Education information

What documents are required to apply for US university?
All Graduate Admission Offices in the USA will require the following documents from foreign students:

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  Application for admission to the university (written or sent by email);
  
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  Motivation letter (a comprehensive answer on the question "Why am I worthy to study at this university?");
  
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  A receipt for payment of the registration fee (usually 90 USD – 150 USD, non-refundable);
  
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  School certificate or report card with grades from a university of home country, if international students have already passed a part of the education course;
  
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  Certificate for English language proficiency – TOEFL or IELTS;
  
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  Sometimes results of SAT or ACT exams are required (exams that graduates of high school pass in America);
  
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  Diploma of a Bachelor's degree in almost any other country + an application with grades (if students are applying for a Master's degree course);
  
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  Recommendation letters from teachers, curators, rector, employers;
  
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  All documents must be translated into English and notarized.
  

Note: if international students are just transferring from a university to an American institution or enrolling in a program with a Bachelor's degree - they will certainly use the procedure for the nostrification of a diploma. The Graduate Admissions Office examines which disciplines a foreign student has already studied and which points he got for the exams, and decides which of them can be counted as a passed course at the US University. It often happens that the diploma is nostrified with a decrease in the year of studies: for example, a foreign student wanted to enter a Master’s degree program; however, the Graduate Admissions Office authorized him only to repeat the final year of studies on a Bachelor’s degree program. This is due to the global differences in higher education between foreign countries and the United States.
All American educational institutions take into account the personal qualities of the entrant. When enrolling in higher education programs in the USA, it is required to fill out a general questionnaire. There are several questions about the plans, attitudes and goals of the applicant. Short answers in the form of essays help a person to reveal his potential and convince the university that the education will serve the public interests. Most often an international student can encounter the following questions: 

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  “Why did you choose our university?”;
  
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  “Why do you need a profession?”;
  
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  “What are your plans for the future?”;
  
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  “Why do you seek higher education in the United States of America?”.
  

The Graduate Admissions Office of each university pays attention to the essay not only in regards to the ambitions and career plans of a person, but also in what concerns the literacy level, consistency and accuracy of constructing answers. It is important for the entrant to persuade the Graduate Admissions Office committee in the ability to think analytically and write competently, and in readiness to receive higher education in the USA.
However, it is worthwhile to be more cautious with the selection of creative conclusions: if the question indicates the requirement to bring three arguments in favor of the profession, foreign students do not need to get carried away and list all 33 reasons. In this case, the commission will consider that the student simply did not understand the question. Apparently, the prospective student cannot figure out the peculiarities of writing an essay independently. Therefore, the preparatory courses will help to take into account all the complexities of forming a package of documents for admission, to practice answering tricky questions in an essay.
A great advantage of taking pre-university courses is the provision of teachers with letters of recommendation. Such documents specify educational achievements and personal characteristics, sports achievements and creative achievements, hobbies and special talents. In American universities, the applicants who demonstrate readiness to constantly work on themselves are always welcome. Purposefulness and the ability not to stop at what has been achieved are considered the necessary qualities for successful studying.