US Colleges/Universities Admissions

USA/North American College Admissions

Colleges in the States operate by an entirely different set of standards. The ‘holistic nature’ of the admissions process employs a highly unusual set of criteria that universities elsewhere would normally eschew. When applying to the States, an applicant’s academic prowess should never be considered the be all end all.

Applicants should be aware of the typical requirements of U.S. colleges. In addition to any high school exam results/diploma that a secondary school may require of its students, U.S. colleges will also require that applicants have an SAT/ACT score. Many schools may have dropped this requirement during the 2020 application cycle given the unusual circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, but make no mistake, these standardized tests are as crucial as ever. The loosely structured nature of the application process and the supposed optionality of many listed credentials have led many unwary applicants to failure when they could have very much succeeded had they remained vigilant.

Application Process

Applications to most colleges, both private and public, are typically only available through the “Common Application.” Some colleges, however, do allow students to submit direct applications through their systems (that are typically available on their websites). Applicants who wish to apply to the University of California (UC) schools will have to submit separate applications through the UC system.

Essential Items of a College Application:

• High School Transcript.
  ‍Request a copy of your transcript from your current/former institution if unavailable.

• Extracurricular Activities.
  Applicants are strongly encouraged to detail their life outside the classroom through extracurricular activities, work, and family responsibilities. This is typically the factor that can help colleges differentiate between otherwise similar candidates.

• Standardized Test Results.
  Many colleges require the SAT or ACT. These requirements were dropped during the 2020 application cycle given the unusual circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and several institutions have considered abolishing the requirement altogether. However, the admissions stats indicate that, for the top institutions, these tests are just as crucial as ever – the loosely structured nature of the application process and the purported optionality of many listed credentials have led many an unwary applicant to failure.

• Language Proficiency Tests for International Students.
  Colleges may require international applicants to submit proof of English proficiency, typically in the form of the TOEFL and/or the IELTS.

• Common Application Essay.
  The Common Application essay is a personal statement of approximately 650 to 700 words that is standardized across all school applications – every school (regardless of how many you apply to) will receive the exact same essay. 

• College-Specific Essay(s).
  Many colleges will require additional essays and/or short answers in response to college-specific questions. These college-specific questions can be found on the Common Application website.

• Letters of Recommendation.
  Colleges may require an applicant to submit a number of LORs – there is typically an additional requirement, that the LORs come from a teacher or a counselor who knows the applicant well.

College Application Deadlines

Applicants can choose to apply through Early Decision (ED) and Regular Decision (RD). Note that not all schools offer ED though some may offer a variant of the ED, e.g., the Early Action (EA). If a school does offer ED, it will typically have a deadline somewhere in November – ED results typically come out by the end of December. ED decisions are binding – the applicant, upon receiving an offer, will have no choice but to enroll unless they have chosen to attend college in another country. 

Regular Decision (RD), by contrast, will typically have a deadline somewhere between December and mid-January – there is a lot of variation as to when RD results come out, but they are typically available somewhere between March and April. Unlike ED, RD decisions are non-binding – the applicant, upon receiving an offer, can choose to turn it down. 

How We Can Help You Get Accepted!

Our consultants and mentors, U.S. graduates themselves, are very familiar with this rather peculiar process. Thanks to them, our students have enjoyed tremendous success in the last application cycle despite many irregularities, i.e., widespread cancellations of the SAT and ACT. In providing guidance at each step of the process, our students walk a way with a much better understanding of the opaque requirements of their target schools and the makings of an effective application strategy.

It truly is never too early (though it can be too late) to start prepping for the U.S. application cycle. Please feel free to contact us should you have any questions and/or if you would like to set up a free consultation session with us.