If you have never been to West Virginia and you enjoy the sounds of birds chirping, waterfalls, amazing mountains, and the most beautiful trees that you can imagine then this state is a MUST  SEE.  I’m going to list a few of my favorite things to do, and if you’re anything like me you will love your time here just like I do.

The summers here are my favorite because you can spend every day outside and if you wanted to you could find a different thing to do every day.  My favorite thing to do is Rock Climbing and West Virginia has some of the best climbing in the country.  There are so many places to climb here, but the New River Gorge is the best place to climb here and when you climb to the top of a mountain and look down at the rushing rapids of the New River it makes you feel so unbelievably small but there is a comforting feeling about it at the same time.

Speaking of the roaring waters of the New River there are companies that will take you rafting for the day, and this is definitely a thing you have to do!  It’s incredible feeling coming down the calm sections of the river and getting to a bend in the river and before you even see the rapids you can hear the roar of the rapids.  As soon as you get in ear range of the rapids you realize what’s coming and immediately your heart rate goes up, your muscles start to tighten, and then you see the white water in front of you and you start paddling as hard as you can.  The trips last for several hours and at the end of the day you are exhausted, but you still want to go on even after the trip is over.  That’s what keeps me going back trip after trip.

At ACE outdoor adventures this summer there was a zip line that opened up.  I haven’t had a chance to go there yet, but I have a friend that went and said it was amazing because you’re tied to a wire which is connected to the tops of the trees, and you float from tree to tree.  The trip lasted almost 4 hours and I can’t wait to do that.  Here are some other activities that they offer. http://www.aceraft.com/

One of my favorite places to go for an afternoon hike is Seneca Rocks.  It isn’t a very hard hike to the top.  It’s just long and winding trail, but it’s definitely worth it when you get to the top.  If you wanted to climb it the hard way you can sign up to join the climbing school and they’ll take you on a guided trip.

http://www.seneca-rocks.com/srcs_site/climbingcourses/selfrescueopenenrollment.html

If you make it to Seneca Rocks you can camp at a campsite at the bottom of the rocks.  When you’re sitting at the campsite as the sun goes down it’s the most beautiful sunset you could imagine because while the sky is beginning to darken the sun is still beaming onto the rock like God is spotlighting it.

When you wake up I recommend going to Spruce Knob.  It’s only a few miles away and it’s cool to say you were at the highest point in the entire state!  Then you should definitely go to Dolly Sods which is a wildlife refuge and it’s full of little hiking trails and it’s full of great views.  The coolest thing about Dolly Sods is the wind constantly blows from one direction and all the trees on the top of the mountain have limbs on only one side of the tree.

I could go on for days about all the things I love about West Virginia, but no matter how I describe the beauties of West Virginia it does it no justice at all!  If you ever have the chance to visit West Virginia you should and I can almost guarantee that you won’t want to leave.

USA-TURK.com is partly sponsored by The Mountain State University

for more articles about Rock Climbing and West Virginia please visit Eric’s website www.chalkprint.com

In this blog/article entry I would like to provide you with a list of TOP 10 Undergraduate/Bachelor’s level Business Programs in the USA based on the data compiled by one of my favorites: www.USNews.com !

Here it is: TOP 10 U.S. Undergraduate Business programs/schools as noted in USNews’ Best Colleges 2009 Survey/Report (Added some additional information about the tuition, and International admissions’ URLs to save you some time, good luck on your college search!)

University of Pennsylvania
Location (City & State): Philadelphia, PA
International URL: http://www.admissionsug.upenn.edu/applying/international.php
Tuition: $32,000+ US

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Location (City & State): Cambridge, MA
International URL: http://web.mit.edu/catalogue/overv.chap3-adm.shtml#iua
Tuition: $33,000+ US

University of California–Berkeley
Location (City & State): Berkeley, CA
International URL: http://internationaloffice.berkeley.edu/students/Prospective/prospective_students.php
Tuition: $29,000+ US

University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
Location (City & State): Ann Arbor, MI
International URL: http://www.admissions.umich.edu/intl/
Tuition: $32,000+ US

New York University
Location (City & State): New York, NY
International URL: http://admissions.nyu.edu/applying.for.admissions/freshman/international.applicants.html
Tuition: $36,000+ US

Carnegie Mellon University
Location (City & State): Pittsburgh, PA
International URL: http://my.cmu.edu/site/admission/page.persp_inter
Tuition: $39,000+ US

University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill
Location (City & State): Chapel Hill, NC
International URL: http://admissions.unc.edu/applying/international.htm
Tuition: $24,000+ US

University of Texas–Austin
Location (City & State): Austin, TX
International URL: http://www.utexas.edu/student/admissions/international/
Tuition: $29,000+ US

University of Virginia
Location (City & State): Charlottesville, VA
International URL: http://www.virginia.edu/undergradadmission/international.html
Tuition: $28,000+ US

University of Southern California
Location (City & State): Los Angeles, CA
International URL: http://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/faq/international_students.html
Tuition: $35,000+ US

Remember that using the ranking data provided by USNews’ can help you narrow your school search, make more realistic decisions, and even save money by helping you possibly apply to only certain schools which meet your criteria whatever that might be: financial, academic excellence etc. I highly recommend you to be a frequent visitor of this site during and after your decision making process for applying to colleges/universities! As usual please remember to check with the institutions listed above for the most up-to-date information. Good luck on your school search.

