We started myUface to help international students find placements at U.S. universities.  And last year, we helped 16 different students find a place to study.

But before we can help you, you need to help us – BY COMPLETING YOUR MYUFACE APPLICATION. Without a complete application there is NOTHING we can do to help you get into a U.S. university.  Without an application, we have nothing to show universities that otherwise might be interested in you.  So please, help us help you – COMPLETE YOUR MYUFACE APPLICATION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

It’s hard to believe but it’s been one year since we started myUface to help international students find the best universities for them. As you know, at myUface, universities contact for you instead of you wading through hundreds of programs trying to find a fit.

myUface highlights of the first year include:

• almost 400 students registered representing over 10 countries;
• helping place 16 students at U.S. colleges and universities;
• over 50 students contacted directly by colleges; and
• over 5,000 visits to the site from 97 countries;

What We’ve Learned and Want to Share with our Students

We started myUface with the goal of changing the way international students search for, and get in to, U.S. universities. The good news is, we’re doing that! However, we have certainly learned some lessons and plan on adapting myUface to them. We’ve also learned quite a bit about you, the students and what your goals are.

The main thing we want to say is that, if you weren’t placed in this first year, please keep trying. We had a number of students where universities were really interested in them.  With another year of effort, they can find that great placement!

QUESTIONS FROM STUDENTS THE FIRST YEAR

Do I need to fill out the entire myUface profile for universities to see it?

Universities need to get a good sense of who you are. Therefore, your statement of purpose, essays, school grades, test scores and other information are key. You don’t need to answer every question, but sending in your name and resume won’t get you into a university! In fact, we won’t even let a university see your profile if it’s obvious you haven’t spent any time on it!

Communication

To be honest, we were very happy with all the great students that signed up with myUface. We need to do better at communicating with you and we will. We would also note that it’s VERY IMPORTANT for you to answer emails from universities that contact you. It’s professional. Even if you aren’t interested in that university, you should take the opportunity to talk with them and learn the school. And don’t forget to thank the university representative for contacting you.

What kind of university can I get into with myUface?

If you want to go to Harvard, wonderful! We encourage you to apply directly. myUface works with great colleges and universities but if you have your heart set on a specific university, you should apply directly. Consider myUface as a “safety” mechanism. If, for some reason, Harvard does not admit you, then we can help you find an alternate.

Do you have friends who might be interested in using myUface?  If so, we’ve designed some flyers that you can send or distribute.  We have also, for the first time, created a flyer in a foreign language – Russian – so that more students can learn about what we do.  Here they are:

EnglishFlyer

RussianFlyer

Russian Flyer – Long version

Any help you can give us in spreading the word about myUface is greatly appreciated.  Remember, the more students that sign up to myUface, the more universities will take notice – and the more universities will potentially see your own application!

Go BACK to “Questions and Answers.”

Go BACK to “Questions and Answers.”

Go BACK to “Questions and Answers.”

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.

All students who submit a complete application for admission by May 1 are eligible for this merit-based scholarship. In addition, students must write an essay of approximately 1,000 words on the following topic: “What will I do to bring cultural and international perspectives to Grand Valley that will enhance the learning environment for the entire GVSU community?”

Typically, qualified students have a minimum 3.0 grade point average, but decisions are based on academic credentials, the scholarship essay and information provided in the application materials. Transfer students from U.S. four-year colleges and universities, and students being fully funded by their government are not eligible.

Renewal: Undergraduate students must maintain a 2.85 grade point average, maintain full-time enrollment, and maintain valid immigration status. Graduate students must maintain a 3.0 grade point average, maintain full-time enrollment, and valid immigration status.

• Their name
• Their e-mail address
• The degree they wanted
• The field of study they were interested in

And that was it.

Now, put yourself in the shoes of someone working in university admissions.  What does this application tell you?

The answer is, not much.

Remember, your application – at myUface or directly to a university – is an advertisement for you as a student.  You need to make sure that you take the time to make it a good advertisement.

So, what does it mean to have a complete application, and why is it important?

