Applying to US Colleges from Nepal — Part II
Note: This blog was originally written in 2020, so not everything may be relevant now. Part I
Table of Contents
Introduction
Making that shortlist
∘ Subject/major you are interested in
∘ Financial aid
∘ Culture you want
∘ Fees associated with application
∘ Time you have
∘ Competitiveness of the schools + target-safety-stretch method
∘ Tools to help you match with right colleges
∘ My experience
Standardized tests
∘ Types of standardized tests
∘ Scores you need
∘ How to prepare
∘ How to register
∘ Timeline
∘ My Experience
Application
∘ Essays
∘ Recommendation letters
∘ Financial aid
∘ Submitting the Application
Finally,
Introduction
In the first part, I mostly wrote about the things students need to consider before applying, and showed general direction towards the application process. In this part, we will walk step by step in that direction. I’ll cover topics such as choosing the right schools to apply, preparing for standardized tests (SAT, TOEFL, and SAT IIs), writing essays, getting recommendation letters, and applying for financial aid/scholarships. You should, by no means, take this blog as your only guide or resource. There are a lot more really good guides elsewhere too.
Making that shortlist
There are more than 5000 colleges and universities in the US. Which ones should you apply to? Making a list of schools to apply is the first and arguably one of the most pivotal steps in your application process. Pivotal because that shortlist is the one that defines the direction for the rest of your application process, orients your mind, and determines how difficult your next steps will be. This decision can be very hard to make. The major principle to narrow down the list is to determine whether you and the school are a good match for each other. Also, you may have an urge to apply to as many schools as you want, but that is not the best strategy. These are some of the things that could be helpful to keep in mind:
Subject/major you are interested in
This is a major (unintended pun, and I like it) factor that helps narrow down your choices. I think this should also be the primary factor, i.e. first look at whether the school matches your academic interests rather than whether you match its. For example, if you know you’re interested in civil engineering, Harvard is out. Similarly, if you’re interested in drama, MIT is probably not the best place (although I thoroughly enjoyed the acting class I took).
Financial aid
This is one of the biggest factors because college education in the US is not cheap by any means. It’s especially important for international students because although there are a lot of financial aid and scholarship programs for in-state students and citizens, they are very rare for international students. There’s a separate section below on financial aid, but mentioning here is important because most Nepalis cannot afford to pay for college, so it’s a helpful metric in determining which schools you apply to. Make sure you can pay for the education somehow. This page shows some financial aid info for MIT for undergraduate students.
Culture you want
This is a bit less important of a factor for international students, especially Nepalis, because we are from such a different academic culture altogether that the culture differences among the US schools may not look that different to us. However, a school’s culture may have great influence on your personality in the future, and you may want to go to a school with a culture that nurtures you and molds you into the person you want to become. You may have preferences such as size of the school, staff to student ratio, village vs city, liberal arts college vs a university, student clubs and organizations, weather, class sizes, and all the things that make up a personality of a school. To figure that out takes a lot of time though. You’ll need to research about that university, read blogs and articles in the school’s websites, etc. For MIT, read some of the links on this page: https://mitadmissions.org/discover/life-culture/humans-of-mit/
Fees associated with application
It may be easy to miss, but application process is very costly. So you shouldn’t indiscriminately apply to a lot of schools. The application itself has a fee (eg. for MIT, it’s currently $75). In addition, if the schools need you to mail the documents to them, you need to pay the international shipping cost. Similarly, sending your standardized test scores to the schools costs money as well. All of this may affect which schools (based on their application fees and other costs) and how many schools you apply to.
For application fee, good news is that most schools waive the application fee if it really is a financial burden to your family. In common application counselor form, there is an option to request the fee waiver. You can talk to your academic counselor about your financial situation and ask them to choose that option. If the school you’re applying to is not a part of common application, or in case the school needs further documents, you can have your principal or academic counselor write and sign a letter mentioning your family’s financial situation and how the accumulated application fees can take a toll on your family. Include this letter with your application, and most likely the school should approve your waiver request. However, keep in mind that it can also deny your request, in which case you may need to pay it later or withdraw your application.
