Study in USA

United States of America (US) is always the hottest destination for Indian students and students from other countries. It is not difficult to determine why. The quality of education, wide-ranging specialties, flexibility, large campuses, friendly professors, funding and international opportunities for employment, internships etc., are only but a few of the reasons for attracting the elite students from throughout the world. It is not so easy to dislodge the pre-eminent position of US as the ‘land of opportunities’.

There are more than 4,300 universities and colleges in the US, offering right from short-term certificate programs to Post-Doctoral level degrees. Most students prefer to study in the US at either the Bachelors level or Masters and beyond.

Master’s level is the most popular among Indian students who would like to chalk their career plans for higher education. More than 78% of Indian students apply for Master’s level programs in US universities.

At this level, Engineering and its specialties (MS) are most popular, followed by Management (MBA) and other subjects like Pharmacy, Public Health, Physiotherapy and other programs.

Each of the specialties has its own typical requirements for application, admission and all aspects further education in US.

Through the links on this pages and elsewhere on our site, Manhattan Review (MR) will demystify the process of studying in US.

Education System

Education system in the US is different from the British system of education as practiced by India and from other countries.

After the Nursery school and Kindergarten, primary or elementary education starts, which will be from 1st to 6th grade. Grades from 7th to 12th is known as secondary education in which 7th to 9th are known as Junior High School grades and 10th to 12th are known as Senior High School Grades.

One could join the first year of college, either in a community college which offers a two-year Associate degree or a technical institute of similar duration programs. Completion of this level will make one eligible to take up two more years of the undergraduate program at a four-year college or a university, on completion of which leads to a Bachelor’s degree.

A Master’s degree after that could be between one to two years. And Doctoral level education could be simultaneous along with the Master’s or additional, which can be another 3-4 years.

On completion of two years in college (first two years of Bachelor’s program) one could join a first professional degree, which will be an additional four years. First professional degrees are normally offered in Pharmacy, Dentistry, Physiotherapy, Law, Medicine, Veterinary Medicine etc. In some fields, the master’s degree is the next highest degree awarded after completion of the first professional degree.

Finally, once a student earns his doctoral degree, he could pursue further research/study as a Post-Doctoral Fellow, which is the highest level of education anywhere in the world.

Employment – as a student

Students at any level are not allowed to work full-time, while studying in the US. However, employment of international students, who reached US on a non-immigrant visa such as F-1, is strictly regulated.

If such students maintain their visa status and be in good standing, they could work part-time and on campus only for up to 20 hours a week. During holidays and college breaks, students could work full-time for 40 hours a week, if they maintain the good standing.

Under special circumstances, students could seek approval from the Department of Homeland Security (through their respective college) to work full-time in case of ‘economic necessity’ or if they experience unexpected financial crises. Such full-time work is possible only after one year of stay in the US and after proper endorsement on the I-20 by the International Student Adviser of the university where the student is enrolled. Off-campus employment must be authorized in writing.

During education, any student could take up Curricular Practical Training (CPT) or internship, for a period of one year with companies in the US, which is normally the first step to seek a more regular employment under H1B category, for further stay.

During and after education, students could take Optional Practical Training (OPT) which will be for a period of one year initially and could be extended for another two years if they happen to do programs (Bachelor’s level and beyond) in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

To study at the Master’s level in US universities, you need to:

• Select the right programs – out of thousands of programs offered
• Identify the most appropriate universities for you from more than 4,000 institutions
• Consider financial aid and other funding opportunities based on your academic profile, test scores and eligibility
• Complete the cumbersome application process, including intakes, deadlines etc
• Organize all the application documents like Transcripts, SOP, Bank Statement, Affidavits etc
• Understand the whole admission procedure
• Gather all the required information for visa application
• Arrange for the complex visa documentation – both financial and academic
• Face the visa interview with confidence, for success
• Know about living in the US
• What to do and what NOT to do, and finally
• Live a successful student life in US

You will agree that all the above steps are very important and have to be taken carefully, for making your dreams come true. Right? This is where, Manhattan Review India will play the key role in each and every step of your way. Our expert counselors, managers and admissions team members will assist you with every stage of the process, by directly providing information, guidelines, formats, samples and assistance all throughout.

Our expert teams will do everything above and make sure that YOU WILL SUCCEED in reaching US.

Take the first step – talk to one of our counselors nearest to you. We are just a single step away from landing you in the US.