What are the conditions and procedures for applying for undergraduate study in the United States?

Domestic high school students can also apply for undergraduate courses in the United States after graduation, and there are many ways to choose. Therefore, before applying, students must first determine their study abroad plans, so as to make their admission rate higher. Come and see how American undergraduates apply.

First of all, the requirements for undergraduate admission in American universities

Language requirements

Students applying for undergraduate courses need to provide language scores, generally TOEFL 80+ or IELTS 6.5+. Better schools will require SAT I scores, and individual majors in some schools will require SAT II scores. Although many schools do not require SAT scores, it is very beneficial for you if your scores are relatively high, because it is a good reference.

American universities have relatively loose language requirements for international students. A considerable number of universities can provide students with conditional admission, that is, take language classes for a period of time before the start of undergraduate courses, and the length of time depends on the students' learning situation.

performance requirement

When applying for an American undergraduate course, you need to provide the applicant's three-year school grades. If you are a senior three student, you can provide the results of the first five semesters when applying, but you are required to provide all the results of senior three when applying. Some schools will require HKCEE's grades to make up for six semesters.

According to different schools, the requirements for GPA will be different. The hot majors in some popular schools are fiercely competitive, and the GPA is required to be no less than 3.8 (equivalent to 95 points out of domestic 100). However, many schools have not set the minimum standard of GPA, so although the score is the main symbol to judge whether to accept or not, it is not the only one.

material requirements

Application materials: school certificate (diploma or certificate of studying), original transcript, 2-3 letters of recommendation, resume, personal statement, copy of passport, and bank deposit certificate.

Language preparation: IBT, IELTS, SAT I (some schools and majors will require SAT II).

Second, the common ways to apply for undergraduate courses in the United States

1, conditional admission (double admission)

Suitable for the crowd: students in Grade Three and Grade Three who have no standardized test scores.

Some American universities offer students without standardized test scores conditional admission without SAT, TOEFL or IELTS. The school has issued two admission notices: one is the admission notice of the school language center, and the other is the conditional admission notice of the school undergraduate course, so it is also called "double admission". "Conditional" here means that students must first enter the language center after entering school. After the language is passed, they can directly enter the undergraduate course without additional application.

There are more than 600 universities in the United States that accept conditional admission, including the top 100 universities, such as the University of Cincinnati and case western reserve university. Students can choose to study at any of the 54 ELS language centers in the United States, and they can enter the school when they reach grade 1 12 (some schools only require grade 109); You can also take the TOEFL at any time. Once you meet the entrance requirements, you can end your language study and enter the undergraduate course directly. Some universities have their own language centers, such as St Michael's University and Montana State University.

This method is very suitable for students who don't have time to take the language test or don't want to take it. There will be more schools with double admission rankings in the middle reaches, and the cost will be more than 200,000.

2. Direct application

Suitable for the crowd: senior three, freshmen with excellent grades.

Direct application is a regular way to apply for American universities. Students must take various standardized tests, mainly including SAT, TOEFL or IELTS. All American universities accept this application method. The admission criteria of American universities include academic performance, extracurricular activities and character cultivation. Academic achievements include, for example, SAT and personal scores, AP scores, academic rankings and average GPA of courses. Extracurricular activities include scientific research, literature and art, leadership, community service, and winning prizes in competitions. Personality cultivation is mainly investigated from personal statement, teacher/principal recommendation letter, interview and so on.

Applying for a prestigious American school is generally one year in advance. Therefore, senior two students must take standardized exams and prepare various documents, including personal essays and letters of recommendation, to reflect the above three abilities and ensure good GPA in their studies.

3. Community College

Suitable for people: working families, students without standardized test scores.

The annual tuition of American public universities is about $65,438+0-20,000, and that of private universities is as high as $20,000-40,000, plus living expenses and insurance. Compared with a comprehensive university with an annual tuition of tens of thousands of dollars, the tuition of community colleges in the United States is lower, with an annual tuition of about 6,000 dollars. If students choose to study in a community college for the first two years and then transfer to a comprehensive university for the second two years, they can save at least $65,438+$00,000 to $70,000 compared with directly entering a comprehensive university for four years.

This way is "two-year community college+two-year four-year university", that is, when the community college enrolls you, according to your personal choice, the community college will also issue you a conditional admission notice to a four-year comprehensive university. "Conditional" here means: first, complete the first two years of undergraduate study (associate degree) in a community college, and then transfer students to a four-year university to complete the second two years of study (bachelor degree). Because the transferred four-year comprehensive universities are often famous schools, this method is also called "the springboard of famous schools".

Third, the advantages of studying abroad in the United States

Among the top 100 universities in the world, the United States accounts for nearly half. Choosing to study in the United States means that it will cost nearly one million in four years. However, with the growth of the middle class in China, the high cost of studying abroad is no longer the most concerned issue. More parents hope that their children can grow up and live happily while receiving high-quality foreign higher education. For students, when China graduated from high school, his general age was around 18 years old. The undergraduate course is precisely the period when one's outlook on life and values are formed. During this period, the education a child receives and the surrounding environment may affect his life. When I was young, my ability to learn, adapt and accept was relatively strong, and the external environment brought great impact and influence to individuals. I can easily integrate into the living environment abroad and have strong plasticity. In the postgraduate stage, some basic things of people have been finalized, and studying abroad may have a great academic impact on individuals.

Undergraduates have experience in studying abroad, which is very beneficial for foreign graduate students to apply. According to Xu Yajuan, director of the Future Gome Research Department of New Oriental, at present, for China students, the biggest competitor when applying for American graduate students is China students. It is not that domestic undergraduates are not excellent enough, but that those who have studied abroad have more advantages. Generally speaking, faced with the same application from China students, foreign institutions prefer to choose students with overseas study background. Because these students have a deep understanding of the country's education system, learning methods and living habits through studying abroad, they can quickly adapt to the study life of graduate students.