USA

The United States offers immense variety in degrees, pathways, and university settings. If you are interested in going to the US for university, spending time thinking of what type of experience you want to have is crucial. 

US universities offer many opportunities to study different majors and try things out before committing. Degrees are 4 years long. You only need to "declare" your major at the end of your second year. Most students change their major at least once. US universities are built on a liberal arts and science, or general education, model. This means you are required to take a certain number of classes in the arts, sciences, and humanities - no matter what you major in.

An important point: law, medicine, dentistry and veterinary sciences are all postgraduate programs in the US. If you want to study these fields right from the first year of undergraduate, you might want to consider other countries. Otherwise, in the US you study related fields for your undergraduate degree then apply for medical / dental /  veterinary / law school.

It is helpful to begin by thinking of the broad types of universities the US has to offer and what sounds like a good fit for you...

But first, a vocabulary lesson! In the United States, university and college are used interchangably. Both colleges and universities offer bachelor's degrees and are viewed as exactly the same. In the US, someone might say "I'm going to university!" or "I'm going to college!". They are still going to get the exact same level of education. This is different from other countries, where a college might be a preperatory program for university.

What goes into a US application?

A US application is composed of school documents and student documents.

School Documents (documents your A&C Counselor will send)

• Your Grade 9 - Grade 12 Semester 1 transcript. Your final Grade 12 grades are also sent, after graduation.

• Anticipated grades for IB, AP and BTEC courses

• One counselor reference (all students applying to the US will receive a counselor reference)

• Two teacher references (you will go through the teacher reference process in Grade 11 Semester 2)

• High school profile (a document that introduces universities to our curriculum, grading scale, etc)

• NOTE: References are confidential documents. This means you will not read or see them. 

Student Documents (documents you are responsible for sending)

• Your university application

• Your personal statement (CommonApp essay prompts, UC essay prompts)

• Your activity / awards lists

  • The Common Application allows you to list up to 10 activities and up to 5 awards

  • The University of California application allows you to list up to 20 activities / awards

  • You can share anything you have done outside of class in all of Grades 9 to 12. However, it is best to focus on more recent activities / awards. It is also helpful to list activities that you have done continuously over multiple years. Many, many different activities can be listed. The Common Application gives the following categories: Academic; Art; Athletics; Career Oriented; Community Service; Computer/Technology; Dance; Debate/Speech; Environmental; Family Responsibilities; Foreign Exchange; Foreign Language; Internship; Journalism/Publication; JROTC; LGBT; Music; Religious; Research; Robotics; School Spirit; Science/Math; Social Justice; Student Government; Theatre/Drama; Paid Work; Other. You do not need something for every category - but it goes to show that US universities are interested in hearing about what you are up to! 

• Supplemental essays, if relevant. Many universities will give you specific essay prompts to respond to, in addition to the main personal statement. 

• Standardized testing (SAT / ACT, AP scores if you have them, English proficiency testing)

• A portfolio or audition, if relevant (drama / music / arts applicants)

• An interview, if relevant. Universities do not require interviews and many don't offer interviews at all. However, some universities will connect with you after you apply to give you an opportunity to interview. This interview is usually with an alumni of the university. Some universities also accept recorded interviews via a service like InitialView. 

When do I apply to US universities?

• There are several timelines for US university applications. Early applications are typically due in November and regular applications are typically due in January. However, some US universities have regular applications due in November. Always check university websites and with your counselor. 

• Applying early is a significant time commitment. If you want to apply to the US early, we require students to inform us at the end of August (by the specified internal deadline!) so we have sufficient time to support with materials. Not all US universities offer early applications. 

• Applying early is optional. It is only a good idea if: 

  • your materials are strong and you have spent time on them; 

  • you are happy with your academics; 

  • you are genuinely interested and excited about the schools you are considering for early; 

  • you are prepared to continue working on Regular Decision (RD) applications; 

  • you have a well-balanced and thoughtful list in case your early applications do not work out

• Common application deadlines in the US (in order of earliest to latest applications):

  • Early Decision I (EDI): Early Decision I is a binding application that is due in early November (generally 1 November). ED results are released around 15 December. Binding means that you are required to attend the university if you are admitted. Therefore, this is a serious decision. Not only do you need to be genuinely interested in the school, but your family needs to be okay with the finances. ED removes the ability for you to compare scholarship offers and financial aid packages. If you are admitted EDI, you promptly withdraw all other applications worldwide and submit no further applications. You will most commonly see ED options at private universities. 

