Do not plagiarize
This ones a no-brainer. No not copy someone else’s work and pass it off as your own. It is very tempting to copy an essay from the internet, but there are ways in which admissions officials can find out if the work submitted is your own. This practice is very unethical and is strongly condemned in the US. If you are caught plagiarizing on your admissions essay, I can guarantee that your application for admission will be rejected. Therefore, write the essay on your own, give it your best shot and you will be fine.

Choose a topic that is important to you
A lot of colleges are quite flexible and will let you choose your own topic to write the essay on. Choose a topic that is meaningful to you; a topic that you have enough knowledge on to write a few pages without repeating stuff. Don’t make the mistake of writing about something that you think will appeal to the admissions commitee, but something that you have no personal interest in. For example, don’t choose to write on eradicating hunger and world poverty if you are applying to study Computer Science, have never been in poverty and have no history of volunteerism to help the poor and the hungry. Instead, write about your experience of winning that programming competition in high school or the time when you went hiking to the base camp of Everest. These accounts of personal experience will tell the admissions committee much more about you as an individual than an essay on some grandiose plan to change the world.

Utilize proper grammar, spell check and proofread
This is something that a lot of students overlook. Bad grammar can kill an otherwise brialliant essay. No matter how good your content is, a person will usually stop reading midway if there are a bunch of grammatical and spelling errors. Use proper grammar and definitely use a word processor to spell check your essay. Your essay must be completely free from grammatical and spelling errors, and it must be structured into paragraphs. The last thing that you can do before sending off your essay is to have someone else proofread it for you.

Do you have some tips you would like to share with others? Feel free to share in the comments below.

Further reading: 3 Tips to Get a Scholarship in the US

1. TOEFL supports your F1 visa application
The TOEFL is not a mandatory requirement for obtaining an F1 visa. That being said, the visa officer will almost always want to see your scores for the TOEFL during your visa interview. This becomes more important if this is your first time going to the US for education and you are from a non English speaking country. A good TOEFL score tells the visa officer that you are a genuine student who is capable of studying in the English language. You could try substituting the TOEFL with the IELTS, GCSE but U.S. consulate officers are used to seeing the TOEFL. When I went for my visa interview, my TOEFL score was the second thing that the visa officer wanted to see after my SAT scores. Therefore, a good score on the TOEFL will strengthen your application for an F1 visa. Read 10 Commonly Asked Questions at the F-1 Visa Interview.

2. TOEFL will get you a scholarship
Many colleges in the U.S. will offer you a scholarship based on a good score on the TOEFL. Seek out these colleges and apply to them if you get a high score. Usually, the only criterion to get these scholarships is a high score on the TOEFL, unlike other scholarships for international students which are very competitive and the requirements are more than enough to make Albert Einstein cringe. The scholarships amounts are usually small in this case, but its free money.

3. Skip the ESL classes
If you do well on the TOEFL, you will not be required to take English as a Second Language (ESL) classes your first semester. Your ESL classes will automatically be waived. This will save you time and money. ESL credits are not counted towards graduation and can take up valuable time if you are required to take them. I have seen international students made to take only ESL classes their first semester, a semester that could have been spent taking classes that would actully count towards graduation. Another way to get ESL classes waived is to sit for an English test at your college, but my opinion is that these tests are more difficult than the TOEFL. So take my advice, do well on the TOEFL and say adios to those nagging ESL classes.

4. Accepted at all U.S. colleges
Although only a few colleges in the U.S. accept IELTS scores as proof of ability in the English language,  almost all colleges will accept the TOEFL scores. In fact some schools exclusively look at TOEFL scores for proof of English proficiency. Therefore, if you want to apply to multiple schools, it is safe to take the TOEFL because then you will be sure that it’ll be accepted at any college in the U.S.

5. Improve your English
Believe it or not, studying for the TOEFL will actually improve your skills in the English language. The curriculum for the TOEFL is set in such a way that it’ll help you learn the English language very quickly. Your reading, writing and listening skills will improve dramatically when you start studying for the TOEFL.

