This article will help you
decide on the University selection in detail. With more than 100 excellent
Universities in US, it is an extremely difficult job to shortlist just 5-10
Universities to send your applications to.
Contact your friends and relatives in US
At the beginning, it seems
extremely confusing as to how to decide on a particular University. Apart from
the rankings, there is very little information that will actually help you.
Hence at the beginning use your social network and contact your friends and
relatives in US. Since they have studied or are currently studying in US in
some University, they will be aware of the latest developments in the
University. Every friend of yours who is in US will have gone through this
process and must have done a lot of research on the shortlisting of
Universities. Ask them which all Universities they applied to, which
Universities they decided against and why and finally the climate of the
University that they are studying at. After getting all the important
information, you can make an initial list of the Universities that you will be
applying to and then go for a thorough research for further shortlisting.
Top ranked US Universities for your branch of
specialization
Although general rankings
of Universities can be a good indicator about the education quality in that
University, it should not be the primary factor for your application
shortlisting of US Universities. The general rankings are based on all the
performance of all departments in that University and the quality of education
imparted in all the fields. Hence, the general rankings of US Universities can
be highly misleading. Just to give an example, in general rankings Michigan
Technological University ranks 88. But for Mechanical Engineering
specialization, it ranks 46. So, shortlist Universities based on rankings, but
also check the department specific rankings of the US Universities that you are
shortlisting. Visit the following page for list of all rankings of US
Universities based on the engineering majors:
Relevant research work and professors at US
University
Whenever you look at the
US University website, check the research section of the department that you
will be applying to. If you find any of the research work that is very similar
to the project or your job experience and are willing to work on the concerned
research, immediately note down the email address of the concerned professor
and make a note about the University and research work. Do this for all the
Universities that you are interested and are checking the profiles and
websites. Once you finish browsing the websites of all relevant Universities,
immediately remove the names of all such Universities where you did not find a
single interesting research work.
Climate and location of the US University
Some of the US Universities
have very cold climate, while some have very hot summers as they fall near
desert area. If you have health issues regarding climate, make sure the US Universities
that you will be shortlisting suit your medical condition. Apart from the
climate, whether the University is located in a city or a small town is also a
concern for many students. A few universities are located right in the heart of
the metropolitan cities like New York, Los Angeles and Boston. A few of the
Universities are located in small towns very far from the nearest big city.
Based on your preference of the locality, you can decide the Universities that
you wish to apply to.
Find your close friends and peers applying to
same US Universities
If you have a very close
friend or group of friends or even any acquaintances that are also planning to
go to US for higher education, do the shortlisting together. Make sure your
final shortlisted Universities are similar. At least 3-4 of the Universities
that you have shortlisted should be same. If you have a close friend with you, all
the tasks become a lot easier and it acts as a support. But at the same time
you will have to understand that US is a place where you are independent. You
will have to find your own way, own preferences and you will have an
independent life. So, don’t just go to a University just because your friend
has decided that University. You must have your own interests for joining that
University apart from your friend.