You have a complete application when:

• You have completed every section of an application, answering every question
• You have attached the required documents
• You have completed at least one essay
• You have attached a recommendation
• You have attached a CV / resume
• You have taken and reported at least one standardized test
• You have included information about your grades throughout school
• You have completed any other assignments the application asks of you

Until you have done all of the above, you have not really completed your application.

Now, do you really need a complete application?  Well, it depends.  If you are applying directly to a university, then yes, your application needs to be complete or you will not be considered.  If you are filling out an application on myUface or other, similar services, then it is not 100% necessary to have a completed application.  myUface will attempt to place you at a U.S. university even if your application is incomplete.

However, it is much, much easier to find universities that are interested in you if your application is complete.  A complete application lets universities know that you are serious about your studies.

So, to conclude:  in the upcoming year, please make sure to take the time to complete your applications, both on myUface and elsewhere.  It is a lot of work, but by putting in the time to complete your application you greatly increase your chances of getting into a university.

Why do I say this?  Because, to be honest, many myUface students didn’t put a whole lot of effort into their applications.  In many cases they didn’t complete all the parts of their application.  In other cases they completed their application, but clearly didn’t spend a lot of time on their essays and recommendations.  The attitude seemed to be, Hey, I’m a smart student, so of course universities need me.

You are all smart students, no doubt.  But remember, to get into any U.S. university you are competing with other smart students from the U.S. and perhaps across the world.  In order to choose between so many smart students, universities have created very detailed, demanding applications.  myUface bases its own online application on those created by universities.  What message are you sending a university when you don’t complete the application, or you complete it poorly?

The message you are sending is clear:  This doesn’t actually matter very much to me. Now, ask yourself, if you were in charge of a university, would you admit such a student?

Probably not.

So, here’s a realistic expectation for you:  unless you fully complete your applications (both for myUface and for universities), you should not expect to gain acceptance to a U.S. university.

We’ll talk more tomorrow about what a “complete application” means.

• 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.

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.

At the same time, we’ve learned some very valuable lessons about placing students through the internet, lessons that we’d like to share with all of you. So, over the next few weeks, I’ll be running through a review of the site and its activity, particularly as it pertains to you, the myUface user.

Just to be clear, we’re still working this year to place more students, so don’t think we’re finished.  And for those students who don’t get placed this year, we’ll be sending each and every one of you a report on what we found when we shared your information with universities.  This will help you to understand what aspects of your application need to be improved for you to get accepted next year.

Throughout, as always, we welcome your questions.

1. Go to the website www.berecruited.com . It will give you a good idea of what US universities are looking for (myUface doesn’t have any relationships with this site…enter at your own risk!)
2. It’s a bit easier to get scholarships for individual sports (tennis, wrestling, etc) than team sports because it’s easier for universities to assess your play. However, basketball, soccer and other team sports are definitely open to international students.
3. Some universities don’t allow scholarships in the first year. Make sure you do your homework.
4. You need to be honest about your ability. Universities will want to know how you rank in your country? How you rank on your team?
5. Last, you’ll need a good video of yourself in action. It should be about 4-5 minutes long and begin with a closeup of you introducing yourself. Just highlights on the video and make sure you are easily identified.

There are lots of rules around scholarships for athletes but there are opportunities. If you are an athlete and think you might have a good chance at a scholarship, let us know and we’ll help you find the right organization to guide you through the maze.

We can’t offer a solution to this problem.  However, we have done a lot of work on this blog explaining some of the different options for finding financial aid.  You can find that here.

The bottom line is that finding financial aid can be very difficult.  You need to work hard and be disciplined.  You also need to look to all available options.

Good luck to anyone in this situation!  Use the myUface blog resources and let us know if you have questions!

One thing that’s useful to notice is the number of top programs that aren’t at “famous” schools.  Just look at any of the rankings lists, and while you will certainly see some well-known schools (like Harvard), you will also see a number of lesser-known, but equally quality, institutions.

