Brief History
Government supported and free public schools for all began to be established in America after the American revolution of 1776. Between 1852 and 1917 many states in USA passed laws to make schooling compulsory for all children. By 1970, 72 percent of all children attended school. Between 1910 and 1940 high school movement resulted in increasing public high school enrollment and graduation. By 1930, 100 percent of children attended school (excluding the disable children). In 1946 National School Lunch Act,( which is still in operation) provided low cost lunch to low-income students. In 1975, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act provided funding for special education for all handicapped children.
Educational Stages
Formal education in the US is divided into a number of distinct educational stages. Most children enter the public school system around age five or six. Children are assigned into year groups known as grades (class in India).
General level Level Starting age
Preschool Pre-kindergarten 3-5
Elementary school Kindergarten to 5th grade 5-11
Junior High School 6th, 7th, 8th grade 10-14
(Middle School)
High School 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th 14-18
Junior College or
Community College 2-year Associate degree Any Age
College/University Bachelor, Master, Ph.D. 18- 22 and older
Education up to high school is free for all students if they attend public schools. Public schools are funded by property tax (house tax), grants from the state and very little federal grant. As a result, schools in the richer neighborhood are usually better than schools in the poorer neighborhood. Public schools up to high school are managed by the local school boards elected by the people. If parents choose a private school for their children they have to pay for it.
Higher Education
Higher education in the United States is optional. Students can attend one of the 4,495 colleges or universities and junior colleges in the country. Like high school, the four undergraduate years are commonly called as freshman (1st year), sophomore (2nd year), junior (3rd year) and senior (4th year). Upon completion, students get a bachelor degree –Bachelor of Arts (B.A), a Bachelor of Science (B.S), a Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A), Bachelor of Social Work (B.S.W) or Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng.). Professional degrees such as law, medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, veterinary medicine are offered as graduate study after earning a bachelor’s degree depending upon the programme.
Graduate Study
After getting a bachelor degree, a student can obtain a master’s degree in many fields like-Master of Arts(M.A), Master of Science(MS), Master of Business Administration(MBA) or Master of Education(M.Ed) or Master of Fine Arts(MFA).
After additional years of study and sometimes in conjunction with the completion of a master degree, students may earn a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.).
Entrance into graduate programs usually depends upon a student’s undergraduate academic performance -GPA (Grade Point Average), professional work experience as well as their score on a standardized entrance exam like- the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), the Medical College admission Test (MCAT), or the Law School Admission Test (LSAT).
Cost
In general, private colleges and universities charge higher tuition than state universities. As each state supports its own university system with state taxes, they charge higher fees for the out of state and foreign students. The tuition for the private university like Harvard, Yale, and Stanford can be much higher than a good state university like University of Michigan or California. The best way to find the total cost (tuition, room and board and other expenses) is to visit the web site of the particular college or university. For example, for Harvard University, the undergraduate tuition for 2017 was $45000.0+ $15000.0 for room and board+ $3000.0 for other expenses, a total of $63000.0 a year. Based on the current conversion rate for 1 dollar to 65 rupees it comes to 40 lakhs and ninty five thoudands rupees. The total cost for attending a state or public university for foreign student may be little less but not much less. For example -the total cost to attend University of Texas at Austin (tuition $36000.0+ room and board $12,000.0 + other expenses$4000.0) is $52000.0 or close to 34 lakh rupees a year.
Education up to high-school level is free to all students. However the cost of higher education is quite high for all students in America. Many poor students can get federal and state grants and scholarship. Limited numbers of merit scholarships are available to all students. However most students work part time or take low interest student loans to finance their higher education. Foreign students are not eligible for student loan. Many of them do get scholarship from the college or university if they have good academic records. But it is not easy to get these scholarships.
Unless your parents are quite rich, you should not come to USA for undergraduate study. Post graduate study like MA, MS and Ph.D is a different matter. If you can get admission and have some financial resources, do attend a US university. In the long run you will do much better in your career. A post graduate or a doctoral degree from an US university will increase your chance of getting a work visa. With a work visa you will be able to earn more and stay in US.