“Affording our students the opportunity to study abroad, interact with individuals from different cultures while educating them to become capable of living and working in a global environment is the common goal that unites us all international educators … “

- Taylan YALNIZ, International Educator.

(Source: Open Doors Survey 2007 – IIE || URL: http://opendoors.iienetwork.org)
(Source: US News: www.usnews.com)

You may have had a chance to learn English before, but are your English language proficiency skills really sufficient to pursue academic education? Are you able to read a text written in English and most importantly comprehend/understand? Can you properly write/compose essays, papers in English by following the proper grammar rules? Let’s say you can write, read and understand? But can you orally communicate both ways? Can you explain what you mean? And can you understand what is being said?

Unless you can answer “yes” to all of these above questions (and even that is not enough in most cases) you may not be as ready as you may have thought to study in an academic program of study in the USA just yet. Your future academic success in an US program/school depends on how strong your English language proficiency skills are! That is exactly the reason why most U.S. schools may ask to receive and review your official TOEFL, IELTS, or MELAB scores and even admission essays, personal statements before determining whether you are ready to study in a college/university level program or not. Remember that the purpose of tests like TOEFL, IELTS, and MELAB is to evaluate the potential success of an individual whose native language is not English to use and understand American English at a college or university level programs of study. An alternative to taking TOEFL, IELTS or MELAB can be attending and successfully completing an ESL (English as a Second Language) program offered or approved by the college or university you may be thinking about attending.

Although there are hundreds of stand-alone private ESL programs that specialize in teaching English to non-native speakers, there are also hundreds of ESL programs offered by U.S. colleges and universities themselves that prepares the international students to be proficient in English language whose goal is to learn English for further academic purposes.

There are many different types of ESL programs: Short-term (a few weeks long sessions) such as Summer vacation ESL programs, longer term ESL programs (usually a semester- long “4-month” sessions), fast-track ESL programs, semi-intensive, intensive, even super-intensive ESL programs, vocational ESL programs (such as Business-English Certificate programs) or ESL programs for other specific purposes such as TOEFL preparation, or SAT/ACT/GMAT/GRE preparation purposes.

Identifying the right program and the right school is the first thing you will need to do. Once you find the right school/program you should always check to see how small or how big the classrooms are, what is the student-teacher ratio? Remember that less students in a class room per each teacher means more focused attention to each student, which will give you the opportunity to ask more questions, and get quicker response and assistance from your teachers. Also don’t forget to inquire about the accreditation/recognition of the ESL program you may be thinking about attending and most importantly the quality/how well trained the instructors are? Do they hold degrees/certificates in TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) or TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language)? Are they native speakers? Again, all these are certainly quality assuring characteristics of an ESL program, however their importance will depend on what your educational goals are. Assuming that you have found the school/program that is most likely to meet your educational goals, now you should consider the location of the program/school?

According to the Open Doors report 2008, published by the Institute of International Education (IIE) with support from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the number of international students enrolled at colleges and universities in the United States increased by 7% to a record high of 623,805 in the 2007/08 academic year.

ESL – English language programs was one of the most 10 popular programs/fields of study for international students in the academic year 2007/08. Tens of thousands of students from all over the world come to the USA to learn and improve their English language skills each year. But where do these hundreds of thousands of international students choose to live and study in the USA? According to the Open Doors report 2008 below listed U.S. States hosted the most number of international students, or in other words they were the Top 15 leading host states:

TOP 15 Most Popular U.S. States amongst International Students:

1 California
2 New York
3 Texas
4 Massachusetts
5 Illinois
6 Florida
7 Pennsylvania
8 Michigan
9 Ohio
10 Indiana
11 Washington
12 Maryland
13 New Jersey
14 Virginia
15 Georgia

Deciding on where you want to study is a very important step. Are you a small town or a big city person? Do you like mountains or the ocean? How about the weather? Do you like and cannot do without sunshine all year round? or do you enjoy cold and snowy winter days? Remember that United States is a very big country, there are thousands of places you could go in the United States to study and that you will have very different experiences based on where you choose to live and study! The location: city/state where you choose to study will affect how affordable or how affordable your total yearly cost of education and other expenses will be! Do a little search on the internet, ask the admissions officers of the school you may be applying to and find out how much it costs to live in that city or on that campus. Add this average cost of living to the cost of education (tuition, fees, books, supplies etc.) and determine if the total estimated cost will be within your budget or not. Remember that smaller cities offer a lower cost of living than larger ones. It may be more economically possible for you to attend a smaller and less well known college or university or ESL program and save money with lower tuition and cost of living. However smaller cities also offer less cultural and touristic activities.