Last year, the number of international students attending American institutions hit an all-time high. International students contribute $18 billion to the U.S. economy; their full-fee tuition subsidizes many American students’ educations. Culturally, they internationalize campuses and increase diversity–laudable goals for colleges and universities aiming to prepare students for a globalized world. But as American institutions face an increasingly competitive global education market and an aging domestic population, discussion regarding international student recruitment is rarely . . .  civilized.

The article linked above is a very interesting look at the disagreements going on inside the U.S. higher educational system over how to ethically recruit international students.

And to clarify, once again, myUface’s stance:  we will never charge students a penny to use myUface – end of story.

myUface will send out information on this scholarship once recruitment begins the Fall of 2010.  Also, check our our blog for information on other sponsored programs.

Up to a $6,000 scholarship for “[a]pplicants must be citizens and residents of any country except the United States. Awarded, based on academic achievement, for a four-year period (8 semesters) to students in their first year of study working on a bachelor’s degree, or to students with transfer credit for a variable period of time depending on Michigan Tech requirements.”

Full details are available here.  The site is a little confusing, but it looks like by applying to the university you are automatically considered for the scholarship.

Grand Valley State University is proud to offer academic-based competitive scholarships to qualified international applicants. Available to both undergraduate and graduate applicants, these scholarships were established to recognize the high level of academic achievement of students coming to our campus from around the world.

Get the full details of this scholarship opportunity here.

The application deadline is April 15th, so if you’re interested, get moving!

1. Diablo Valley College – www.dvc.edu – Pleasant Hill, California with a great record of students transferring to the UC system;
2. Northwest College – www.northwestcollege.edu – outside beautiful Yellowstone National Park in a safe, small town, small class sizes and great record for transfering to 4-year schools; and
3. Deanza College – www.deanza.edu – a great feeder school to both the University of California system and California State colleges….and it’s in the Bay Area!

More tomorrow about community colleges and the benefits to international students.

myUface works!

Community colleges are the best kept secret in American higher education. Did you know that you can study for two years at some community colleges and then transfer into a 4 year university as a junior? Many community colleges have agreements with 4-year universities to accept up to two years of transfer credit, but you pay for the much cheaper community college classes! By the way, last year there were around 94,000 international students studying at community colleges….so you won’t be alone.

The article singles out British universities, obviously, but you as international students should be aware that higher education everywhere is not only about education – it’s also a business.  And like any business, there are good deals and there are bad deals.  Remember to always do your homework, just as you would when buying a car or a home.

We hope myUface can help you do just that!

That decline has been greatly exaggerated.

Now, according to The Australian, the U.S. is poised to grab back the initiative in a major way.  Prompted by falling domestic revenue, U.S. universities are reaching out aggressively to foreign students.  And they have the resources to make international students feel right at home:

[T]he cheaper US dollar, plenty of student accommodation and faster visa approval times should give the US an edge.

It’s a great article that gives you a good idea of the trends that are shaping international education.

What does it mean to have a completed application?

1. All the sections of the application should be completed
2. You should have reported grades from your previous schools
3. You should have standardized test scores
4. You should have uploaded an essay, resume and recommendation

Why now? Because in the next month U.S. universities will begin to work extra hard to try to meet their goals regarding international students.  If your application is ready, you will drastically increase the chances that a university might be interested in you.

What if you’re not ready? Let’s say that you – like many international students – don;t have all of the application completed.  Maybe you haven’t finished your essay.  Maybe you don’t have standardized test scores.  What should you do in that case?

First, try your best to get your application this year as complete as possible.

Second, if you can’t complete it, start working now on next year’s application.  It’s never too early to start work on next year’s application, especially if you’re serious about study in the U.S.

In a period in which the size of the student body has barely nudged upward, the foreign student population has grown 33 percent since the fall of 1999, from 3,099 to 4,131 last fall, drawn from more than 140 countries. That is nearly 20 percent of the total enrollment at Harvard. Most of the foreign students are studying in Harvard’s graduate schools, and East Asian students are most prevalent.

