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.

The visa interview is the last hurdle international students need to pass on their way to higher education in the US. In my experience, if you are a genuine student and have taken the SAT, TOEFL, obtained an I-20 from a decent school and have financial sponsors and related documents, the visa interview should not be much of a problem for you. However, it does not hurt to know the kind of questions the visa officer will be asking you. Mostly, the visa issuing officer is interested in finding out if you are really a student and are planning to return to your home country after your graduation. She will therefore be asking you probing questions to that end.

1. What are your career plans after graduation?

This is probably the most important question of all. A variation of this question can be, “If you were offered a job in the US after your graduation, would you take it”. Here the visa officer is primarily trying to find out if you are planning to return to your home country after graduation. Invariably, your answer should be that you are just going to the US to complete your education and that you plan to start your working career in your home country.

2. Why did you choose (name of your university)?

From this question, the interviewer wants to know if you put in some thought into choosing an university that fits your needs instead of randomly apply to a bunch of universities in hopes of getting an I-20.

3. How many colleges/universities did you apply to?

Most high school students in the US apply to multiple colleges. This way they increase their chances of being admitted into at least one college of their choosing. The visa officer wants to know that you are a serious student and planned for your study in the US by applying to multiple schools.

4. Why did you choose the USA as a destination for your higher education needs?

The visa officer wants to hear that you chose the USA because of the quality of education that it provides and not for the higher quality of life or job opportunities in the USA.

5. Why did you choose this (your major)?

You should choose a major that is related to your studies in high school. If you had been taking business classes in high school and virtually no science classes and your I-20 states that your major is Chemistry, chances are that your visa application will be rejected.

Other common questions that you might face during the visa interview:

6. What do your parents do?

7. Why don’t you want to study at a college in your home country?

8. Convince me that you are going to come back home after graduation.

9. Do you have any student loans?

10. Are you going to come back home during summers?

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.