If you like big city atmosphere, where you can find museums, theaters, and lots of shopping malls and if you would like to live near a major airport so that you can travel easily and more frequently, then you may be better off looking for a school in a major metropolitan U.S. city where the cost of living (rent etc.) will be higher. However you can always offset the high cost of living in the big cities by either choosing an affordable school/program and/or renting an apartment with multiple roommates. Also note that you may prefer to live as far from the downtown/city center as possible to be able to found larger apartment at a lower rent cost. If it is the first time you are traveling abroad, or moving abroad temporarily, it may be best to stay on campus or with a host family first. This will allow you to get to know the city you will be living in, while providing you with a safe roof over your head during the first couples of months.

The following is a partial list of unrecognized accreditation associations of higher learning, as identified by the organizations themselves, government authorities, or other independent authorities as of end of 2008. Also, included are some organizations that do not offer educational accreditation but have been misidentified as accreditors by organizations that offer educational services.

• Accreditation Council for TESOL Distance Education Courses
• Accreditation Governing Commission of the United States of America
• Accrediting Commission International (ACI) (in Beebe, Arkansas) (aka International Accrediting Commission)
• Accrediting Council for Colleges and Schools (ACCS)
• Adult Higher Education Alliance
• Alternative Institution Accrediting Association (AIAA)
• American Accrediting Association of Theological Institutions (AATI) (in Rocky Mount, North Carolina)
• American Association for Higher Education and Accreditation (AAHEA)
• American Association of Drugless Practitioners Commission on Accreditation (AADPCA)
• American Association of Independent Collegiate Schools of Business
• American Association of International Medical Graduates (AAIMG)
• American Association of Non-traditional Colleges and Universities (AANCU)
• American Association of Schools (AAS)
• American Council of Private Colleges and Universities (ACPCU) (connected to the operator of Hamilton University, now called Richardson University)
• American Federation of Colleges and Schools (AFCS)
• American Federation of Colleges and Seminaries (AmFed) (AFCS) or American Federation of Christian Colleges and Schools (in Lakeland, Florida)
• American Naturopathic Certification Board (ANCB)
• American Naturopathic Medical Accreditation Board
• American Naturopathic Medical Certification and Accreditation Board (ANMCAB or ANMAB)
• American Naturopathic Medicine Association (ANMA)
• American Universities Admission Program
• Arizona Commission of Non-Traditional Private Postsecondary Education
• Association for Distance Learning (ADLP) (aka National Academy of Higher Education and Association of Distance Learning Programs)
• Association for Innovation in Distance Education
• Association for Online Academic Excellence (AOAE) (may be based in Wales)
• Association of Christian Colleges and Theological Schools (in Virginia)
• Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) (in Colorado Springs, Colorado)
• Association of Distance Learning Programs (ADLP) (aka Association for Distance Learning and National Academy of Higher Education)
• Association of International Education Assessors (includes Council for Distance Education Accreditation)
• Association of Reformed Theological Seminaries
• Board of Online Universities Accreditation (BOUA)
• Central States Consortium of Colleges & Schools (CSCCS) (connected to the operator of Breyer State University)
• Central States Council on Distance Education (CSCDE; based in Washington, DC)
• Christian Accrediting Association (CAA)
• Commission on Medical Denturitry Accreditation (COMDA)
• Council for Distance Education Accreditation (CDEA; connected to Association of International Education Assessors)
• Council for International Education Accreditation (CIEA)
• Council of Online Higher Education (COHE)
• Council on Postsecondary Christian Education – According to John Bear’s list of unrecognized accreditors, this organization was established by the operators of LaSalle University (Louisiana) and Kent College (Louisiana).
• Council on Medical Denturitry Education (COMDE)
• Distance Education Council (DEC) (connected to the operator of Saint Regis University) (not to be confused with the legitimate Distance Education Council recognized by the Indian Department of Education)
• Distance Graduation Accrediting Association
• Education Accrediting Association (in Idaho)
• Examining Board of Natural Medicine Practitioners (EBNMP)
• Global Accreditation Commission (GAC)
• Higher Education Accreditation Commission (HEAC)
• Higher Education Services Association (HESA) (connected to University Degree Program)
• Hygienic Doctors Association (HDA)
• Integra Accreditation Association (IAA)
• Inter-Collegiate Joint Committee on Academic Standards (ICJCAS)
• Interfaith Education Ministries (IEM)
• International Academic Accrediting Commission (IAAC)
• International Accreditation Agency for Online Universities (IAAOU) (connected to operators of Ashwood University, Belford University, and Rochville University)
• International Accreditation Association (IAA)
• International Accreditation for Universities, Colleges and Institutes (IAUCI)
• International Accreditation and Recognition Council (IARC)
• International Accrediting Association for Colleges and Universities (IAACU)
• International Accrediting Commission (IAC) (Kenosha, Wisconsin) (aka Accrediting Commission International)
• International Accrediting Commission for Postsecondary Institutions (IACPI)
• International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education (IACBE)
• International Association of Educators for World Peace (Includes the international organization and national affiliates in individual countries. Although some unaccredited institutions may have claimed accreditation from this organization, it is not engaged in educational accreditation nor is it an authorized accreditor.)
• International Association of Universities and Schools (IAUS)
• International Commission for Higher Education (ICHE)
• International Commission of Open Post Secondary Education (ICOPSE)
• International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICODE)
• International Distance Learning Accrediting Association (IDLAA)
• International Interfaith Accreditation Association (IIAA) (Closing down operations at the end of May 2007)
• International University Accrediting Association (IUAA) (in California)
• Kingdom Fellowship of Christian Schools and Colleges
• Middle States Accrediting Board (MSAB)
• Midwestern States Accreditation Agency (MSAA)
• National Academy of Higher Education (NAHE) (aka Association for Distance Learning)
• National Accreditation Association (NAA)
• National Association for Private Post-Secondary Education (NAPSE)
• National Association of Alternative Schools and Colleges (NAASC)
• National Association of Open Campus Colleges (NAOCC)
• National Association of Private Nontraditional Schools and Colleges (NAPNSC; Grand Junction, Colorado)
• National College Accreditation Council (NCAC)
• National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA)
• National Council of Schools and Colleges (NCSC)
• National Commission on Higher Education (NCHE)
• National Distance Learning Accreditation Council (NDLAC) (Glenndale University and Suffield University claim NDLAC accreditation)
• National Learning Online Council (NLOC)
• Naturopathic National Council (NNC)
• Non-Traditional Course Accreditation Body (NTCAB)
• Online Christ Centered Ministries
• Pacific Association of Schools and Colleges (PASC)
• Regional Education Accrediting Commission (REDAC)
• Regional Education Accreditation Commission (REDAC)
• Serampore University, see Board of Theological Education of the Senate of Serampore College
• Southern Accrediting Association of Bible Institutes and Colleges (SAABIC)
• The Association for Online Distance Learning (TAODL)
• Transworld Accrediting Commission International (TWACI), Riverside, California, USA
• US-DETC—Nevada (not to be confused with the legitimate DETC, based in Washington DC.)
• Universal Council for Online Education Accreditation (UCOEA)
• Virtual University Accrediting Association (in California) (VUAA)
• Western Association of Private Alternative Schools (WAPAS)
• Western Council on Non-Traditional Private Post Secondary Education (WCNPPSE)
• World Conference of Associations of Theological Institutions
• World Association of Universities and Colleges (WAUC) (in Nevada; operated by Maxine Asher)
• World Council For Excellence in Higher Education (WCEHE)
• World Online Education Accrediting Commission (WOEAC)
• World-wide Accreditation Commission of Christian Educational Institutions (WACCEI)