Harvard, of course, is not the only university that puts an emphasis on attracting talented international students.   It is undoubtedly the university with the greatest visibility, however – not to mention the greatest resources:

In 2008, financier David Rockefeller pledged $100 million for Harvard to broaden its international reach, and he has given an additional $2 million a year in grants for students to go abroad for “significant international experiences.’’

So why do we bring this up?  For two reasons:  first, to show you how the importance of international education is growing at a very rapid pace.  In twenty years, in most parts of the world a domestic education – an education without significant experience in another country, language and culture – will be viewed as a lower form of education.  As a Harvard professor states int he article:

We don’t have to force anybody to go abroad or study languages. They get it. This is the 21st century.

The second reason we mention this article is simply to show you that there is a reason why you, as an international student, have heard LOTS and LOTS about Harvard (and Yale, and Columbia, and Princeton, and Stanford, etc.).    It’s because these universities:

1. Were some of the first to internationalize
2. Have immense resources to advertise to international students
3. Have prestigious names to begin with

Please note that none of the above three things necessarily means that these schools will provide you with the best education.  Remember that there are thousands of other U.S. universities you’ve never heard of, not because they’re bad schools, but because they don’t have the above advantages.  It’s up to you to search for these schools, and to compare them with better, well-known options.

1. The purpose of the Census is to obtain an accurate demographic portrait of the nation.  The Census asks a variety of questions in order to understand details about American communities.
2. The Census is used to determine a number of important things – for example, the amount of federal funding a particular town (or university) will receive for certain projects.  For this reason, universities have an incentive to make sure all of their students complete the Census.
3. The Census is taken once every ten years.
4. The Census process is simple:  The Census distributes Census forms to every residence (and dorm room) in the country.  Ideally, those that receive the form fill it out on their own.  In practice, the Census has to send Census takers around to follow up with many households.
5. The Census results are not shared with  law enforcement officials or members of the Dept. of Homeland Security.

Should international students complete a Census form?  Absolutely. The purpose of the Census is to understand who lives and studies in the U.S.  Don’t neglect this opportunity to be counted!

Why is it so hard to get a visa?

Why does the U.S. maintain such a strict visa system?

These are difficult questions to answer, and in truth I don’t think anyone fully comprehends the U.S. visa system.  Having said that, today’s L.A. Times has an incredible story that shows why visa controls are necessary.

The story recounts how one man was paid thousands of dollars by international students to attend their classes for them, just so they could maintain their visa status.

. . . Higgins was not a student and wasn’t registered in any of the classes, authorities said. Rather, dozens of foreign students . . . were paying him to sit in class, take exams and write papers so that their student visas would remain valid, according to a charging document filed in the case. Students paid up to $1,500 for course assignments and finals and about $1,000 for English and writing proficiency exams, prosecutors allege.

Of course, this was a very small number of international students.  But it’s cases like these that justify, in the minds of many, the complexity and strictness of the U.S. visa procedure.

At premiere institutions such as the University of Chicago’s Booth School, the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, and Northwestern’s Kellogg, the percentage of MBAs taking jobs in Asia . . .has more than doubled in the past five years, from roughly 5% of the graduating class to more than 10%.

The article is specifically about business school graduates, but the principle holds for a quality education at any level:  it opens doors for you, not only in your own country, or in the country where you are studying, but all over the world.

But the best is yet to come.  Soon, universities will look at their incoming classes and count how many spots they need to fill with additional international students.  At that point, they’ll become even more interested in students who filled out myUface applications.

So, if you haven’t finished your application, do so now.  Remember, that means completing the application AND uploading essays, resumes / CVs, and recommendations.  That means letting us know about any standardized test scores.  That means, in short, making sure your application is as good as you can possibly make it.

1. Be professional! These universities are interested in learning more about you. Your response to universities will tell them much about you. If you don’t respond in a professional and mature way, then the university will likely not come aware with a positive impression of you.
2. Respond! Once you get an email from a university, respond to them! If you don’t, it looks bad both for you and our network. Even if you are not interested, it makes sense for you to talk with the university, learn about them and generate interest in you!