Eligibility for Admission for a Graduate Programme in US
Each university has its own admission criteria for foreign students. You should visit their websites for details. Here are the minimum requirements (just for example) for admission for the Graduate School, to the University of Texas, at Austin (graduateschool.utexas.edu/admission).
1-You must have a bachelor degree from US or a comparable degree from a foreign institution.
2- GPA-3.0
A grade-point average of at least 3.0(on scale of 4.0).
3 – Officila Test Scores(GRE,GMAT, TOFEL,IELTS)
Check with the programme to which you are applying to see which test you should take. Foreign students must take either TOFEL or the Academic Examination of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).
4 – Adequate preparation
Your academic records must reflect your adequate preparation for your proposed graduation major.
The Status Ladder
American college and university, faculty, students and applicants monitor ranking produced by magazine such as U.S. News and World Report, The Princeton Review, Washington Monthly and The Wall Street Journal and few more. These ranking is based on factors like brand recognition, selectivity in admissions, faculty research, student grants and graduation rate etc. In the Times Higher Education World University Ranking, 27 of the top 50 Universities in the world are in USA.
Ranking of the US Universities
The top 10-overall (The Wall Street Journal Sept, 27, 2017)
1-Harvard University
2-Columbia University
3-Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
4-Stanford University
5-Duke University
6-Yale University
7-California Institute of Technology (CALTEC)
8-University of Pennsylvania
9-Princeton University
10-Cornell University
The top -10 Engineering Colleges (US News and World report 2018 education edition)
1-MIT
2-Stanford
3-U.C. Berkeley
4- CALTEC
5-Carnegie -Mellon
6- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
7- Georgia Institute of Technology
8-Purdue University
9-University of Illinois- Urbana
10-Texas A&M, College Park
Student Visas for USA
There are three different kinds of student visas for international students coming to US: F1 Visa, J1 Visa or M1 Visa. The F1 and J1 visas allow for the possibility of employment in the US during your stay, while the M1 visa does not. You need to be familiar with the types of visas, how they impact your financing while in the USA and how to go through the application and arrival process.
F-1 Visa (Academic Study)
The “F” visa is for academic studies. An F1 visa is issued to students who are attending an academic program or English Language Program. F1 students must maintain the minimum course load for full-time student status. F-1 status allows for part-time, on-campus employment, fewer than 20 hours per week. Additionally, students can work on optional practical training (OPT) for up to one year after completion of their academic program. Students are expected to complete their studies by the expiration date on the I-20 form(Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Status).The I-20 form is issued by the admitting university or college.
J-1 Visa (Practical Training)
A J1 visa is issued to students who need practical training that is not available in their home country to complete their academic training. J-1 student status allows for similar employment as for F-1 visa with similar restriction, as long as permission is given by the exchange visitor program sponsor.
M-1 Visa (Non-academic/Vocational)
An M1 visa is issued to a student who is going to attend a non-academic or vocational training. M1 visa holders are not permitted to work during the course of their training. They must have the evidence that sufficient funds are available for tuition and living expenses for the entire period of intended stay. (www.internationalstudent.com/study_usa/preparation/student-visa/)
Conclusion
In the year 2015-2016, 167,000 Indian students were attending US colleges and universities. Out of 2.4 million Indians in US, approximately 1 million are scientists and engineers. My advices to prospective Indian students are as follows:
1-do well in your study as an under graduate
2-apply to an US university for Master or Ph.D program preferably Ph.D. Most Ph.D students are from China and India. Your chance of getting financial aid will be more for Ph.D than for Master. If you cannot continue your Ph.D( it may take 3-5 years) you will still get a Master degree in 2 years as part of the Ph.D program.
First you have to make up your mind whether you want to do Ph.D or not. Doing Ph.D is a long term commitment. However with a Ph.D degree your chance of getting into research in US, both in universities and private industries or being a professor will be higher. With a job in hand your chance of obtaining a permanent US visa also will be much better.
* Dr. Sahu is a graduate of AIIMS (New Delhi) and has been settled in US since 1970.
Sources:
wikipedia.org/wiki/college-admission-in-the-united-states
usnews&worldreport 2018 edt -usnews.com/education
usnewsglobaleducation.com