Each college or university that you may be thinking about applying will have its own application requirements, procedures that you will be asked to follow. We went over the first two and most important parts of the application requirements in my previous article.

Now let’s review the next most important thing when applying to a U.S. college/university program:

Academic Eligibility:

A completed application form and paid application fee may be the first two steps to perform when applying to a program of study in a U.S. college or university, but your application will not go anywhere, if you do not submit the remainder of the documents required by the program/institution you are applying to. Would you believe that in my career as an international educator, I have had many applicants who submitted an online application and an application fee and sent me an email the next day asking when I would be sending their I-20s and acceptance letters? It is not uncommon to experience this, especially when the student/applicant does not take the time to review school’s websites providing step-by-step application requirements or email messages sent by the admission officers.

The most important thing that will play a key role in helping the admission committee of the school /program you may be applying to is your GPA. What is a GPA? GPA stands for Grade Point Average, it is basically your overall success score! It shows how well or how poorly you performed during your previous education. Considering that U.S. education system can be quite different than the rest of the world, the grading scale will be naturally quite different as well. A good example to this would be India versus U.S.A. grading scales. While in India grades like First Class, Second Class etc. are used to determine how good of a student you are, in the U.S. a grading system of base 4.0 is used. (Numeric Grade “4.0” = Letter Grade “A”) But how in the world the U.S. admission officer will know about the grading scale used in your country? Will they really be able to determine or understand what a good student you were back home? Do not worry. Expert admissions officers with credential evaluations skills will know exactly how good or bad you did during your previous studies, or will ask for additional documents (Credential Evaluations Report). I will write more about the Credential Evaluations in another article.

The most important academic credentials are your transcripts: list of grades you have earned in each single course you took during your previous education.