Remember, even if the university that contacts you is not your first choice, it may be a great fit for you. Moreover, if you have a couple universities that you are talking with, you might be able to negotiate a better financial package from one of them!

As always, we’re here to help. If you hear from a university and would like to talk about it, let us know.

It’s no surprise that students gravitate towards those schools, because they are commonly listed at the top of international rankings.  We have an important message to share with you, however:  in many cases, the rankings don’t make sense. The rankings are made for the entire student population.  But you aren’t the entire student population.  You’re you.  And for your needs, sometimes a small, unheard of school will actually provide a better education, and usually at a fraction of the cost.

This article in the Financial Post Magazine delves into the issue of rankings in a wonderful way.  I encourage all of you to read it!  Money quotation:

So while any observers and even some professors are rightfully questioning the value of an MBA from anywhere, a similar question has long been asked of MBA rankings. There’s no doubt they sell magazines and newspapers, and hence, advertising. For proof, just take a look at how fat MBA issues are compared to the ones that sandwich them. That’s certainly value for cash-strapped publishers, but less certain is whether there’s any value for the people who read them.

According to this article, the amount of time allowed for OPT will be extended from 12 months to 29 months for students in the so-called STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics):

“The OPT facility is career-related and gives students the opportunity to gain experience and additional skills related to their area of studies. This flexible option is helping many Indian students, especially from the STEM disciplines, to acquire valuable work experience in the US, related to their area of studies,” James W Herman, minister, counsellor for consular affairs at the US Embassy, told ET.

Here’s another secret about community colleges, many of them offer a 4 year baccalaureate degree. The degrees are generally in areas like nursing, criminal justice or other areas directly related to a trade but if you are interested, let us know. We’ll help you find the right program.

Some examples you might check out include:

1. Tompkins Cortland Community College
2. Daytona State College
3. Madison Area Technical College
4. Owens Community College

As always, this is just a sampling of schools.   There are hundreds (if not thousands) of similar schools, all over the country.   myUface can help you find more, or you can apply directly. Just know that community colleges may be your best and most affordable way to get a very good education in the US.

A great example is this article about the University of Iowa.  It demonstrates how many public universities in the U.S. are responding to decreased funding, and also how student expectations are changing.  These two influences – funding and student expectations – will have a huge impact on the way U.S. universities interact with international students over the next ten years.

The parts I highlighted:

As state funding becomes a smaller portion of UI’s budget and UI tries to become more self-reliant, pulling in more money from tuition has become a target. This has meant raising tuition — which has doubled in 10 years — but also boosting the mix of out-of-state and international students, increasing enrollment and improving retention rates . . .

[S]tudents have a more specific focus than in they have in the past. In 1999, 28 percent of first-year students came in as open majors, but now only 18 percent of students do, he said.

The aid policy for international students: A few schools on this list, such as Princeton and Grinnell College in Iowa, commit to meet the financial needs of noncitizens. Many others, such as Northwestern and Adrian, don’t guarantee full aid for international students.

Here is the list of colleges and universities that claim to meet the full needs of students.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t specify if they will offer the same to international students.

In the Washington Post there’s a great article about a new way to measure university quality, called the student engagement survey.

Introduced 10 years ago by Indiana University researchers as an antidote to U.S. News, the survey has won buy-in from 1,400 colleges, with about half that number participating each year. Rather than rank colleges on overall quality, it attempts to quantify whether students at a particular school are learning, through a battery of questions: How often do you raise your hand in class? How many 20-page papers have you written? How often do you e-mail a professor? Each college is measured against similar institutions, and over time. But there is no overall ranking.

When you look at a university’s ranking, it’s also a good idea to look at data like that provided by such surveys, to get a fuller picture of the reality behind the ranking.

http://www.myuface.com/blog/additional-resources/

Here we’ll place websites, programs, etc. that we think you’ll find useful.  To start with we’ve got about ten links, but this number will grow over time.

Hope you find it useful!

http://twitter.com/gettingYOUintoU

We’ll use it to share news about our own efforts to connect students and universities, and about intl. student news in general.  See you there!

