The Importance of Test Scores When Applying to American Universities - PART 1

The "Entrance Test Mentality", which many international students and parents seem to have, is a strongly-held belief that strong entrance test scores are the absolute most important factor in gaining acceptance to top-ranked universities.

In order to clearly understand the requirements of gaining acceptance to American universities and become a top candidate, this way of thinking, and the narrow focus and efforts that accompany it, must be set aside in order to be the type of well-rounded applicant that is most attractive to the top universities. Getting students, and particularly their parents, to change their approach, however, is no easy endeavor. It usually consists of nothing less than undoing, or at least loosening, beliefs that their academic institutions have deeply-embedded into them their whole lives.

When preparing to apply to an American university, it is important for international students to learn early how tests scores are weighed alongside many other factors by admissions officers.  First, it's important for students and parents to understand that English proficiency tests like IELTS and TOEFL are merely indications of how well a student can understand English as may be used in an academic environment. Second, it's important for students to know that a good IELTS or TOEFL test score does not determine which classes they can register for in their first term at university. All American colleges and universities give new students, American and inernational alike, an English placement test after their arrival at school. The results of this test, NOT the IELTS or TOEFL test score, determines which classes students can/ cannot take in their first term.  Also, students need to be aware that the TOEFL and IELTS tests are limited in their assessment of their ability to communicate in everyday situations and function well in an American college or university classroom environment. Among the many important skills these tests cannot evaluate are the students' ability to take notes, do oral presentations, have classroom debates, and do research for projects and reports. Students can develop these and other academic skills by enrolling in a college or university-based Intensive English Program. These programs put students in English-only environments on American campuses and help them quickly develop their general English proficiency skills in a variety of situations in and outside of the classroom. Additionally, many of these programs allow the students to gain conditional admission to bachelors and masters degree programs without taking the IELTS or TOEFL tests if they complete the necessary course in their program.

In Part 2 of this topic, we will discuss other undergraduate entrance test scores (SAT/ ACT), which students need to take them, and how they are weighed against other admission criteria.

To learn more about college and university-based Intensive English Programs and getting conditional admission to bachelors and masters degree programs, contact American Education Partners' School Placement Team at: info@americanedpartners.com

High School Location and Acceptance to Top-Ranked Universities - Is There Any Connection?

When helping overseas students decide on the best American high schools to apply to, we find that many are strongly attracted to schools in the Northeast. When asked "why?", most reply that it is because most of the Ivy League universities they eventually hope to attend are located in that region. Some students have actually opted to sit out a year of school rather than apply to one that's not in the Northeast.

Does location REALLY have an influence on a students' chance of getting accepted to Ivy League or other top-ranked universities? Do Ivy League schools emit "smartness" that students who are within close proximity are able to absorb?
While students at Northeastern schools are able to visit top Northeastern universities more easily and frequently than students who attend schools farther away, they do not have all of the advantages that many students believe they do. The main reason for this is summed up in one word, "diversity".

One of the common strengths of America's top universities is a diverse, well-rounded group of students who provide diverse and positive contributions to the school. Because of this, students accepted to top-ranked universities come from a wide variety of public and private high schools throughout the USA and the world. Because maintaining student diversity is an important, on-going effort of the universities' admissions efforts, students from elite Northeastern boarding schools with high grades and test scores, may not necessarily have an advantage in getting accepted to an Ivy League school over a student from a rural Southwestern high school with lower grades and test scores, but a different set of experiences, knowledge and skills.

The following Harvard University Gazette article provides further information about the commitment that America's top universities place on maintaining student diversity in their admissions processes (scroll down to the bottom of the article to see the list of universities): http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/1997/05.01/UniversityLeade.html

The main things that university-minded international students should look for when selecting an American high school are:

1) Safety of the campus and local area
2) Quality of the teaching curriculum and instructors
3) Unique extracurriculuar opportunities and experiences offered
4) What kind of college counseling is provided
5) The list of universities its students have recently been accepted to

American Education Partners works with a wide variety of public and private high schools throughout the USA that have helped many students get accepted to top-ranked universities. Contact our School Placement Advisors at: info@americanedpartners.com for a free assessment of educational opportunities available for Fall 2011.

MBA Applicants - Here's 7 Mistakes to Avoid

Thinking of applying for an MBA program? Before you start (or before you finish), read this insightful article recently written by Kaneisha Grayson, a recent graduate of Harvard Business School and Harvard Kennedy School:
http://www.vault.com/wps/portal/usa/vcm/detail/Career-Advice/Education-Advice/7-Deadly-Sins-of-MBA-Applicants?id=64939

U.S. Public High Schools Welcome International Students

Many public high schools throughout the USA have welcomed international students on the J-1 High School Exchange Program sponsored by the US Department of State for the purpose of introducing students to American culture and allowing them to share their culture with the schools and host families they spend the year with.
Over the past several years, a growing number of public high schools have started welcoming international students of the F-1 student visa program. There are some similarities between attending a public high school on the J-1 and F-1 visas, but there are also many differences. Depending on the student's purpose and goals, one program may be more suitable than the other.

