Nguyen Ngoc Khuong, an independent consultant in Minneapolis, Minnesota, guides you through 8 essential steps when preparing your application for studying in the US.
Common App
This is the website you use to apply to universities. Almost all of the top 100 universities in the US use this site. In addition to the Common App, some schools also use the Coalition App, ApplyTexas, or have their own application systems.
On the Common App, you'll fill in your personal information including your name, date of birth, current school, information about your parents and siblings... When you select a particular school, you'll receive more specific questions such as what major you want to study; do you have any family members who have studied there; do you want to apply for financial aid?
This is also where you submit your main essay, supplemental essays, letters of recommendation, and high school transcripts. The Common App is like a central hub for all the information universities need about you.
Scoreboard
Students will submit transcripts from grades 9 through 12, as high school in the US begins in grade 9. Students currently in grade 12 should submit transcripts from grades 9 through 11, and then gradually supplement them throughout the application process. If the school does not provide transcripts in English, students will need to have them translated and notarized.
Make a list of schools.
Typically, students apply to 10-12 schools. However, last year, many schools dropped the SAT requirement, so quite a few people applied to 20 schools. You should aim for 10-15 schools, and apply to more if you have time. Don't focus on quantity over the quality of your application.
From these 10-15 schools, divide them into three groups: Dream, Reach, and Safety. The Dream group includes extremely difficult schools; applying is essentially just a gamble. All Ivy League schools or those in the top 20 are Dream schools. The Reach group includes schools that are slightly beyond your reach and academic ability. The Safety group is almost guaranteed to get you in.
Categorizing each group isn't easy, but you can look at the average GPA and SAT scores of students at each school to compare them to your own abilities. If your academic performance is at or above the average, it might be a good choice for Safety. Conversely, it could be Reach or Dream.
Additionally, a school's acceptance rate of 60% or higher is generally considered Safety, while lower rates fall into the Dream and Reach categories. However, everyone is different, so these are just some suggestions.
Main essay
The main essay, also known as the Personal Statement or Common App essay, is a single, 650-word essay submitted to the schools you apply to. The main essay requires you to share one or more stories about yourself. Its purpose is to show the admissions committee who you are, your personality, your aspirations, and what your life is like.
You can choose from a myriad of ideas about yourself to present. For example, a student might describe daily activities such as waking up, taking care of their younger sibling, and going with their mother to work to tinker with laboratory equipment. Through these simple activities, the reader understands what is important to this student, what they want to study, what they want to do in the future, and why. In another example, a student might write about how past events inspired them to pursue Electrical Engineering.
If you're still unsure, just type "US college essay" and you'll see examples, from essays written for Harvard to schools you've never heard of. The main essay writing process usually takes 1-2 months and involves at least 5 drafts.
Supplementary essay
Some schools, especially those in the top 70, will require you to write additional essays. The higher the school's ranking, the more essays are required.
For example, Princeton University requires applicants to write six different supplemental essays, while Depauw University does not. Each supplemental essay is typically 100-300 words long, with a wide range of topics. The most common topics include "Why do you want to study at school X?", "Why do you want to study major Y?", "How will studying at this school contribute to the development of your local, national, or global community?".
Some schools even give applicants a certain quote and ask them to write a reflection on it.
The supplemental essay is just as important as the main essay because it shows the admissions committee how much effort you've put into your application. Therefore, if you wait until the last minute to write the supplemental essay and it's of poor quality, the admissions committee will easily notice.
Letter of recommendation
Letters of recommendation are usually written by the applicant's teacher. In this letter, the teacher shares information about the student's academic achievements, activities, personality, and aspirations. The letter can be 1-2 pages long.
You will need letters of recommendation from at least two teachers. If applying to top 20 schools, you may be able to request letters from three teachers.
English language certificate (TOEFL/ IELTS/ DET)
IELTS and TOEFL are accepted at all American universities. Additionally, the Duolingo English Test (DET), which gained popularity in 2020 due to Covid-19, allows test-takers to take the test at home, is shorter, and is cheaper. Many universities have accepted DET, including prestigious institutions like Cornell University.
However, you should still check the school's website to see if they accept the DET. Some schools only temporarily accepted the DET during last year's application period and may drop it in subsequent years because it's too easy and too short compared to TOEFL/IELTS, or not difficult enough to assess applicants' English proficiency.
When taking a certification exam, you only need to achieve a certain score. For example, if you already have an IELTS score of 7.0 or 7.5, you don't need to retake it because that level is sufficient to apply for master's and doctoral programs in the US. Admissions committees are interested in whether you have sufficient English skills to sit in class, communicate with professors, and debate with other students, not how advanced your English is.
Financial documents
In the US, there are two types of schools: those that provide financial aid to international students based on the family's financial ability (need-based financial aid) and those that do not provide financial aid.
In the first type, schools will provide you with financial assistance based on your ability to pay. For example, if a school has a total cost of $65,000 per year but your family can only afford $20,000, then you need the school to provide $45,000 per year to attend. To determine if your family can truly only afford $20,000 per year, the school will need to analyze your financial situation, including personal income, assets, and annual expenses.
Applicants will provide these details themselves on their CSS Profile or the International Student Financial Aid Application (ISFAA), along with supporting documents such as tax returns, payslips, and bank statements for the three most recent months.
You only need to complete and submit one of the two procedures above. When submitting your CSS Profile, you have to pay $16-25 USD (380,000-590,000 VND) to each school. ISFAA is free, so students from disadvantaged families can choose this procedure if the school allows it.
Without submitting this document, you will not receive financial aid. Instead, you may only receive a merit-based scholarship.
Secondly, there are schools that only offer scholarships, usually public universities like Indiana University - Bloomington, University of Massachusetts - Amherst, and University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. When applying to these schools, you can skip filling out the CSS/ISFAA form. You will still receive money, but not as much as schools that offer financial aid.
Nguyen Ngoc Khuong
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