For sending standardized test scores to schools, you can ask your school or research online if they can accept the screenshots or printed pages of your test dashboard. Some schools may just accept the scores you reported without the need for official scores or any documents. However, if they ask for official scores to be sent to them, you need to pay. Currently, SAT scores cost ~$12 and TOEFL ~$20 per score report. While registering for the tests, you can enlist up to 4 schools for your scores to be sent for free (for both SAT and TOEFL).
There are additional costs when you apply for financial aid, mainly the cost of filling out something called a CSS profile (explained below in the financial aid section). Currently, it is $25 for the first school, and $16 for each subsequent school.
Time you have
Deciding on which schools to apply to is just the first step of the whole process, so you cannot afford to spend too much time on this. Consider how much time you’ve left until the application deadlines. Usually, deadlines are around January-February. Also, you may want to target for something called “Early Decision” or “Early Action” application (discussed in detail below in the application section) for some of your favorite schools, and such applications have deadlines around November-December time frame. You’ll also need to spend time on your essays, tests, and other logistics of the application process. You also need to spend time researching in detail each school you list in your shortlist to figure out whether you’re really a good fit. So, even though technically you could decide on schools in parallel to taking standardized tests or as you go along, deciding early really helps smooth out the process.
Competitiveness of the schools + target-safety-stretch method
You may come up with various schools that match your major, interests, personality, and financial needs, but they will end up being at different levels of competitiveness. It’s a good idea to have an even spread of schools in your short list. A target school is where you target to get in. You think it will be the perfect match, and competitiveness is just right for you to be likely to get in. A safety school is where you believe you are very likely to get in so you could go there if you get rejected by your target school. A stretch school is usually a very competitive school, where you’re unlikely to get in but you are willing to work very hard for. You can create your own ratio of how you’ll divide among them, but be realistic. Don’t be too optimistic and apply to 10 best ranked schools, and likewise don’t apply to just the ones that say they’ll give full scholarships to anyone above 50 percentile in SAT scores (not sure if such schools exist).
What’s the right number?
I’d say ~10 schools may be the right choice. You could have a 3–3–4 split on the competitive ratio of your choice. It seems just right to have enough time to research details for your essays. Usually safety schools tend to have application deadlines after January, so you get to focus on a small enough set of target and stretch schools first. As you research schools in your list and find similar or other schools that you like along the way, you can add or trade those into the list.
Tools to help you match with right colleges
Tools such as College Navigator and Collegeboard college match can help you make this decision. Also, College Guru has written a separate blog about choosing the universities: Picking Your List of Universities.
My experience
It was a big mess. I decided on about 10 schools at first by using the Collegeboard’s college match tool and a book that I bought from USEF which contained brief information and facts about all the undergraduate schools in the US. I had no concept of target-safety-stretch schools at first, and had no confidence whatsoever that I’d get into schools I had heard of such as Harvard, Yale, or Stanford. The reason MIT happened to be on my initial application list was because I had never heard of it and didn’t know how competitive it was (if I knew, I would have probably not included it). While I was in the process of taking SATs and preparing for applications, Yudhisthir dai (whom I mentioned in my previous blog) came to me like an angel and guided me on my application. He gave me enough confidence to add more “stretch” schools to my list such as Stanford, Yale, and some other highly competitive schools, most of which I got waitlisted on and rejected by later. Part of the reason I got rejected was probably because I added them last minute, which gave me less time to research them thoroughly and to write the essays. I had no idea about all the costs and factors mentioned above, but I learned as I went through the process.
Standardized tests
These are one of the most time consuming aspects of the application, and quite important as well. Good thing is that they are under your control. They have a very objective scoring system (except maybe the essay in the writing section, but it is also highly systematized to have consistent scores for similar essays). So, this means the harder and smarter you work, the better you’re prepared, and better you do on the tests, and better you’ll score. If you had subpar high school grades because you fell ill during exams, this is the time to prove yourself.
Types of standardized tests
Following are the standardized tests usually required for international students to apply to most top universities.