Here are the main similiarities:

1. Participation is limited to one school year
2. Students can join school clubs and sports
3. Students live with local homestay families


Here are the main differences:

1. Students on the J-1 program must return to their home country at the end of the school year and are usually excluded from returning to the USA on any kind of student visa for at least 2 years. Conversely, students with F-1 visas may continue their education for additional years at a private high school or begin their university education without having to change their visa status or return to their country.
2. Students on the J-1 program can only apply through a specially-licensed U.S. organization that can only place a limited number of students each year. Because of the limited number of students that can apply, getting accepted to this program is a very competitive process that must be started almost one year in advance.
3. Fees for the J-1 program are low compared to the F-1 program. The reason for this is that the J-1 program is sponsored by the US government - students do not pay for school tuition fees and they live with volunteer homestay families. The main costs are airfare and placement and monitoring fees that students will pay to the J-1 placement organization. F-1 programs are not sponsored by the US government so students must pay school tuition and room and boarding fees with their own family funds.
4. Students on the J-1 program usually do not have a choice on which location or school they will attend. Students on the F-1 program, however, can choose which state, city and school they would like to attend depending on their qualifications and space availability.
5. The J-1 program application process is long and complicated and the rules are very strict. F-1 visa programs, on the other hand, require a much simpler application and fewer supporting documents. This allows students to begin the application process earlier, and get accepted to the school of their choice much sooner.
6. Students on the F-1 visa program may be able to graduate and receive a diploma from the high school they attend (if they are accepted to Grade 12 and have enough credits to graduate within one school year). Students on the J-1 visa cannot graduate or receive a high school diploma, regardless of the number of credits they have earned.
7. Students with an F-1 visa may continue their education for additional years to complete their high school and university education.

For details about the visa regulations for F-1 students who wish to spend a year in an American public high school, click on this link from the U.S. Department of State website: http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_1269.html

American Education Partners (AEP) helps students applying for the F-1 visa to select and get accepted to public high schools throughout the USA. Other AEP services include airport pick-up, housing placement and student service support. For advice and assistance in applying to a public high school for the F-1 visa program for Fall 2011, contact AEP's School Placement Team at: info@americanedpartners.com   

Best Strategies For Gaining Admission to a Top-Tier MBA Program

A helpful bit of advice for students planning to apply to top-tier MBA programs this year:

http://www.quora.com/What-are-the-best-strategies-for-gaining-admission-to-a-top-tier-MBA-school/answer/Dan-Bauer?srid=PJg

Reasons To Work With Overseas Agents

For many years, there has been a large ideological divide within the American academic and academic counseling communities about the use of overseas advisors or "agents" in recruiting overseas students for American schools. Although these ideological differences will likely persist, schools that have partnered with overseas agents for assistance in recruiting students have had very positive experiences and have found them to be important, reliable and cost-effective resources for developing overseas awareness for their programs, pre-screening potential applicants, providing visa application support and pre-departure orientations.

Schools considering working with overseas recruiting agents can find reliable partners by following some specific screening steps (see last week's blog post on this topic), becoming active in international education advocacy groups like NAFSA (http://www.nafsa.org/) and AIRC (http://www.airc-education.org/), and talking with other schools who have been using overseas recruiting agents.

American Education Partners (http://www.americanedpartners.com/) is an independent, U.S.-based student placement service for international students seeking to enroll in high-quality American education programs. We specialize in helping connect American schools with a wide variety of pre-qualified international students referred by licensed and carefully-screened overseas agents throughout Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East. If your program is considering using or expanding the use of overseas recruiting agents, contact AEP at: info@americanedpartners.com to learn how we can help be your connection to the world.

Screening Potential Overseas Agents For U.S. High School/ College/ University Programs

If you are considering working with any overseas agents to help you recruit international students for your program, it is advisable to develop a screening process that will help ensure that your program is represented by reliable, ethical, and qualified organizations and that your partnership has the best chances for yielding the results you are seeking.
As with any partnership, it's important to learn as much about your potential partner beforehand. At the very least, an agent screening process should include obtaining the following:

1) Website address - This should be the easiest piece of information to request from the prospective agency. The quality of design and information provided on the agent's website should provide a good indication of the quality of their services and the level of investment they have made to make the overseas study process a straightforward and transparent one to the students. Since the quality of the agent's website will also be a reflection on your institution, you have to like their website in order to feel confident in associating with them.


2) Copy of the agent's business license - Most countries require overseas study advisors/ agents to obtain a business license for conducting such business. Find out what the licensing requirements are in the countries in which you are seeking agency partnerships and ask potential agents to send you a current copy of theirs. The licensed agents should be happy and proud to do so and offer no excuses why they can't.


3) Company profile - Every established, well-organized agency has a company profile in English that they are eager to share with potential overseas partner schools. At minimum, the company profile should state their history, business scope and values, membership in professional associations, financial and human capital, school placement successes, and goals. If not indicated in the company profile, request information on the breakdown of their successful school placements by country and program type to get a sense of their recruiting potential for the program(s) offered by your school.

4) School references - Don't offer any agreement or sign any other alliance documents until you have received and confirmed positive references from at least three (3) institutions similar to yours that they have successfully recruited students for within the last 12 months. Agencies that are unable or hesitant to provide at least three positive references may indicate several things, including a lack of history or experience in recruiting students for your type of program, a lack of institutions who have positive things to say about them or the students they have recruited.

This the MINIMUM information that you should obtain and review before offering any agreement to any overseas agency you hope to represent your institution. Depending on your program, you may wish to include other criteria to screen potential overseas agents. If your agreement will include any kind of upfront financial investment, an in-person visit to the agency's main offices or recruiting centers is STRONGLY recommended in order to get a first-hand view of their operations and recruiting activities and also meet the people who will be directly involved in promoting and recruiting students for your institution.

American Education Partners (AEP), a U.S.-owned and operated school placement service for international students, entails a rigorous agent screening process that includes these steps and others. Our U.S. staff provide an additional layer of advising support and applicant screening before submittting completed application packets to partner schools. This provides partner schools with the benefits of working with a wide diversity of carefully-screened overseas agents without the time and work required to screen and manage all of them. If your institution is considering working with overseas advisors/ agents, consider working with AEP first. For information on AEP programs and services, go to: http://www.americanedpartners.com/ and click on "Information for Schools". To find out more about becoming an AEP Partner School, email us at: info@americanedpartners.com