Depending on the college/university you are applying to you may be allow to submit original documents directly to the school, but most will require these credentials to be in a sealed envelope from your former institutions. Most schools will not accept any documents you may submit as official unless they are issued and sent directly to the U.S. college/university you are applying to by the institution you previously attended. For example a Vietnamese student may send his/her academic credentials (transcripts, degree/graduation certificate etc. )issued by his/her school and put in a sealed envelope to a U. S. college/university but that U.S. college or university may or may not accept these documents as officials, in other word, your documents, money spent to those documents, and the time you took to get these all done might be for nothing. So how will you overcome this: check with the school you are applying to (Website, email the admissions/international admissions office, review the catalogs/brochures) and find out what do they consider official? Are you being instructed to contact your former schools to ask for them to send your original transcripts and degree/graduation certificate directly to the address of the U.S. school? Or are they going to allow you to send such documents yourselves. Why does this matter? If a student is given the chance to submit his/her own credentials to a U.S. school, this give that student the opportunity to make changes on these documents in other words provide fraudulent documents to increase his/her chance of getting admitted. Although most students would not do it, knowing that the student who may be delivering his/her own documents have the opportunity to do such thing makes most U.S. schools to request these important documents from the school so that student or any other third party has no opportunity to alter them.

So make sure how does the school you are applying to requires you to handle submission of your transcripts and degree/graduation certificate? Can you send it? Would that be OK? Or do they have to be sent by your school directly to the U.S. school?

Well what if your school only issues one set of transcripts and or diploma/graduation certificate or degree certificate? And that this one and only copy is issued to you and you would not like to surrender them? Well most U.S. schools will understand. It would be helpful to get an official letter prepared by your school explaining this practice. U.S. school may allow you to submit photocopies of your documents. Each school will have a different requirement when it comes to transcripts. Everyday international educators encounter with applicants who submit altered documents , and the only way to verify that the information on your transcripts may be for them to be issued and sent directly by the issuing school. But that is not the case, An authorized credential evaluator (subject of another article) such as WES – World Education Services or ECE – Educational Credential Evaluators may evaluated your transcripts and authenticate that they are accurate and not altered. Your future U.S. college/university may accept official credential evaluations report from a reputable evaluation agency (usually a member of NACES: www.naces.org) in lieu of official transcripts and degree/graduation certificate.

Test Scores: Remember that schools will measure your eligibility for admission not only by looking at your transcripts but also by looking at how well you performed in standardized tests that may help measure your math, English ability. Most programs will require you to sit for a specific test (SAT, ACT, GRE, GMAT, TOEFL etc.) and have your official scores submitted directly to them in support of you application, while some schools/program may not require such test scores or waive the test score requirement for a temporary duration of time (usually up to one semester).

As an international applicant one of the most important thinks you must prove to your future U.S. college or university is that you have the required English language proficiency in order to be successful in the program if/when you are admitted, and to measure your level of English language proficiency most schools will require you to sit for the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) exam which will measure your English language proficiency in speaking, listening, reading, writing, and comprehension.

The school you are applying to may allow you to sit for Michigan English Language Assessment Battery (MELAB) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS) as an alternative to the TOEFL examination. Each school will set its own minimum admission criteria and even different programs may have different English proficiency test score requirements within the same college or university.

Most colleges and universities may also recommend you to attend their ESL (English as a Second Language) programs and may allow you to be admitted to the college/university degree program without a TOEFL, IELTS, MELAB test scores if you successfully complete their ESL program.

If you meet the English Language Proficiency requirement of the school/program you are applying, but don’t meet the specific test requirement, and if that school/program does not allow you to take such test during the first semester of your studies by giving you a conditional admission, you may always explore the way for applying as a non-degree student. As a non-degree student you may be allow to take courses from the program/department of your original interest, and prepare for the test(s) required. Please remember that you will need to update your application for the degree program and meet the program admission requirements before you are allowed to continue studying for more than two semester. Some schools may only allow you to register as a non-degree student for one semester, while other for up-to two semesters at the most. Please check with the school you are interest in for more information.

Application Form, Application Fee payment, Official / original transcripts and degree/graduation certificate/diploma and test scores are not the only things you will be asked to provide when applying to a degree program at a U.S. college or university as an international student. While the list of required documents may vary from school to school, it is expected that you will also be asked to provide following documents:

- Affidavit of Financial Support Forms/Bank Letter/Scholarship Letter etc.

- Admission Essay/Personal Statement/Statement of Purpose

- Recommendation Letters

- Resume

Please remember to submit ALL required documents and payments asked by the school you are applying to by the set deadlines (if any). Most schools will not continue reviewing application files if you fail to submit all required documents and payment(s) in support of your application by the deadline they set. For more information on Financial Support forms, Admission Essay, Personal Statement, Statement of Purpose, Recommendation Letters and last but not least about Resumes please read the related articles submitted.

First think you will need to do is to go over your finances! How much can you or your family (or your financial sponsor) afford to spend each month for the first year of your studies in the USA for your living expenses (rent, food, utilities and other miscellaneous expenses..)