  • Early Action (EA): Early Action is a non-binding application that is due in early November (generally 1 November). EA results are released anytime from mid-December to early February, depending on the university. Non-binding means that you are not required to attend. Our recommendation is to apply to no more than 3 EA universities in order to submit strong applications (if you are prepared and have a strong application, and are considering schools with EA!). Many, but not all, private and public universities offer EA. 

    • Some universities have an EA round due in mid-October (generally 15 October). Examples include UNC Chapel Hill, UT Austin, and Georgia Tech. 

  • Restrictive Early Action (REA) or Single-Choice Early Action (SCEA): Restrictive Early Action / Single-Choice Early Action is a non-binding application with special requirements that is due in early November (generally 1 November). Only a handful of highly selective universities offer these plans (Harvard, Princeton, Georgetown, etc). REA / SCEA results are released around 15 December. Like EA, it is non-binding, so you can still see what happens with other applications. However, it is different becaause under these plans you cannot apply EDI anywhere. You also cannot apply EA to any private universities. Applying EA to public universities is okay. 

  • University of Washington: University of Washington's application is in mid-November (generally 15 November). They do not offer early application rounds. They just have a regular deadline that is earlier than other schools. 

  • University of California and California State University: UCs and CSUs have application deadlines in late November (generally 30 November). UCs and CSUs do not offer early application rounds. They just have a regular application deadline that is earlier than other schools. 

  • University of Texas-Austin: UT-Austin's regular applications are due in early December (generally 1 December). 

  • Early Decision II (EDII): Early Decision II is binding and follows all the same principals as EDI, it just happens later. EDII applications are due in early January (generally 1 January). EDII results are released in mid-February. Just like EDI, if you are admitted EDII in mid-February you must withdraw all other applications worldwide and submit no further applications. Many, but not all, schools that offer EDI will also offer EDII. 

  • Regular Decision (RD): Regular decision is non-binding and is when the vast majority of students apply. RD deadlines vary based on the school, but they are most commonly due in early January (generally 1 January). RD results are released in mid-late March. 

  • Rolling Admissions: Some schools, particularly big public universities, offer Rolling Admissions. These means they evaluate applications as they come in, instead of waiting until a set deadline to begin looking at applications. You might hear back from rolling applications a few weeks after applying. You can generally apply rolling anytime from November to April, depending on the university. However, the later you wait to apply, the less likely the university will have seats available. 

  • A note for art / drama / music applicants! Some universities will have early deadlines for students who need to audition or submit a portfolio as part of their application. For example, applicants to the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester are required to submit everything by 1 December. These deadlines help the university have time to run auditions, interviews, etc. Please check university websites carefully if this applies to you! 

• So...what type of decisions can I receive?:

  • Deferral: If you apply under any form of early application (EDI, REA, EA, EDII), you might get deferred to the regular round. This means the university wants to see your application compared against more candidates before making a decision. If you are deferred to RD you will receive an application result in March.

  • Waitlist: A waitlist decision means the university was interested in your application, but they don't have enough space in their class at the moment. After the 1 May deposit deadline, they will look at their waitlist to see if they can admit more students. You can accept multiple waitlist spots. If you are waitlisted, you should still deposit to a school you were admitted to. Waitlist decisions are not released until May, June or even July. You might never hear back from a school you were waitlisted at, so you want to make sure you have a place at another school! 

  • Accept: Congratulations! If you were accepted in EDI / EDII, remember this means you need to withdraw all existing applications worldwide and submit no further applications. If you were accepted in other rounds, you can see where else you got accepted an make a decision. Please remember that you can only deposit to one US university. For students admitted in EDI / EDII, follow the deposit deadline for your university in the acceptance letter. For students admitted under non-binding application plans, you have until 1 May to make your deposit. 

  • Decline: Most students will be declined from at least 1 university. If you are declined in an early round (e.g. ED / EA), you cannot re-apply to the same school in the regular round. 

What type of funding can I receive for US universities?

• There are two types of funding for US universities:

  • Merit-based: This is scholarship funding based on academic performance, extracurriculars, strength of overall application, etc. This money is awarded by individual institutions.

  • Need-based: This is funding based on the family's ability (not desire) to pay for university. Applying for need-based aid requires families to disclose information about taxes, salaries, assets, bank accounts, etc. 

    • US citizens and permanent residents can receive need-based aid from the government in the form of loans or grants. You apply via the FAFSA with tax information (e.g. I-20s). It is free to apply and does not impact university decisions. We encourage all US citizens and permanent residents to submit a FAFSA application so you can see what is available to you. 

