Starting the search for the “right” university for you!
Let’s look at the reasons for choosing universities that you would like to apply to.  Each person has their own reasons for picking universities to apply to and eventually the more difficult decision of which one to attend, but the first reason below should be the same for everyone:
1. They offer the academic program (for Bachelors programs, this would be your “major”) that you are looking for.  This is #1 on this list, because if they do not offer your selected area …

What is an Associate’s Degree?
Most, but not all international undergraduate students want to end up with a bachelor’s degree.  This can be accomplished by going directly to a college or university that offers bachelor’s degrees, or you could attend a community/junior college first and then “transfer” to a university.  There are a couple of reasons why a student might choose to attend community/junior college:
1. It can be much more economical to attend a 2-year school first, as the costs are usually lower.
2. It is generally easier to get admitted to …

What do you intend to study?
-  If you are still in secondary school, or if you have completed secondary school, but have not attended any additional academic coursework, then you will applying to study an Associate’s Degree, or a Bachelors degree as a first year student, or “freshman”.
-  If you are currently attending or have attended a university, but you have NOT graduated from that institution with a degree, then you would be applying to a U.S. university as a “transfer” student in order to complete a bachelor’s degree.
-  If …

Do I want a college or a university?
“College” and “university” mean the same thing in the United States.   For example, there is a Boston College and a Boston University, and they are two different institutions.  Both offer Bachelor’s Degrees and both offer Master’s Degrees, and both are very competitive with their admissions standards.  The major differences are that colleges tend to be private and not all of them offer graduate degrees.  Universities are normally larger and most do offer graduate degrees.  If the school has word “state” in the title, …

What do I want to study?
The academic subject that you end up studying is called your “major” at a U.S. college or university.  It is an abbreviation for “major area of study”.   It is difficult to know what you want to study, as it is an indication of what you want to do as a career, and you may not be sure about that yet.
If you are hoping to earn a Bachelor’s Degree, one thing to remember is that in U.S. universities, you will need to take a selection of …