlines to act at least a month in advance

Try to apply based on your Realistic Test Mock Scores, instead of only Optimistic Test Scores Be a early bird in applying to ensure consideration for admission and financial scholarship, do

not wait for the deadline to complete the rest of your document; Remember your application will only be processed after receipt of the complete documents, by sending incomplete information/documents you are reducing your acceptance chances.

Apply to at least 6 and not more than 10 Universities including at least 2 safe University options.

All the Best !