Applying To An American University: All Steps Explained
Let’s imagine that you’ve decided to apply for an American university. You’ve done your research, chosen the best university and the most exciting program. What’s next? It’s all about the application process now. Keep reading this article to learn what the typical university application in the USA includes and how you can nail it. Also, I’ve included a special offer for LinguaTrip.com’s higher education consultation at the end of this article.
Where To Begin
Head to the website of your chosen university and check out the How to Apply section. There, you will find the list of documents and test results you will need to provide along with your application. Information about your personal statement, recommendation letters, portfolio, or interviews will also be there. Pay special attention to the application deadlines. I would advise marking it in your calendar so you can plan your time in the best possible way.
What You Need To Provide
Motivation letter
A motivation letter is also known as a personal statement or cover letter. While different universities may use different terms, it’s the same document which outlines your personal skills and explains why you decided to apply for this program at this university.
You need to show why you are the best candidate for this program and how you stand out from the rest of the applicants. The more prestigious the university you are trying to get into is, the more creative and convincing your letter should be. Remember that you need to talk not only about your academic skills and records, but also about your professional interests, volunteering experiences, talents and hobbies.
Sometimes, universities can give you a more specific topic for your cover letter. E.g. asking you about a life-changing moment that happened to you, or inviting you to give advice to others. Attentively check what exactly the admissions committee wants to see in your letter before writing it. I’ve already explained in detail how to write a perfect motivation letter here, so check out this text.
Resume or CV
For Bachelor’s, they usually simply go with an application form. However, for higher level degrees, such as Master’s and MBA programs, they will ask for your resume to better understand your work experience, see what leads you back to the university, and what basis, both academic and practical, you have to continue your education.
Remember that it should be sweet and short: one page if you have less than 10 years of working experience, and two pages if you’ve been working for over 10 years. Select the facts attentively and highlight your key projects, skills and achievements. No need to list all your publications, awards, and certificates here. Focus on what’s the most relevant to the current application. Read my previous article to learn more about writing a perfect CV.
Do not worry if you are a recent graduate and do not have a lot of work experience. List your volunteering experience and internships in your CV, and prepare a stronger cover letter. What matters is your strong passion for the chosen field of study and your skills and knowledge to succeed in your degree program.
Video statement
Some universities may ask you to submit not only a written personal statement and CV, but also to prepare a short introduction video. They want to see you and re-create the meeting-in-person experience. Don’t be scared, and there is no need to be too creative either. Simply take your phone or camera and record yourself against a neutral background. To add some personal touch, you can sit at your desk or next to your bookshelf when recording this video.
Think about what you want to say — it’s important to know exactly which experiences and achievements to mention as the videos are usually short, 60 to 120 seconds. However, do not write a strict script and learn it by heart. It will make you sound like a robot, and take away your natural charm and charisma. Instead, map out your speech and have a list with a plan in front of you. It will help you to stay on track and include everything you want while still being yourself.
While not many universities require video statements at the moment, I’m sure it will become an increasingly demanded part of the application. And we should all be ready to present ourselves well in all possible formats from a written personal statement to a short video to telephone call to an in-person interview.
Recommendation letters
Another important part of any university application is the letters of recommendation. Often the universities will ask for two letters, one proving your academic background, and one regarding your personal or professional skills (depending on the level of the program you are applying for). The most important things to remember here are:
- The person who writes a recommendation letter for you should know you well personally and be able to provide some insights into your personality, character, skills, work ethics, etc.
- It will be great if you could sit down with that person and discuss what exactly they are going to include in their recommendation. This way, you know what they will say and can ensure that nothing is omitted from their statement.
- The person will need to submit the recommendation letter directly and they will need to use their professional email address, either though the university or with their company credentials. Generic emails, e.g. @gmail, @yahoo, or others won’t work.
To learn everything about perfect recommendation letters, check out my previous post.
Transcripts
This is, basically, your GPA at your previous level of education (high school for Bachelor’s, Bachelor’s for Masters). If you are still completing your degree when applying for a new program, you can submit your current grades (and projected final grades if your institution provides these). Then, you will receive the conditional admission and you will be able to provide the actual diploma and transcripts when you finish your current stage of education.
Test scores
Different universities and programs will require different tests and exams to be taken by applicants, I’ve covered this in detail in this post. The test that is usually required by any American university is a language exam, TOEFL or IELTS, unless you are coming from a country where English is the official language or you’ve got your previous degree in English from a globally recognized institution.
Remember that many tests only have sessions a few times per year, so, in order to pass them all, get the results and submit your application in time, you should start planning your application process at least one year in advance. Mark all the deadlines and plan the dates for your exams accordingly.
Thesis, creative project outline, or portfolio
This part is usually required for Master’s or higher level degree programs. The university may want to see the outline of your research or creative project that you plan to complete by the end of your studies. You are expected to have some areas of professional interest, and they encourage you to share what you are planning to do while studying there.