So what are you waiting for? If you are a prospective international student and are yet to decide which English test to take, go ahead and take the TOEFL.

Do you see any other benefits of taking the TOEFL. Let us know in the comments below.

Admission to highly ranked colleges in the USA is very competitive. This can get even more competitive for international students when they are seeking scholarships from the college to fund their studies. International students can do a few things while they are in high school to increase their chances of admission to a US college with scholarship.

Do Well in Academics

Picture By: scui3asteveo

Students must do well in academics to have a shot at getting into the top ranked schools. Grades in high school are very important and are looked at very closely during the admission process.

Take Challenging Classes

Admission counsellors like to see that you took challenging classes in high school. Sign up for advanced classes even if they are optional for you in high school. If you are taking General Math, also take Advanced Math. This will give the impression that you are an above average student and like to go above and beyond what is required. It is not enough to just take advanced classes but one must also do well in those classes.

Take the SAT and TOEFL

Take the SAT and TOEFL and score high on these tests. High scores on these tests can set you apart from other students seeking admission. Many colleges use the SAT score as a criteria for both admission and scholarship decisions. A high score on the TOEFL can also be used to waive some English as a Second Language (ESL) classes that many colleges make mandatory for their international students to take in their first semester.

Participate in Extracurricular Activities

Almost every admission application to a US college will ask you to list your extracurricular activities. A lot of weight is given to an application that shows student involvement in extracurricular activities. Colleges want to admit students that do well in school but who are also active in their communities. So get out there and do something. Get involved in clubs, organizations, do voluntary work, play sports, help in your local soup kitchen. Take on responsibility and leadership roles whenever you can. Showing that you have leadership experience can give a tremendous boost to your admission and scholarship application.

Take the SAT II Subject Tests

Although many colleges do not require the SAT subject tests anymore, it does not hurt to take these tests as it will set you apart from the other applicants. Good scores on these tests will help in getting scholarships.

A handful of these colleges (Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Amherst, etc.) offering need based financial aid to international students are also need blind in their admission decision. This means that your capacity to pay for your education will not factor in the admission decision because these universities have a need blind admission policy. Your chances for admission will remain the same whether you apply for aid or not. Basically if you can get in, the expenses will be taken care of. As you can imagine, the universities and colleges offering need based financial aid to international students is limited and the competition is extremely intense. International students who usually get these scholarships are well accomplished in academics and extracurricular activities. Obtaining a seat in any one of these U.S. colleges will get you through college without any financial worries.

Colleges that offer need based financial aid to international students are:

Amherst College

Brown University

California Institute of Technology

Claremont McKenna College

Columbia University

Cornell University

Dartmouth College

Duke University

Georgetown University

Grinnell College

Harvard University

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Northwestern University

Pomona College

Princeton University

Rice University

Stanford University

University of Chicago

University of Pennsylvania

University of Richmond

Vassar College

Wellesley College

Williams College

Yale University

This may not be a comprehensive list of all the colleges offering need based financial aid to international students. If you know of other schools that offer similar financial aid, please add it to the comments section.

So what are the steps required to get into an U.S. institution, you might ask. It’s really quite simple actually. One needs to start planning and preparing early. The most important thing to do would be to get good grades in school. U.S. colleges and universities lay great emphasis on student grades in school. So get those grades up. Another thing to do would be to participate in lots of extra curricular activities. Get involved in after school programs and take on leadership roles. These will greatly boost your application for admission and scholarships.

Take the SAT and TOEFL exams by December of the previous year that you wish to enroll. Although some schools do not require the SAT anymore, it is still a good idea to take BOTH these tests because apart from the admission process, they also establish your credibility as a bona fide student to the visa issuing officer.

There are many institutions of higher learning in the United States. Finding a school that matches your educational and financial needs is a course in itself. So start researching early. The internet is always a good place to start. Don’t rely too much on rankings. One criterion that I use to find out if a school is good for me is to see the number of enrolled international students. If you are really serious about studying in the U.S. apply to at least five schools. One of them should be a back up school that you are sure you can get into.