    • Anyone (including international students) can apply for institutional need-based aid via the CSS Profile. Very few universities offer need-based aid. Submitting a CSS Profile can impact university applications, since need-based aid is extremely limited. 

• Please refer to our finances tab for more detailed information about merit- and need-based funding in the US. 

Do I need to take the SAT / ACT?

• It depends (you'll hear this a lot)! The COVID-19 pandemic significantly increased the number of schools that do not require applicants to submit SAT / ACT testing. Many schools now are "test optional", which means it is up to you whether you want to submit your score, based on whether you think it is helpful information. 

• We recommend taking the SAT / ACT for the first time in Grade 11. Many students take the exam for the first time in December or March of Grade 11. Our school is an SAT testing center and we offer it 8 times a year. Our professional recommendation is to take the SAT / ACT no more than 3 times.

• If you want to prepare for the exam, we recommend beginning with the many free resources that are available online (SAT / ACT). 

• There are a few terms you need to know:

  • Test required: The university requires you to submit an SAT or ACT score. The College Board has a list here, but always check university websites! 

  • Test optional: Most universities in the US are now test optional. This means the university lets you decide whether you want to submit the SAT / ACT with your application. How do you know whether you should submit scores? First, see what proportion of their admitted students submit testing. Second, see what their middle 50% test score is. If many of their admitted students submit scores, and you are within the middle 50% (or higher), submitting test scores might be a good idea. However, if you are below the middle 50%, there will be limited benefit to submitting scores. See UIUC for a good example. 

  • Test blind: A handful of universities are now test blind. This means you cannot submit a test score and they will not consider test scores in their admissions process. The University of California and California State University application systems are the most notable examples of a test blind policy. 

General Knowledge Resources

• CollegeBoard Big Future, and the NACAC free guide to considering the USA for college

• NCAA for student athletes in the USA

• Admissions Beat podcast run by Lee Coffin, the Dean of Admissions at Dartmouth College. This "starter pack" is a great set of podcasts for learning more about the overall US admissions process (how do college essays work? how do admissions officers look at my transcript? what about extracurriculars?). 

• Inside Emory Admission blog run by Emory admissions staff (about various admissions topics)

• Georgia Tech Admission Blog blog run by Georgia Tech admissions staff (about various admissions topics)

• Inside the Yale Admissions Office podcast run by Yale University admissions officers (about various admissions topics)

List-building and College Research

• CollegeXpress lists of universities across different categories. Can help you identify strong schools in categories that are important to you (e.g. schools with strong biology majors, schools with lots of international students, schools with very unique majors). Not comprehensive but a good place to start!

• Niche

• Colleges That Change Lives by Loren Pope (also a website!)

• Fiske Guide to Colleges by Edward Fiske (updated each year)

• The College Finder by Steven Antonoff (the worksheets are available online!)

• College Match: A Blueprint for Choosing the Best School for You by Steven Antonoff

• BigJ Data for excellent and easy-to-use charts about acceptance rates, merit aid, athletic divisions, standardized testing, etc. 

• FairTest for information on test optional admissions

US Personal Statements

• College Essay Guy for go-to guides on writing the personal statement and supplemental essays

• Essays That Worked from Johns Hopkins Admissions

• Essays That Worked from Connecticut College Admissions

• College Essay Essentials: A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing a Successful College Admissions Essay by Ethan Sawyer

Application Process

• Common Application bookmark this site! It is where you will submit many of your university applications

• University of California application bookmark this site if you plan to apply to UCs!

• CalState application bookmark this site if you plan to apply to CSUs!

• Admission Matters by John Reider and Joyce Vining Morgan

• Who Gets in and Why: A Year Inside College Admissions by Jeffrey Selingo

• College Admission by Robin Mamlet and Christine VanDeVelde

• The Truth about College Admission: A Family Guide to Getting in and Staying Together by Brennan Barnard and Rick Clark

Major and Career

• O*NET Online information about majors, careers, average salaries, trajectories, etc. Run by the US Department of Labor. 

• Impact of Major on Career Path for 15,600 Williams College Alums a helpful showcase of what careers students go into based on their major. Even if you aren't looking at Williams College this is an interesting resource!

• Carleton College Career Pathways like the resource above, traces alumni from their major to their current field of employment

• Where You Go Is Not You You'll Be: An Antidote to the College Admissions Mania by Frank Bruni