I'm Jayaruwan and I will be moving to USA on August 24th, 2011. I will be starting my undergraduate studies at the Kutztown University of Pennsylvania and I'm planning to major in Chemistry.
When it comes to the application process, it can be very overwhelming. I would like to share some of my experience and hope that it would help someone else. I've realised that the US education system is very flexible and almost everyone stands a chance to get in. There is definitely a university out there for you!
Struggle with A/Ls
I'll give you some of my background information so you would understand my situation better. I did reasonably well in school. My grades were not bad (and not perfect either). I did a lot of extra-curricular activities by participating in many school organisations and clubs, and I also led some of them.
I did my Advanced Level (A/L) exams back in 2007 in the biology stream. Although I did well in school, I failed 2 subjects in my A/Ls. While I was planning to take the exam again in 2008, I had to give up due to some unfortunate incident. So my father wanted me to do the A/Ls again in 2009 – this time in mathematics, but Sri Lankan A/L maths is not something you can cover in just 6 months! Nevertheless, I went ahead and did the A/Ls but yeah you guessed it - I got through the other 2 subjects but not maths. Being fed up with A/Ls I started looking for other options since I realised that without A/Ls in Sri Lanka your chances of advancing further in higher education is very slim.
Other options
After school, I did a Diploma in English at the Sabaragamuwa University and got through with a Distinction. In April 2010, I did the IELTS - one of the exams which show proficiency in the English language and is mainly accepted in commonwealth countries. I scored 8.0 out of 9.0 in IELTS. At that time I was looking at some universities in Australia and the UK, but was not satisfied with the amount of scholarships that were being offered for international undergraduate students. I then took the SATs in November 2010 – which is required by undergraduate programs in the US.
Students should always refer to the university's admissions website or get in touch with the international center of universities, since sometimes SATs might not be mandatory - such as University of Oregan or Kutztown University of Pennsylvania . Some have certain conditions, such as The Ohio State University, which state that "Test scores are not required from students who graduated from high school two or more years ago, and transfer students with 30 or more semester hours of earned credit from a previous university" .
Regardless of the requirements, it is highly recommended to take the SAT if you're applying to their scholarship programs. I went to a SAT class but it proved to be completely useless. So I self studied and got a decent score - 1720.
Application process to US schools
The application process to apply to undergraduate programs in the US is very tedious and would suck the life out of you, especially when you have no one else to help you! I did not know about SL2College back then! It is important to do your research since no one else is going to do it for you. I started my application process at the beginning of last year. To apply to the US, "Collegeboard" (collegeboard.org) is a good place to start. I realised that just because a university is big and famous, it does not mean that it is the right university for you.
This is important because even the relatively small colleges (Kutztown for instance) have much more to offer than students realize and for a fraction of the cost you would have to spend if you're going to a bigger college. I, for one, don't fancy the rushed city life either, and smaller universities naturally have smaller classes which means closer relationship with your teachers, easy to schedule classes, etc. I'm not saying that everyone should avoid the big names but most students tend to look at the big names and be disappointed or discouraged when they see the price tag! The other thing is, you don't have to go to the exact same university that your friend, your cousin or your siblings are studying. You have to consider the major you intend to follow, the class sizes, facilities, opportunities, cost/benefits ratio (bang for the buck), etc. In other words, you reap what you sow, so it's up to you to make the best out of what they have to offer.
The number of US colleges can be overwhelming too! When I started looking for a college, I forgot about all the famous ones and then had to start from scratch. Collegeboard gave me a list of 627 universities and I went to the websites of 593 of them. I emailed nearly 60 colleges. From the ones I was interested in, I noted down the average SAT scores of admitted students, IELTS/TOEFL requirement, percentage of applicants admitted, total estimated cost per year and any scholarships they offer. Then I slowly narrowed down my choices eliminating the obvious. Finally, I applied to only one university - Kutztown University of Pennsylvania.
As for choosing Kutztown; it was the promising scholarship program they have. I looked into Iowa State University too. They have a really good Chemistry program but the cost of attendance was really high. Even with the scholarships they offer, I have to pay nearly $23000/year. Kutztown is not too big or too small. It's located in a sub-urban setting which I think would be ideal for studies. On top of that, they provide research opportunities to undergraduate students and they have an honors program. Their chemistry degree is accepted by the American Chemical Society which would help if I'm going to study further. They also have a Fine Arts Department which is very well known and would help since I'm thinking of doing a minor in photography. I don't think the university is a popular choice among Sri Lankans, as I did not find any Sri Lankans in their International Student Organization group in facebook. But that's the advantage of doing research - you can find your match.
Almost every US College requires you to submit your high school transcripts (if you're applying for undergraduate studies), financial documents, and maybe recommendation letters, a personal statement and TOEFL or IELTS. You may need a SAT score too. I would advise you to take the SAT anyway since it will widen your chances of getting in and if you're applying for a scholarship, it will definitely help. Also, some universities award scholarships if you score well in TOEFL.
