What Every Indian Student Should Know About America Before Applying for the

Top Universities in USA?

A lot of students wanting to study in USA have the notion that, US is a very tough country to survive in. It is not at all a country for

the less privileged in terms of money. There is a lot of bullying here and Indian students find it extremely difficult to gel in with their

American counterparts in top universities in USA. The Indian students are eating up the jobs of their American counterparts. The

Americans do not welcome the Indian Students with open arms.

In short, Indian students are not welcome for education in best universities in US. Right?

Wrong!!

In spite of what your notion towards US may be, the truth is that US one of the most tolerant nations on the earth and has probably the

best education system in the world. It’s a country which accepts people from different walks of life and you would find people from

every corner of the world. No wonder the US can be aptly described as a mini planet within the planet earth.

What do top universities in US think about Indian Students?

Welcome to the world of top universities in USA where students (specially Indians and Chinese) are welcome with open arms. The

highly acclaimed centres for learning in US have been functioning since ages with only one agenda in mind – to train the best of the

students so that tomorrow they can carve a better future for the world.

Now, it is not a secret that Indian students are probably one of the best in terms of talent in the world and the US education

universities and the federal government have no qualms in admitting this fact. Therefore, every year many top notch universities

like Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, Dartmouth, Yale etc have thousands of Indian students studying and completing their degrees.

These universities are keenly reinventing themselves each year to attract more and more Indian Students in particular, so that they can

boast of having the best of the talent as their alumni later. A win-win situation for both the students and the universities alike.

So what really stops some of the Indian students from applying to these top

universities in US?

Why do they often settle for the second best countries when they know deep inside their heart that US education is their

destination?

Is it the lack of money, knowledge, credentials, fear of the unknown or something else which stops them in their tracks?

You will be surprised to know that all the factors contribute to the student’s confusion. However, the most startling aspect in this

regard is the price comparison.

A lot of people (read student’s relatives) often end up comparing investment in education with something like buying an insurance

policy. Most of the advices that are thrown randomly at the poor Indian student are from those people, who do not even know that

Harvard and Oxford are two different universities in two different countries. Can you imagine that?

And yes, Indian students are given these so called advices that why do you need to go to US for Undergrads or Master’s program

when you can do the same from south eastern countries in Asia at a cheaper price. They have this thinking that a degree from an

average university from these countries is comparable to an American top university degree.

Ever wondered what is the rationale behind this thinking?

Because these are those type of people who just want to show off that their wards(students) are foreign returns. If these kind of people

had their way in every decision taken to study abroad, the best of the Indian students might have ended up studying in those countries

who were the part of British India 70 years ago.

So our first advice is – if you want to study in top universities in USA, Treat education as an investment, not as an expense. You are

going to get returns at a much faster pace as compared to other countries. If you have decided to come to study in America, stick to

that even if it means delaying it by a year or two.

And second and most important advice is that listen to only those people, who have been there for education purposes and are

successful. Your uncle who owns a departmental store in partnership with an American guy in the Texas countryside might not be the

correct person to approach for advice on Stanford’s Masters programs which is one of the top universities in USA.

If you do not have any body to look up to for advice, consider US educational consultants those who have their offices present in both

in US and India. The reason is that you are not coming here for a two-week holiday. Try not to get into the trap of an Indian office

which has some Chinese made American Pictures and part time consultants who are never present in the office but are available only

on the phone. They cannot deal with the huge responsibility of getting you a seat in top colleges in USA. Look out for specialists who

deal exclusively in Education in MS in US, MBA in US programs. Going by that way, you would be in safer hands.

Now what is it that you should know before coming to USA?

Conversations with Americans – Now since that you have decided to come and study in USA Universities, you

should know that The Americans speak clearly and slowly. It is nothing sort of what you sometimes see in the movies. So all that you

need to do is speak clearly and avoid your local dialect impression.

Learn to cook – Alright, we have got probably the biggest ready to eat market for food products, yet being a student it is

highly advisable to know a bit of cooking as it will help you in saving lot of money. Though getting the exact spices might be

sometimes be a bit of problem, but most of the stores have the basic ones. Home cooked food helps you during your homesick periods

in US Universities.