I would recommend that you be very cautious when choosing some rare or very narrow fields as the admissions committee may feel that they lack the specialists to assist you with your project. Instead, try to look at the talent who works at your chosen university and ensure that their expertise areas match your thesis.
Application fee
Don’t be surprised that many American universities charge a fee for submitting your application. The amount completely depends on the university and may range from $15 to $250.
However, in some cases, the fee can be waived. It happens when you have high exam scores and a strong application and they want you to become their student. Look for information about this on the application page; if there is no clear list of cases that qualify for a fee waiver, fill in all the sections of your application and reach out to the admissions committee with that question.
Additional information and supporting documents
This part of the application is not mandatory, however, it can help you to enhance your application and make your case look stronger.
What can you attach to your application besides the aforementioned above documents? Any proof of your talents, achievements in hobbies and extracurricular activities, such as arts, sports, languages, etc. For example, these can be certificates and awards from national and international competitions, it can include your publication in professional or mass media, it can be gratitude letters from your professors, mentors, etc. It’s also a good place to mention any languages you speak if you have not mentioned them anywhere previously. Anything that will help them better understand your personality.
How important every part of your application is
It may seem that there are so many documents you need to prepare, so many letters to write, and so many things to think about that you cannot be equally dedicated to everything.
Here is an approximate weight of every part of your application in terms of its influence on the final decision on your admission:
Your GPA + test scores = 30%. These are the most basic parts of any application. These are the easiest part to measure and compare with other applicants, so they may often be used as the first-stage filter. For top universities, if your GPA and test scores are lower than a certain level, they won’t even look at other parts of your application.
Your resume and past achievements = 30%. Here we include your work experience, participation in conferences and competitions, volunteering, etc. Any university looks for passionate and motivated students, and your involvement in the industry shows how deep your interest is. Ensure that you mention all your relevant experiences. If something you’ve done in the past does not directly link to your chosen field of study, explain in your motivation letter how exactly it will help you during your degree program.
Your personal statement = 30%. This is the part that will help you to showcase your personality and your wider range of non-academic achievements. This essay is what will help you to stand out. It’s here where you make arguments why they should accept you to the university of your dreams. The admission committee often pays close attention to this document and it can make or break it for you, depending on how strong your arguments are.
Your recommendation letters = 10%. The last but not the least part of your application, the recommendation letters are often considered together with your personal statement and CV or application form that describes your work experience, volunteering and other activities. Ideally, your recommendation letters will support all the statements you make in your application and will validate your claims. However, a weak recommendation may raise some doubts in the admissions board. If your referee is not your strong advocate or writes only generic phrases about you, the board may question their relation to you and the truth of all your statements. Be wise when choosing people to ask for recommendations and don’t underestimate the importance of this bit.
To nail the application, you can work with our higher education consultant. We offer professional assistance with all stages of your application to a USA university from choosing the right schools and programs for you to overseeing your application, communicating with universities for you, filing the documents for your US visa and assisting with your move to the USA. Over 300 students from different countries have already got into American universities with our help, and you can be next. Don’t forget to use the promo code APPLYUS10 at the checkout to get $10 off your consultation!
What Should I Do If I don’t Have Something
Many prospective students worry that they do not have work experience or any awards and certificates to showcase with their application. It may be not that important for an average good university, but it definitely matters if you are applying for the top-ranking universities or hoping to get financial aid.
One way to solve this problem is to start planning your application at least one-two years in advance. This way, you will attentively study the average class profile, understand the admissions criteria, and be able to fill in the gaps in your portfolio. Get some volunteering experience or a summer internship, participate in conferences or big academic events, submit entries for relevant academic competitions — these are all possible to do within a few months. Mentioned in your application, these activities will prove your strong interest in the chosen field, your passion.
Another common worry is a low GPA. In some cases, universities announce the minimum GPA level you need to have to apply for certain programs. If you do not meet these criteria, it’s time to look for alternative programs at other universities. Another case is when there are no officially announced minimum GPA requirements, but from your own research you can see that your GPA is lower than the average class profile GPA. In this case, you still can apply for the chosen program but you need to ensure that the other parts of your application stay well above the average and this will compensate for a lower GPA score.
If you feel that more than one part of your application pack is not good enough for the universities, you may think about a plan “B”. There is more than one way to get into your dream profession, and I’ve covered them all in this article.
Summary
Applying for an American university can be tricky. An application form, motivation letter, CV, GPA, exam results, recommendations, portfolio — there are so many documents you need to think about. And then there is a comparison of your achievements with the average class profile, numerous deadlines, and the need to start planning this at least a year in advance! To ease the burden, I’ve included links to detailed guides on nailing every part of your application to this article. If it still feels like too much pressure, you can always ask for help: our professional higher education advisors are here for you.