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)
This test is usually required for non-native English speakers, but many schools also waive this requirement if you can demonstrate your English proficiency in other ways. For example, for MIT, this page lists test requirements. Other schools may have their own policy, eg. requiring a minimum score in SAT English sections or some years of English classes. Search individual college’s websites for their test requirements.
SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test) /ACT (American College Testing)
One of the two tests, SAT or ACT, is required for US college application. You can take any of these tests, and they are quite similar. The major difference is that ACT contains science sections that test some high school material, whereas SAT is focused on testing critical thinking through more writing and math sections. This nice article summarizes differences between them and guides you on how to decide which one to take. The additional consideration for Nepal is that there are a lot of places that teach you SAT but very few that teach ACT. However, you can prepare yourself if you want, in which case choose whichever you think you can score more. Taking practice tests for both is a good way to get a feel for which one is better for you.
SAT subject tests
Subject tests are not required for the majority of the colleges in the US. However, if you are applying to highly competitive schools, they either require or highly recommend you to take at least 2 SAT subject tests. There are a lot of subjects that these tests cover, ranging from literature, language, history, science, and math. For MIT, recently they removed the subject tests requirement to “improve the access to students applying to MIT”. When I applied, one math and one science subject test were required.
Scores you need
The average scores for a university are usually posted on its website along with other admission statistics. For MIT, this page shows various interesting admission statistics. For example, for class of 2024, the middle 50% (25th to 75th percentile) of the students’ range of SAT math scores is [790, 800] and and of ERW (English reading writing) is [730,780].
Standardized tests are an important part of an application, and are used to get a sense of how you compare with the rest of the applicant pool. They are also something that you can put effort and improve, therefore mostly under your control. Prepare well and do the best, and target to score at least the average. If you score lower than you expected, it’s not the end of the world. If other parts of your application stand out, it’s ok if you don’t have the best test scores. I know people admitted to MIT with scores much lower than the average score because their life story, high school performance, essays, and recommendations stood out quite apart from other students.
How to prepare
Books are enough to prepare, because for good test scores, you need practice and consistent hard work much more than a tutor. A tutor can definitely help, and if you think they will, you should get one or join an SAT institute.
Getting access to SAT preparation books is a must, and once you have them, read and practice as much as you can. The books mention different approaches and techniques you can use to prepare for the tests. Follow them, take practice tests in test conditions, identify your weaknesses through those test practices, and focus on those areas. It’s highly likely that the more you practice and keep improving your weak spots, the more your scores will keep rising in your practice tests and eventually on your real test.
How to register
You can register online for all the tests. Registration for SAT and SAT subject tests are through collegeboard, TOEFL through ets, and ACT through the act website. You will need to create an account, through which you can see the dates for next tests available at a local center close to you, pay the fees, add the colleges you want the scores to be sent to, take the tests, and view the test results.
Look at the dates and available centers well in advance because they may not necessarily be convenient for you. You may need to leave your city or take the test at a later date because earlier one has no spots remaining. Usually TOEFL tests are more frequent than SAT tests, and have more centers throughout the country, hence usually have higher availability.
Once you decide the test date and place, it’s time to confirm them by paying. We will write a blog on how to pay for everything, but until that comes, talk to your bank or your consultancy on this matter.
Timeline
Ideally, you should be done with all your standardized tests at least ~1 month before your application deadline, but earlier the better. Most standardized tests’ scores are valid for multiple years, so don’t worry about the scores expiring. Earlier you are done with your tests, earlier you can focus on the actual application process such as filling out various application forms, writing essays, getting recommendations from your teachers, and applying for financial aid, which are covered by the sections below.
