Higher Education in the USA

The United States of America! Hundreds of thousands of people aspire to make their way to the United States each year. Some make it while others don't.
So what is it that makes the United States such a sought after destination for tourists, businessmen and students alike? Simply put...it is the land of opportunity. The Promise land!

Getting an American degree may not be as difficult as you might have imagined it to be. There are thousands of universities that provide bachelors, masters and doctorate level degrees in every imaginable program. From engineering to arts and sciences, business administration to healthcare, physical education to music, the schools here have it all. The best part of the universities here is that most of them offer competitive scholarships to international students in most of these programs. The scholarships not only waive all or part of the tuition fee, they might also entitle the qualifying student to receive a monthly stipend of around $800 - $1,000.So, not only does the student have to pay virtually nothing to the university, he/she may instead be provided with enough money to pay for necessities like rent, food, books and medical insurance.

So how does one go about getting a US degree? The ETS (Educational Testing Syndicate), conducts computer and paper based tests throughout the year to enroll students into the various programs in universities of their choice. Some of the commonly taken tests are the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) and the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).The GRE is the test ALL engineering and science students have to take in order to qualify for the Master's program in their chosen area of specialization. The GMAT is mandatory for all those who seek to pursue an MBA degree in the United States. The TOEFL is the easiest of all these tests and is compulsory for all prospective students.

So what kind of tests are these anyway? The GRE and the GMAT test the students on two areas: Verbal and Quantitative. In other words, English and Math. The math is  
elementary and requires basic knowledge of Algebra, Geometry and Arithmetic. Students who have taken math till the 10th standard should have no trouble with the math in either the GRE or the Gnat’s much for the Quantitative section of the tests. Now the Verbal or English section of the GRE and the GMAT requires the student to have a high degree of understanding of the English language. The GRE tests a students' vocabulary to the core while the GMAT tests the students' grammar. This is the only section of these tests where students take a beating. However, doing well on the Verbal section is not that difficult. All that one needs is a little guidance and the will to work hard. The proper study materials also go a long way in getting a good score. The market is flooded with study guides for all these tests. The recommended ones would be Barron's Guide to the GRE / GMAT, the Princeton Series and the Kaplan Series. One could also purchase CDs from these publishers that allow the student to take practice tests at home. Taking these practice tests is perhaps the best way to increase your score in these tests.
The TOEFL is a relatively easy test that seeks to establish the fact that the student possesses the required English speaking, listening and writing skills in order to be able to understand what is taught in American classrooms. The test could be computer or paper based and one can secure a maximum of 300 points on it. Most of the universities require the students to secure a score of around 220 on the TOEFL. It is a rarity that a student from the Darjeeling hills should get anything below a 260 on the test.

There are, however, a few stipulations that one must meet before going about taking these tests. The American educational council does not recognize a three (3) year bachelor's degree. Colleges in the United States have courses similar to the ones we have back home but they are all four (4) years in duration. This, again, is not necessarily the rule of thumb. Every university has its own set of rules regarding admissions and while some strictly refuse admission to anyone with less than four years of undergraduate (bachelors) degree, some are more accommodating.
The GRE and the GMAT, although necessary, are not the only factors that could turn the tide in the students' favor as far as admissions are concerned. Most universities give a lot of weightage to students who have previous work experience in their chosen field of study. So if you are a student of Chemistry and have some work experience in your field, say for instance you have been an assistant in your college laboratory or have aided a professor on some research work, you stand a very good chance of being enrolled in the master's program in the United States along with a graduate assistant scholarship. That is, you will be awarded the position of student assistant to some professor with a monthly stipend to boot and have to pay absolutely nothing to the university. Work experience comes in handy especially for those seeking MBA and MS (Master of Science) degrees.

 Some students, however, do not qualify for scholarships and financial aids in America while in college. There could be several reasons for that to happen. The student may not have made the cutoff score on the GRE or the GMAT,.., the student might not have the required number of years of undergraduate studies,.., the student could have applied to some very prestigious universities ( Harvard, Yale, Columbia and Kellogg ).All is not lost for these students as well. If they are able to prove that they are capable of securing good grades in their first semester of studies, universities usually grant them scholarships from the second semester onwards. Students can also earn enough money to support themselves by working on campus. Jobs can be found at the libraries, gymnasiums, cafeterias, parking lots, as secretaries to professors or as tutors in various departments.

In short, a US degree is no more just a dream even to those of us living in a relatively technology deprived part of the country. The students of Darjeeling and the neighboring hills have enough grey matter in them to be able to set, attain and surpass every goal they set themselves!

If you would like to know more about the study programs here in the United States of America, would like to get specific details on any one particular study program, would like to learn more about the GRE, GMAT and the TOEFL tests or have any other questions, please feel free to send in your queries to pravatp@hotmail.com.