APPLICATION PROCEDURES:
You have a choice of application procedures in the US, what is often summarised as ED, EA or RD: each come with different requirements and have different deadlines.
- ED stands for Early Decision: ED applications are binding, that is you sign a legal agreement to attend this particular university if accepted; you need to meet a November 1st deadline and you will receive an answer by mid December
- EA stands for Early Action: EA applications are similiar to ED applications except they are non-binding and you may be able to make more than one EA application
- RD stands for Regular Decision: RD applications have to meet a deadline of end of December in most cases though some universities will allow a later deadline; unsuccessful ED or EA candidates are transferred to an RD track automatically
However there are further complications involved in this choice as many elite universities will introduce their own particular version of an early application: some Ivy League schools require Single Choice Early Action thus limiting you to one option only; others use a Restricted Early Action option which again imposes limitations on your range of choices.
The moral of the story is to check carefully what your university of choice requires and to be absolutely certain before you go down the ED route
Application Platforms
Most students will use the Common App (https://www.commonapp.org/) as the basic platform for their US applications. However not all universities use the Common App; some use the Coalition for Access (https://www.coalitionforcollegeaccess.org/) while others require direct applications. Your platform of choice will send to universities basic information such as personal details and educational achievements as well as teacher recommendations and one college essay.
APPLICATION DETAILS
US college applications are paper intensive: if you work through the Common App you will need to submit personal and educational details as well as one personal essay you select from the options provided. You will also need to submit 2 teacher recommendations and one counsellor recommendation: these will comment on your performance in school, both inside and outside of the classroom.
Every institution you choose to apply to will then ask for supplementary essay(s) – these are often along the lines of “explain why you chose us to apply to”.
As you can see, this involves a great deal of writing which puts a limit in practice on how many applications you an make – 10 to 12 would be a reasonable limit.
Holistic Applications
US college applications are famously holistic – they consider all aspects of your application not just the academic. This means that students need to submit details of activities they have been involved in both inside and outside of school that reflect the values their college of choice is looking for: this could be service to others, leadership, entrepreneurship or simply excellence in some shape or form.
Financial Issues
US universities are notoriously expensive with an average annual tuition fee of $50,000 upwards. International students can make a Needs-based application if they wish to notify the university that they will need extra funding but this will effect your chances of gaining an acceptance. Only 5 US universities offer a “Needs Blind”option to international students: Harvard, Yale, Princeton, MIT and Amherst College. Generous scholarships are available at many US colleges but this will need to take precedence when it comes to choosing a college list.
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