Lowell NancyMany international applicants do not understand or do not know how difficult and thorny the path of admission to American universities is: what it consists of, when to start preparing for the American tests, when to pass the international exams, how to write an entrance essay and how to properly prepare all documents – all this is impossible to do without sufficient time and a clear strategy.
When considering an applicant’s application package, the GPA (grade point average) of the applicant plays a huge role. But you have to understand that admissions officers pay attention not only to academic performance, but also to various other indicators of a prospective student. I call it the Academic Beauty Contest.
Everything is evaluated: your personal qualities, what others say about you, your classes, achievements and interests outside of school. So you have to give the universities a comprehensive portfolio that makes you stand out from the other candidates, and it takes a lot of time to prepare it. This is why American students start to prepare 2-3 years before they apply. International students need even more time to prepare, because they need to master English at a high enough level, take additional tests, collect and properly prepare a large number of documents. And most importantly – you need to understand the process long before admission, to feel its importance and to tune in.
University tours play a big role in this for both students and their parents. They help you get a feel for the culture and atmosphere of each individual university, get to know campus life, and understand how difficult it is to get there. In addition, (in some cases) universities also want to get to know you and see how interested you are. So if you can, be sure to visit as many of the schools you are considering in advance as possible.