English Language Programs

We now have HUNDREDS of students registered at myUface.  Almost all of you say you want to get your undergraduate degree in the US.  However, many of you will not likely be able to get the 500 TOEFL score (paper based) to start an undergraduate program (let alone the 550 to begin most graduate programs).  If this situation sounds familiar to you, here’s an idea – think about a Summer English Language Program!  You will spend between 6 and 12 weeks in the US learning English and, in some cases, improving your study skills.

How much do these programs cost?  Some of the shorter programs cost as little as $3,000-$5,000!  This includes tuition, dormitory and meals (but sadly not airfare)!  That’s hard to beat and it will make you a much more attractive and successful student later.  Here are some of the programs we like (but there are literally TONS of others that are fantastic as well….just ask your local educational advisor):

1. Rochester Institute of Technology – great school, great location in New York and best of all….GREAT PRICE.  (7 weeks for about $4400)
2. Utah Valley University – some of the best skiing in the world right outside your dorm!  Very friendly and safe area not to mention it’s a wonderful program.  I visited this college and really liked it and the staff.  Even better, students who complete the ESL program are automatically eligible to register into regular degree seeking classes!
3. The University of Pittsburgh’s English Language Institute – Pitt’s ELI program even offers a three week cultural and language program during the summer where tuition is $1800.  They also offer a five week program for potential grad students that costs $2400 (tuition only).  Check them out!

Again, there are hundreds of great ESL programs out there that won’t break the bank.  If you think that an ESL program might be a better start for you, please go back into your myUface profile and choose “Special Program – ESL”.  Even better, if you think you might be able to afford the $4,000-7,000 price tag, indicate this on your profile.  This is important information for universities when they search your profile.

A complete application:

1. Has ALL applicable fields filled out (no blanks!)
2. Has an essay, a resume / CV, and a recommendation attached
3. (coming soon) has your transcripts from secondary school or university attached.  As of Feb. 8th, 2010, there is no space to do this at myUface, but we are adding this functionality soon,
4. Has standardized test scores noted.  For guidance on which test scores you need, contact us.

If you have most of these things, we will still share your application with universities, but be aware, if they’re interested in you they will nonetheless require all of the above information.  So be sure that, if you don’t have it completed yet, you’re working on it!

We believe we’ll be successful with many of our candidates.  Others don’t have applications that are complete enough for universities to truly consider.  You may be wondering, How can I improve my chances of getting into a U.S. university?

Two things:

1. Make sure your myUface application is complete. More tomorrow on what “complete” means.
2. Don’t only apply to universities through myUface.  Increase your chances of getting into a U.S. program by applying independently to universities as well.

Some sites want you to maintain an exclusive relationship with them and them alone.  Here, our priorities are different:  we want you to get into a U.S. university, no matter if you do that through us or on your own.

By applying independently to a few U.S. universities, you give yourself a good chance of being accepted directly to a program.  If you also apply through myUface, you’ve ensured that you have several chances for universities to notice you.

Applying to myUface alone is a great step, but we encourage all of you to pursue university applications independently as well.

Well, here’s a sign that an international education will be considered very valuable in the coming years:  the THINK Global School.

The Think Global School is a high school which changes its campus every trimester.  If you are a student at the school for four years, that means you will live and study in twelve different cities around the planet.  You can see more about the school here.

So why is this relevant to students considering studying at a university i the U.S.?  Well, the people behind Think Global clearly believe that an international education is worth a lot, and that parents will be willing to pay very high tuition in order to prepare their students for a globalized world.

Just how much is that international education worth?  Well, one year at Think Global school costs $88,000.  Yes, eighty-eight THOUSAND.

Tuition at a U.S. university doesn’t look so expensive any more, does it?

Many international students are used to living at home with their parents, and the transition to “dorm life” – especially to living with a roommate – can be challenging.  For that reason, it’s a good idea to learn as much as you can about dorms before you ever set foot in one.  Try googling “dorm life” to find articles such as this one.

The more you know about dorms, the better prepared you’ll be to study in the U.S.