My Experience
I was in Pokhara, so getting books for SAT and SAT IIs was a problem. I got one book when I came to Kathmandu, but that was expensive. So, I enrolled in a SAT institute in Pokhara which had a library and good enough collection of books. They let me borrow the books, which was great. Coincidentally, the teachers there were also pretty good. I finished pretty much all the problems and practice tests in the SAT books that were available there. I used to take the books home and take practice tests in test conditions — no interruptions or distractions. At my time, the SAT full score used to be 2400(800 each for writing, math, and reading). I scored ~1600 on my very first practice test. With continued practice and working on my weaknesses, I was able to improve up to ~2250 and even 2300 sometimes on my practice tests. In real test, I got 2140 which was below average (but good enough) for MIT. For TOEFL, I didn’t really prepare that much because it’s just an English proficiency test and I was comfortable with my English. Moreover, I was confident that my SAT preparation would be enough for TOEFL as well for reading and writing sections. For listening and speaking, I had taken some practice tests and had a good feeling for them already. After I took SAT in October, I had about 2 weeks for my TOEFL and that was my real prep time. It was enough. I ended up getting 107 in TOEFL, which is enough for applying to any university. I took SAT subject tests (math I, physics, and chemistry) in November. Subject tests are usually much easier for students who are academically comfortable in their high school. Similar to TOEFL, I went through the test topics and did a couple of practice tests for each of the subject tests, and was comfortable with them. I got 800 in physics and Chemistry, and 760 in math. Overall, SAT was the toughest, especially the reading section, and I remember getting really frustrated that I would get many answers wrong. But slowly and with practice, I was able to improve.
Application
Finally, it’s time for the actual application. This process can be very difficult to navigate because of the novelty of everything — the forms with words you may have never heard before (eg. valedictorian, which means the topper of the class), the online accounts you have to manage, the communications through email, the kinds of applications themselves (early action, early decision, regular), and on top of all that, writing essays and having teachers who may have had not written any recommendations in their life write recommendations for you. All of these things are materials for a separate blog post. Thankfully, Prabhakar Kafle has a nice blog post on this topic already, and I’ll defer to that : Navigating the US College Applications
Essays
Essays are really important and I can’t begin to tell you about how frustrated I was with this component of the application. In Nepal, we usually don’t know how to portray ourselves, at least I didn’t know. My tendency was to list my academic and extra curricular achievements in my essays, which is not the right way to go about it. The essays are the gateway for admission officers to get to know you as a person. Who are you? What is your story? What makes you tick? Are you interesting? Would other students’ perspectives and ideas be positively influenced by you? Would the officer reading your essays like to get a coffee with you and chat about what you have to say? Think about these questions when writing your essays, and don’t brag about your “achievements”. There are definitely other students as talented as you, but there is no one else with your story, your experiences, and your struggles. Share that in your essays.
Read this blog post by Arpan Kaphle: The Essay: A Quick Overview. (Coming up soon)
Recommendation letters
Recommendations are the part of your application that describe how others (your teachers) perceive you. Sometimes, other people can be much clearer and articulate about your life story, personality, achievements, and potential than yourself. And sometimes it’s hard to write about yourself. So, thankfully your teachers can vouch for you. However, it is unfortunate that Nepal doesn’t have a culture of teachers writing recommendations for their students, so it may be difficult to persuade your teachers to do so. These days, since many students have been applying to US schools, hopefully teachers are more used to it.
Read the blog by Prabhakar Kafle on recommendations: Recommendation Letters.
Financial aid
Financial aid is paramount to Nepali students because college tuition is just too much for most Nepali parents to afford. According to MIT facts, the total tuition and living expenses for MIT is ~$67,000 for academic year 2019–2020, while the per capita income of Nepalese is ~$1000. Thankfully, some universities do give out financial aid for international students, and vast majority provide merit scholarships based on academics or standardized test scores. As always, refer to the websites of particular universities for more information.
For details, read this blog post by Prabhakar Kafle: Financial Aid and Scholarships
Submitting the Application
Most universities have online application process, but some may ask you to mail the application documents. Talk to them for details, but in most cases you can just use the standard post-mail for this purpose. If you want tracking, use FedEx or something similar.
For other logistics surrounding the application, such as how to pay for things (hint:talk to your bank), and apply for visas. However, those logistics should be more well known in Nepal and the consultancies will be able to guide you there.
Finally,
I hope that this blog series (Part I, Part II) have been helpful to you. I wish you all the best in this process, and with enough determination and grit, you’ll surely reach where you want.
