This guest post may be of some interest to Indian students who want to study in the US. The usual disclaimers apply: your mileage may vary, some assembly required, batteries not included, contents may have settled during shipment, void where prohibited by law, not suitable for children under 5, may cause dizziness shortness of breath or nausea, vehicles will be towed at owner’s expense, etc. This exhausts our inventory of guest posts for the decade. Enjoy

Useful Tips and Resources for Indian Students Seeking to Study Abroad in the United States

Brian Jenkins
July 2010

The United States is one of the most popular locations for Indian students who want to study abroad. The Unites States offers a high quality college education. Shown below is a variety of valuable information and resources for students who want to attend a college in the United States:

1. Popular colleges: In descending order, the following list shows the most popular schools in the United States for international students: University of Southern California, New York University, Columbia University, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Purdue University. The state of California has the largest number of international college students. New York is second and Texas is third.
2. Colleges – High percent of foreign students: Some of the colleges with the highest percentage of international students are the University of Maine – Fort Kent 25% (Fort Kent, Maine); University of the Ozarks: 18% (Clarksville, Arkansas); Dordt College: 16% (Sioux Center, Indiana); Cooper Union 15% (New York, New York), East-West University: 12% (Chicago, Illinois); Lake Superior State University: 11% (Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan); University of Charleston: 10% (Charleston, West Virginia); Union College: 9% (Lincoln Nebraska); and Marietta College: 9% (Marietta, Ohio).
3. Selecting a school: Some of the best websites for finding U.S. colleges and universities which offer desired educational programs are: College Board, The Princeton Review and US News.
4. USA government source: Education USA is the only official U.S. government source for higher education opportunities. It has a informative web page which offers a variety of information for international students. Education USA also has a useful web page which provides information on undergraduate study, graduate study, specialized professional study, searching for colleges and universities and other topics. The questions and answers page allows students to ask specific questions.
5. Placement services: The Institute of International Education an independent not-for-profit, organization established in 1919, offers placement services which strives to match each student with the best possible academic program. Each year the Institute of International Education places more than 3,000 undergraduate and graduate students from over 175 countries into colleges and universities located in the United States.
6. Engineering programs: Quality engineering programs meet the minimum education standards set by the Accredited Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). Most employers prefer to hire engineers that completed an ABET accredited program.
7. Community colleges: There are close to 1,200 community colleges in the United States. They provide two-year degrees and certificates. They offer low cost, high quality courses. Community colleges also offer career specific training programs. Completing the general education courses of a bachelor’s degree at a community college is a great way to save a substantial amount of money. Community colleges have easy to meet admissions requirements.
8. Student visa: In order to obtain a student visa, applicants are required to provide the following: a form I-20 which is acquired from a U.S. college or university; a completed nonimmigrant visa application form (OF-156) along with a photograph of the applicant; a passport valid for at least six months after the proposed entry date into the United States; and a receipt for a visa processing fee. Applicants should be prepared to provide diplomas and transcripts from previously attended institutions; standardized test scores and evidence of financial support while studying in the United States.

Resources

• Education USA
• United States – India Educational Foundation
• American Society for Engineering Education (ASSE)
• American Association for Community Colleges

Brian Jenkins writes about Systems Software Engineering Careers for Braintrack.com.