Commission for Educational Exchange Between the United States of America and Belgium

Study in the US

2012

Education Advising Center

Website

Email - Phone

Outreach

Resource Library

Fulbright Grants

Research

Journalism

European Union

Language Teaching Assistant

Mission

• Wide array of options• Flexibility• Not just academic study• Internationalize your CV• Opportunity to travel to the US

Why study in the US

• Teaching and classroom styles• On-campus life and opportunities• Ranking system• Letters of recommendation• Personal statement

Differences to expect

Some interesting figures

Type of Program % Number % Change (2007-2011)

Undergraduate 42.6% 385 +41.%

Graduate 34.2% 309 -7.5%

Non-Degree 14.8% 134 +152.8%

OPT 8.4% 76 +76.7%

New York University   New York UniversityUniversity of Cincinnati   Harvard UniversityClemson University   University of ChicagoMiami-Dade College   Stanford UniversityBoston University   Columbia University

Top Undergraduate Institutions Top Graduate Institutions

Student Mobility

Types of institutions

Public

•Also called State Schools

Private

•Possible religious affiliation

Community

•Two-year schools

•Also called Junior College

o Undergraduate Education

4 years directly after High School (Lycée).

End result = a bachelors degree (B.A. or B.S.)

o Graduate Education

Higher degrees taken after completion of a bachelors degree (MBA, Ph.D, J.D., M.D., etc.)

Undergraduate (Bachelor) vs. Graduate Study

Start Early

12 – 18 months…prior to departure

EVALUATE

CHOOSE

DETERMINEREGISTERNOTE

…your motivation & objectives

…5 – 10 universities to apply to

…all requirements

…for required tests

…all deadlines on a calendar

o Accredited?

o Size?

o Location?

How to choose a program?

o Number of international students?

o Majors offered?

o Cost?

• Chea www.chea.org/search

• Dept of Education http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation

Accreditation

• $ 225• Brussels,

Luxembourg, Paris, Arnhem

• Reading, listening, break, speaking, writing (4.5 hours)

• http://www.ets.org/toefl

English tests

€ 185 Accepted by many

but not all universities

Listening (30min), Reading (1h), Speaking (11-14min), Writing (1h)

http://www.britishcouncil.org/brussels-exams-ielts.htm

250 Accepted by many

but not all universities

3 hours, Brussels Score in 5 days http://www.pearso

npte.com/PTEACADEMIC/Pages/home.aspx

• 12 to 18 months before departure: Evaluate your reasons

• June - September Select 5 or 6 universities on the basis of their programs, degrees offered, accreditation, level of selectivity, cost, location and size

• July - August Find out which standardized tests are required

• August - September Write to 5 or 6 universities to request application forms for admission and financial aid.

• October - February Prepare transcripts and literal translations ,certified at the Commission Have professors send recommendation letters Send applications to universities well in advance of deadlines

• February - April Wait for letters from the universities.

• March - April Contact universities to which you have applied, but not yet received a response.

• April - June Accept /Decline offers from other universities where you were also accepted. Contact housing department and international student office.

Dates to remember

Education USA – State Dept website

Graduate School

• Master’s degrees Typically 2 years in length

• Doctoral degrees (PhD’s)Typically 4-6 years in length

Graduate Education

Entrance Exams

o For admission to Graduate Schools (except Law and Business programs)

o Subject-specific tests required for certain programs

o New test starting Fall 2011

o http://www.ets.org/ gre

o For admission to Business Schools

o http://www.mba.com

GREGraduate Record Exam

GMATGraduate Management Admission Test

Revised GRE General Test

o Skip questions

o On screen calculator

o New scoring system

o http://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/know

Paper-based GRE revised General Test Dates

Approximate Score Report Mailing Dates View Scores Online

October 22, 2011 December 2, 2011

November 19, 2011 December 30, 2011

February 11, 2012 March 23, 2012

1. Choose 5-10 universities & prepare the applications for each one.

2. Determine which tests are needed to apply & take them (TOEFL, IELTS, GRE, GMAT, etc).

3. Look for financial support.

3 Simultanious Actions

1. Personal funding

2. Loan from a bank

3. Fellowship from U.S. universityo Research assistantship

o Teaching assistantship

o Work Study (20 hrs/wk)

4. Scholarship from another organizations◦ Fulbright

◦ BAEF

◦ Rotary

◦ Etc.

How to finance your studies