A comprehensive guide to Applying for Universities in the US

The US has always been identified as a land of opportunities. It has the headquarters of a few of the highly reputed MNCs like Google, Facebook, and others. In a true sense, it is a destination that operates at several levels: right from vocational, recreational, training, employment, and concluded educational purposes.

Process of Admissions

The US has a few of the highly competitive Universities globally that value holistic assessment in place of one-dimensional judgment. It implies that each University in the US has a precise essay that has to be to be written compulsorily by the students during the application process.

The essay needs intensive thought at various levels necessitating the student to interpret, excavate, question, and most crucially, relate. These essays enable the student to question their purpose, the particular reason for considering the school of their dreams as the “dream school”.

A few US Universities like the MIT, Georgetown University, and UCs have their individual application process, while the majority of the Universities utilize the Common Application.

An interactive and user-friendly platform Common Application permits the students to include multiple colleges and then successively make the applications. Through it the students can observe each University’s essay prompts and systematically align their application.

Application Deadlines

In contrast with the UK, the US Universities have several application rounds that are as follows:

The Round Early Decision

The convenient manner for remembering the Round Early Decision is by terming it as another name for confidence and total commitment. It can be regarded as the “ I am assured” round in which the student selects a specific college on which they have set their heart and filed an application for that college.

During the process of application, the student is required to sign the contract for early decision with the college. It is a promise that they will withdraw the remaining applications at other colleges and attend this college if accepted by this college.

The Round for Early Decision enhances your prospects of acceptance by the chosen dream college. However, it also nullifies your prospects for other colleges in the US.

For example, consider that a student is accepted at Columbia University’s Barnard College during the Round for Early Decision. However, if the student develops an inclination and interest to a certain level towards Rochester University, they will not be able to consider this option.

Nevertheless, if you are determined regarding your aim and are totally certain about your dream University then go ahead and file the application.

The majority of the students prefer IVL – Ivy League Colleges as their ED College and aim to broaden their horizons in an existing tapered alley. Normally, the deadline for ED for the majority of the colleges is November 1st however it fluctuates from the first to the fifth of November.

The Round Early Action

In the Round Early Action, the students are permitted to file applications for several colleges in which they possess an evident and growing interest. It offers them an edge in the process of application and if they are approved by the schools they had applied to they are not required to remove their applications in other places. It means they are not tied. On the other hand, this round is the most feasible and attractive at all stages of college-student evaluation.

Examples of such Universities are Tulane University, Agnes Scott College, and others.

Round Early Action has a deadline of either December 1st or November 15th.

The Round Regular Decision

The Round Regular Decision can be termed as the no gain, no loss round due to the fact that the name in itself explains it. As implied by the term ‘Regular’ the Round Regular Decision is the chief decisive round that has a standard deadline that ranges from January 1st to January 10th.

This round assesses all the students at the same level and evaluates applying the identical set of standards. The results of the Round Regular Decision are normally announced in the 2nd week of March and continue up to April's first week.

The Essay Common App

The Essay Common App is probably the structure of a firm US application. This essay enables the students to convey their individual and personal tales to the Officers in charge of admissions. They are allowed to provide their context/background to their application via the Essay Common App. It is a sole-of-its-kind space allowing the student to have a one-on-one conversation with the Officer for Admissions and offer them a personal and unique insight into their application.

This was a brief overview of the admissions process for the US Universities.