When it comes to financial documents, don't be fooled by those big numbers. For me, the estimated cost for the year 2011-2012 was around $28,000 (includes tuition, room and board, health insurance, administrative fees and other personal expenses) and I had to show that amount. They only ask the documents to prove that I have enough funds to cover the first year.
I think only a few universities offer need-based financial aid for international students. Students should do their research and not always assume that they will get financial aid - but there is still a chance of getting it! I got a scholarship and it covers my entire tuition cost which is like $17000 per year - this is why I told you about my education history! Your extracurricular activities and personal statement play a big role in your application. Don't overlook them! Be sure to mention any community services you've done too. In addition to my participation in clubs at school, I do photography, maintain a blog and write poetry. I'm sure it all helped to secure a scholarship. Most students have this misconception that you need very high grades to get a scholarship. But in most cases what you need is something else to distinguish yourself from the others. Even in my situation I was able to find an accredited college that will award me a full scholarship.
Universities will only accept your academic transcripts and documents if it is sent directly from your high school or institute. I know most Sri Lankan schools are not used to this concept. So be sure to follow up until they actually send your documents. If you suspect that it is not going to happen, get the documents and ask for an official envelop. Seal everything in front of the school officials, get a school stamp or signature on the sealed part of the envelope and then post it yourself. Unfortunately, there's no way around it and it is up to you to make sure it gets done. The same thing applies for your recommendation letters.
Getting acceptance
I was already late when I sent my application. The deadline was on the 1st of March (for Fall intake) I think. After that, they grant admission and scholarships on a first come first serve basis. I sent my application in the 3rd or final week of March - because the banks didn't provide the necessary documents on time (they refused to sign and stamp the financial documents saying that they don't normally stamp the printed documents even when I pointed out that the university requires a wet signature AND the official stamp!). Anyway, the university confirmed that they got all the documents they need during the first week of April and granted me admission just two days later. However, the scholarship decision took nearly a week or two.
I've been keeping in touch with the International Office at the university to learn everything about my application and the scholarship. They will tell you what they need in order to grant you admission and once you get admission, they will forward all the other details (housing, food contracts, health forms, etc) and your I-20. Trust me; this is when the real fun starts!
Start your visa process as soon as possible because it will take some time to get all the necessary documents. Once you get the visa, it will allow you to plan ahead.
About 3 days before my visa interview, I went to the visa seminar at the Fulbright Commission. It was very helpful and in some ways, scary too. My uncle sent his financial documents to the university but I got to know that the visa counsellors only accept parents (and maybe grandparents in special circumstances) as a student's sponsors. Nonetheless, they did accept my brother as my sponsor. The forum on SL2College has a lot of threads which answer almost all the questions a student would have regarding the visa process.
The visa officer may ask what your plans are after you graduate. You have to show them that you can make use of whatever you're planning to study when you return. Since I'm planning to major in chemistry I said I'd most probably end up in the industrial field.
You might have to get a lot of vaccines (Tetanus, Hepatitis B - 3 doses, Chickenpox - 2 doses, MMR - 2 doses, Meningococcal vaccine, etc), so make sure you start early. Also, complete the housing application early on if you're planning to stay on campus. Some universities require you to enrol in a meal plan if you're living on campus. I've applied for on campus housing and it is mandatory for us to enrol in a meal plan as long as we're living on campus. It comes to around $4200/semester.
It took me nearly a year to complete the entire application process - from searching universities to getting the visa.
I would also like to mention one more important thing. I vote against these "higher education agents" especially if you're going to the US. The main reason being that there are nearly 4000 universities in the US and these agents only represent like 10 universities. So you will be limited! Go to the Fulbright Commission instead where they have free seminars on various topics and the advisers there will guide you. I didn't know about them or the resources at SL2College when I was applying.
Today, a part of me is glad that I did not get through A/Ls. Some people think it is a must to start following "something" as soon as you finish A/Ls. Unfortunately, this is the reason why we see many "lost" students nowadays. Most of them try to "go with the flow" and start following the two most common degrees followed in Sri Lanka – Information Technology and Business Management. I'm not in any way trying to insult them. The problem is, most students tend to follow these degrees just because they have to and they think it is their only option - not because they are genuinely interested in those fields.
A lot of people questioned why I am wasting my time staying at home. What they saw as "wasting my time" is what actually allowed me to secure a scholarship. In other words, if you have a clear goal and the determination to achieve it, it's well worth the wait. I would rather walk slowly towards my goal than run towards nowhere.
I'm looking forward to starting my studies at the Kutztown University of Pennsylvania!
SL2College would like to thank Jayaruwan Gunathilake for sharing his experience of applying to a university in USA and wishes him the very best in his future endeavours.
Date of publication in the Sunday Observer: August 21 and 28, 2011 (in 2 parts).
This and other related articles are available on www.sl2college.org under the resources section. SL2College is a global community that provides FREE advice and guidance to Sri Lankan students. SL2College helps Sri Lankan students find relevant information to make informed decisions about their educational goals. Please post your queries on the forum at www.sl2college.org or email info@sl2college.org.