Check with the website of your new school, look at your I-20 Form and see how much your school estimates the cost of living? Your school will be able to provide you with general information on how much it usually costs to rent an apartment, studio near the campus. They will also be able to give you the cost of living on campus dormitories.

Once you know how much you can afford to spend to live on each month and once you find out how much you will need to spend (estimated) to live on or off-campus your decision making process will be easier.

Now let’s say that you are able to afford to live both on and off campus! In other words, the financial situation will not be a deal breaker when making a decision on whether you should rent an apartment or whether you should stay in a dormitory at the comfort and safety of your campus. Can you live in a dormitory? Can you live by yourself in an apartment? Do you want people around you? Can you handle the chores associated with renting an apartment such as paying bills on time?

Living on-campus vs. Living off-campus

While renting an apartment quite advantageous when/if your immediate relatives are accompanying you to the States, finding the right apartment may be challenging: Amount of Monthly Rent, how close/far to/from the campus, safety issues etc.

The right apartment can provide you with a safe and most importantly quite shelter to focus on your studies.

While safety is one of the most important advantages of living on-campus, the college students tend to be quite noisy in the U.S. this may keep you from being able to focus your attention on your studies, even may cause you to have many sleepless nights due to noise. You may also not have the same level of privacy if you choose to stay in the dorms as if you had your own apartment.

While lack of privacy (are you sharing your room with other students, how about your bathroom and kitchen etc.) and the amount of noise you may need to put up with on campus residences can be seen as inconvenience for many, others may actually appreciate these factors. Being surrounded by university/college students and their friends from all over the states and the world will help you experience the U.S. culture in a different level while making it easy to adapt to this new culture with the help and support of your new friends.

Although we cannot generalize, on-campus residences will be most likely to be safer than any other apartment complex you may find outside the campus as the campus police may be patrolling the area to keep it safe.

Another alternative of living on campus is of course the amount of responsibilities you will have: You do not need to remember to write a check to make a utility payment. You do not need to remember when to write the check for your GAS company, for your Cable company or for your electric company, you do not need to worry about the additional travel/commute expenses you may have if you choose to live off campus, and of course you may not even need to worry about what you will cook tonight..! ALL these are taken care of for you when you choose to stay on campus.

Regardless what your decision is please make sure to inform and consult to your international student advisor, ask for his or her advice and make sure to carefully read and understand the housing contract you are about to sign either with the landlord of your apartment or with the office of residence services before signing it. DO NOT commit to a long term contract if you are unsure whether you may change your mind soon and wish to move out of your apartment or dorm room soon. Remember you may be asked and made by law to continue paying the rest of your monthly rent if you choose to terminate your lease/contract too soon.

Affordable lower tuition rates, generally smaller classroom spaces, expert instructors are some of the many reasons that make a community college education an excellent starting point for higher (post secondary – after high school) education. Community college offer students a variety of educational and vocational/career programs where a student can gain invaluable practical skills.

In most U.S. community colleges you can study in a “Certificate” or a “Diploma” program, or even go further and work towards earning an “Associate Degree” (two-year degree) in a specific vocational/career or technical field of study or even “transfer” to another U.S. college or university in order to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree (four year college/university degree).

Community colleges tend to have smaller, less crowded classrooms and therefore more personal and focused attention is given to students by their professors.

Less expensive tuition and fee rates allows students to save money during the first two years of their post-secondary education in a community college. Since financial aid and student loans can be very limited to international students, more affordable community colleges can be a great option to receive quality American education. Most community colleges have articulation/transfer/2+2 agreements with tens of 4-year Bachelor’s degree awarding colleges and universities in the United States. So if you plan to continue your education in the United States in order to earn a Bachelor’s degree, then you may choose to study in a two-year Associate’s degree program in a community college that is specifically designed to fulfill the required curriculum of the first two academic years of a university program.

If you intend to transfer to a U.S. college or university, you should always consult with the expert admissions and academic advisors of your community college so that you can take the right courses at the right time which will apply to your next program.

According to the American Association of Community Colleges there are nearly 1200 community colleges in the United States of America where you may earn your certificate or associate’s degree.

Each year more and more international students begin their academic post-secondary education in a community college in the U.S. According to the Open Doors report 2008 published by the IIE – Institute of International Education nearly 90 thousand international students studied in a community college program (Associate’s) in during the academic year 2007-08.