Cross Cultural Network – We understand that Indians love to stay together and they feel more comfortable doing so.

However, we would like you to interact more with other communities so that you can develop good networking skills which will come

in handy in times of distress in your us education period. Top Universities in USA encourage this networking Some of your relatives

might ask you to always stick to your community but we believe that your interaction with other students from different countries will

help you evolve much faster.

Know your school well – We know that you dream of getting into one of the top colleges in USA. Students who apply,

most of them want to do an MBA in USA or MS in USA programs. However please understand that it is really important to do a

thorough research of your school before you apply to it. This becomes more necessary in case if you are applying to a school which

you have not heard before. Try to enquire about the courses, majors, scholarships available and their requirements etc. Even though

the US education authorities try their best to keep a tab on the schools operating in the US. However, get your all doubts cleared by

a professional consultant and the university officials. We recommend you to also check with the US consulate near you before you

board that flight to your school.

Knowledge about the local laws of that state – Now you need to understand that even though USA is one

single country yet we have different laws for different states. That is because here each state has sovereignty to pass different laws

which are not covered by the federal government. We don’t expect you to become an attorney but a bit of crash course on the rules

and regulations is always a good thing to avoid any unpleasant surprises.

Medical Insurance – Unlike in India where you do not need medical insurance for going for a health check-up or surgery,

In US it is mandatory for International students to have a medical insurance even for small treatments. Do check out with the

university you are applying to as most of them offer this option for international students.

Accommodations – This is a very important thing as it can throw your budget out of gear specially if you are coming here

sponsored by a student loan. If your US universities’ fees include your accommodation charges, then there is no problem in budgeting.

However, if you are supposed to arrange on your own then it is advisable for you to check out the options that suit your budget. You

can ask the admission counsellors of your schools to have some what idea. However, the standard rule in US is – If your school is in

the city the accommodation charges go up and vice versa.

Familiarizing yourself with the town – Now a lot of you might be first timers in US. And you might be having

this feeling of what if I get lost someday in a foreign land. To make things easy for you (and specially for your parents) we urge you to

check out the different things about the town/city in which your school is located. Familiarizing yourself will help you recover the

initial shock very soon.

How do you do that? Heard of Google Maps? That the perfect way to do it. You get to know all about you want including the

streets, avenues, departmental stores, super markets, bus stops etc. This will be very handy information for you.

Personal Opinion – A lot of you might get a few culture shocks over here. One of them could be that you might find an

American dad handing over a glass of scotch to his daughter and they sit and enjoy an evening with family and friends. Please

understand that we have a free culture out here. Do not even think of giving your honest opinion comparing your family traditions

with US and advising the father daughter duo. They are not going to like it. Remember! you are here for education in top Universities

in USA and you should focus on that aspect only.

Be prepared to slog – Back in your home we understand that you could be your daddy’s princess. However, out here you

will have to do lot of chores yourself which includes shopping for groceries, paying for bills, cleaning the utensils and lot more. If you

are not getting your army of house maids out here, then we suggest you to start learning to do these things on your own. USA

education teaches you to be independent.

Keep a check on yourself – It is the nature of certain persons to react in a very aggressive manner in certain situations.

Our suggestion is to keep your attitude in check always and try to handle every situation pretty coolly. There have been lots of cases in

India where people have got away showing their connections with the VIPs. But US is one such place where even the president’s

relatives have also been booked for breaking the laws. Remember to put your best behaviour always as it costs nothing.

Remember - The top colleges for MS in US or MBA in US prefer students who are very focused and mind their own business.

We are sure that if you follow the above suggestions then you should have very memorable and fruitful stay for your education in the

US. We shall be glad to have you here. In case you are looking to be one of the best in your fields, we believe that top colleges in USA

can offer unmatched education. All that you need to do is make up your mind and then proceed.

The boarding for US schools has been announced.

Dear Indian Students – Welcome Aboard.