Preamble

The U.S. graduate school system offers unparalleled opportunities. However, successful admission is a complicated and lengthy process. This wikibook, aims to help you navigate the application process, especially if you are not a US citizen.

Table of Chapters

Chapter 1: Why the U.S.

There is also an all chapters view for printing.

Contributors

Cdamama

Why the U.S.

Largest number of Nobel prizes
High national spending on research and development
High caliber colleagues
Hundreds of schools
Freedom of thought, conscience and expression
Competitive egalitarian society
Generous stipends

Why not the U.S.

Limitations on employment after graduation
Expensive tuition

Ingredients of a successful application

Admission committees in many programs face mountains of applications and a very limited number of spots. Thus, for an application to be successful it

Must contain evidence that the applicant is a distinguished individual
Demonstrate that the interests of the applicant nicely match the program he/she is applying to
Not contain any obvious mistakes or exaggerations
Be easily readable

Successful application must include high quality course grades, test grades, reference letters and a convincing personal statement. It is important that all of the above are of a high quality and none can be used to eliminate the application in a preliminary round. Probably the single most important factor is the reference letter, because members of the admission committee may know the author of the letter professional. If so, and if the letter is of a high quality, the application would receive a strong boost. Course grades are least likely to boost your chances because the admission committee may be skeptical of high grades: since it does not know how they were assigned, the grades can be inflated or unfair.

Reference letters

High quality reference letter could be very important to success. Try to:

Get the letter from a professor that has known you for a long time
Has a good record of research
Can communicate effective in English

As well:

Give plenty of time to write the letter
Explain why you want to be admitted to each of the programs, so the letters can be customized
Remind the writer about accomplishments that can be listed in the letter
Follow up on your request with reminders about deadlines

That all being said, when the program is very competitive, even the best applications are likely to fail by pure chance. Therefore, it is important to apply to more than one program. It may also be useful to apply to several less competitive programs as a security. Otherwise, it may be onecessary to wait a year before applying again.

Funding

As a general rule, students in Ph.D. programs receive sufficient funding for modest living. Typically, funding is provided as long as the student maintains good grades, does work (as a teaching or research assistant) and completed the degree within a given time frame (usually 4-5 years). In Master's or professional programs, the student could be very different.

Tips

Contact potential advisers in advance of your application. Contacting the faculty members is an extra opportunity to demonstrate that you are interested in the program. By expressing interest in working with a particular person, you can make your application stick out during the selection process, especially if the professor in question is in the selection committee. As well, in some universities, applications circulate between faculty members and the students are only admitted if there is a faculty member who selects the student's application. You may be surprised by the openness of professors to answer questions or to communicate with you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Why do applications ask about race of the applicant - is race a factor?

A. Publicly-funded university are required by law to report the composition of their student body. However, it is possible that race would play a small role in the application, due to what is known as "affirmative action" or "diversity" policies. Affirmative action is a policy of giving preferential admission to applicants from groups which are under-represented in the student body compared to the general population; Diversity refers the stated preference of many schools to have a student body composed from diverse social backgrounds. That said, recent court ruling and laws have weakened such policies. In sum, race is not an important factor in success.

Q. I have been offered to pay for my program by working as a teaching or research assistant. Do I need to get a work visa? A. No. Work in the university which is related to your program of study does not require an additional visa beyond your student visa.

Q. I heard that the US does not have health insurance. What happens if I get sick? A. Actually, in many if not the majority of schools, graduate students receive comprehensive health insurance from the university.