Top 20 U.S. Community Colleges that hosted the most number of International students during 2007-08 Academic year:

1 Houston Community College System
2 Santa Monica College
3 De Anza College
4 Montgomery College
5 North Harris Montgomery Community College
6 CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College
7 Northern Virginia Community College
8 Miami-Dade College
9 Diablo Valley College
10 Nassau Community College
11 Foothill College
12 City College of San Francisco
13 Pasadena City College
14 Green River Community College
15 Seattle Central Community College
16 Richland College
17 Bellevue Community College
18 Edmonds Community College
19 North Lake College
20 Santa Barbara City College

To summarize we can say that community colleges focuses on the first two years of the academic post-secondary education which may also give you the opportunity to transfer into a 4-year college or university without possibly losing any of the courses you have taken, credits you have earned during the first two years. While the quality of education they provide is not of any less value community colleges affords you the opportunity to study in the USA at affordable tuition rates and certainly can prepare you to adopt to a larger U.S. college or university campus. Admission requirements into community colleges tend to be more flexible, easier to meet. You may even be admitted without a TOEFL scores, or in some cases without a high school diploma. Some community colleges may allow you to take regular college courses while taking ESL (English as a Second Language) classes to improve your English language skills. If TOEFL or IELTS score is a “must” you may be required to have a lower score in TOEFL or IELTS to meet the college’s admission criteria. Community colleges tend to be located in smaller campuses, and therefore you may be studying in smaller classrooms which translates into more personal and focused attention from your experienced professors. Most U.S. community colleges may have articulation/transfer/2+2 agreements with reputable 4-year degree awarding U.S. colleges and universities, as long as you follow the appropriate track of study, and take and complete the right courses at the right time you may be able to easily transfer into a U.S. college or university with which your community college has a transfer agreement and complete your bachelor’s degree in two more years.

International students who are interested in a program of study in the United States, whether it is an ESL, English as a Second Language program, bachelor’s, master’s, or a doctorate program, MUST demonstrate that they have sufficient funds made available to them! Schools will ask you to provide affidavit of financial support forms, scholarship letters, and international student loan approval letter, education loan letters, supporting bank documents etc. before they can issue your immigration documents such as a form I-20 or form DS-2019.

U.S. embassy or consulate visa officer will need to see and believe that you and/or your financial sponsor in fact have the ample funds to cover your educational (tuition and fees), living (room and board) , and other miscellaneous expenses that are estimated by your school. For example, If you are admitted to four-years bachelor’s degree program in a U.S. public university you will be asked to show that you and/or your financial sponsor have finances to support your study and living costs as well as other possible miscellaneous expenses for at least one academic year (9 months, usually).

According to the Open Doors report (2008 release) published annually by the Institute of International Education (IIE) with support from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, nearly 63 percent of international students enrolled in U.S. colleges or universities during the academic year of 2007-2008 have primarily funded their education through personal and family funds.

U.S. colleges or universities provided primary funding for nearly 26 percent of the international students during the same academic year. In other words: Scholarships, grants, tuition-waivers and other financial assistantship opportunities provided schools are available for those who qualify!

International Student Loans may be the only option for many students who wish to study in the United States. As the global economy weakening, it causes the international student loan approval rates to go down, while processing times, and interest rates go up! Experts recommend that you should only consider borrowing as little money as possible from international student loan lenders. Always remember to knock on the door! Check with your school to see if they have any scholarship or other type of financial aid/assistantship opportunities that you may be qualified for! Check with your family and friends to see if they can help pay for your education in USA. Make also sure to check with your local and/or governmental organizations to see if any financial support can be available to support your cost of study and living etc. Refer to the international student loans as the last option.

Although not impossible, it will be a lot more difficult for you to be approved for an international student loan as the market continues to struggle. You or your financial co-sponsor / guarantor may be required to have better, higher credit scores! Lenders who used to not require a U.S. co-signer may require one now! Even if your loan application is approved, you will most probably be asked to pay a lot more interest on your loan. Applying as early as possible and supporting your application with a strong U.S. co-signer with a strong credit score may help increase your approval chance.

Helpful Resources:

College Board Scholarship Search
FastWeb
Scholarship Resource Network Express
The Foundation Center
The Fulbright Program
GrantsNet
Global Student Loan Company (GSLC)
InternationalStudentLoan.com

The following list of recognized accreditation associations of higher learning in the United States is taken from the United States Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education and the Directory of Council for Higher Education Accreditation Recognized Organizations 2005-2006.

Regional Accreditation

Regional accreditation is considered the standard accreditation for the vast majority of public and private universities:

• Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSA) Middle States Commission on Higher Education
• New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC-CIHE) Commission on Institutions of Higher Education
• (NEASC-CTCI) Commission on Technical and Career Institutions
• North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA-HLC)
• Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)
• Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) Commission on Colleges
• Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC-ACCJC) Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges
• (WASC-ACSCU) Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities

Additionally, the Board of Regents of the State of New York is recognized as an accreditor for degree-granting institutions of higher education in the state that designate the agency as their sole or primary accrediting agency. New York is the only state that is eligible to be federally recognized as an accreditor due to a grandfather clause in federal law that allows recognition for state agencies if they were recognized as accreditors before October 1, 1991.

National Accreditation

The “national accreditors” get their name from their common (but not universal) practice of accrediting schools nationwide or even worldwide.

Professional Accreditation

These accreditations typically cover a specific program of professional education or training, but in some cases they cover the whole institution.

• Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET)
• Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM)
• Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE)
• Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA)
• Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools
• Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC)
• American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT/COAMFTE) Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education
• American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (AAFCS) Council for Accreditation (CFA)
• American Association of Nurse Anesthetists Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (CoA-NA)
• American Bar Association (ABA) Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar
• American Board of Funeral Service Education (ABFSE) Committee on Accreditation
• American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) Division of Accreditation
• American Council for Construction Education (ACCE) Board of Trustees
• American Culinary Federation (ACF) Accrediting Commission
• American Dental Association (ADA) Commission on Dental Accreditation
• American Dietetic Association Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education (CADE-ADA)
• American Institute of Certified Planners/Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning Planning Accreditation Board (PAB)
• American Library Association (ALA) Committee on Accreditation (CoA)
• American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE)
• American Optometric Association (AOA) Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (ACOE)
• American Osteopathic Association Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation
• American Physical Therapy Association Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education
• American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) Council on Podiatric Medical Education (CPME)
• American Psychological Association (APA) Committee on Accreditation (CoA)
• American Society for Microbiology American College of Microbiology
• American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board (LAAB)
• American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology
• American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Division of Education and Research
• Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP)
• Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)
• American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE)
• Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP)
• Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME)
• Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
• Commission on English Language Program Accreditation
• Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation
• Commission on Opticianry Accreditation
• Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP)
• Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA)
• Council on Aviation Accreditation (CAA)
• Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE) Commission on Accreditation
• Council on Education for Public Health
• Council on Naturopathic Medical Education
• Council on Occupational Education
• Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE) Commission on Standards and Accreditation
• Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Office of Social Work Accreditation and Educational Excellence
• Joint Review Committee on Education Programs in Radiologic Technology (JRCERT)
• Joint Review Committee on Educational Programs in Nuclear Medicine Technology (JRCNMT)
• Liaison Committee on Medical Education
• Midwifery Education Accreditation Council
• Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education
• National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS)
• National Accrediting Commission of Cosmetology Arts and Sciences (NACCAS)
• National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB)
• National Association of Industrial Technology (NAIT)
• National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health Council on Accreditation
• National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) Commission on Accreditation
• National Association of Schools of Dance (NASD) Commission on Accreditation
• National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) Commission on Accreditation and Commission on Community/Junior College Accreditation
• National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA) Commission on Peer Review and Accreditation (COPRA)
• National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST) Commission on Accreditation
• National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE)
• National Environmental Health Science and Protection Accreditation Council
• National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC)
• National Recreation & Park Association/American Association for Physical Activity and Recreation (NRPA/AALR) Council on Accreditation
• Planning Accreditation Board
• Society of American Foresters (SAF)
• Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC)

Religious Accreditation Associations

• Association of Advanced Rabbinical and Talmudic Schools (AARTS)
• Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS) Commission on Accrediting
• Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE) Commission on Accreditation
• Association for Clinical Pastoral Education Accreditation Commission
• Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS) Accreditation Commission
• United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Commission on Certification and Accreditation

Nonspecialized Accreditation

These recognized accreditation organizations provide accreditation to whole institutions for diverse educational programs:

• Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training (ACCET)
• Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS)
• Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT)
• American Academy for Liberal Education (AALE)
• Distance Education and Training Council (DETC)

Your career may have brought you to the intersection of technology and business, which are both changing very rapidly. Keeping up can be difficult, but it sure is not impossible! So in order to keep up with technology that is changing so frequently and so quickly and to see how the business and technology interacts to create competitive advantage, you may consider to pursue education in Technology Management / IT Management.

There are many U.S. universities, colleges, graduate schools offering certificate and graduate (master’s) degree program options… Best part is you may attend a regular full-time program, part-time program, or complete your education entirely online or even in an executive setting with the possibility of taking courses during week-ends with your cohort… Here are a few examples of USA colleges, universities, graduate schools that offer programs in Technology Management / IT Management:

University of Pennsylvania: http://www.seas.upenn.edu/profprog/emtm/

University of Maryland University College: http://www.umuc.edu/programs/grad/tman/

Marshall University: http://www.marshall.edu/cite/

Columbia University: http://www.ce.columbia.edu/masters/?PID=9

Brandeis University: http://www.brandeis.edu/rabbgrad/visitors/program.php?prog_id=24

Capella University: http://www.capella.edu/schools_programs/business_technology/mba/information_technology_management.aspx?ct=1

Marist College: http://www.marist.edu/compscimath/graduate/mstm/

Carnegie Mellon University: http://www.heinz.cmu.edu/school-of-information-systems-and-management/index.aspx

University of Bridgeport: http://www.bridgeport.edu/sed/grad/tech_management.htm

City University of Seattle: http://www.cityu.edu/programs/som/ms_technology_management.htm

Georgia Tech: http://mgt.gatech.edu/exec_ed/exec_masters/index.html

to be continued soon…