Last Monday night a crowded room of parents and students had the pleasure of attending an information evening in Sydney to learn more about four US universities: Delaware University, Indiana University, University of Akron and University of Vermont.
All four institutions compete in the NCAA Division I sporting competition, the highest level of intercollegiate sport and which also award athletic scholarships to qualified candidates. If you’re not a sportsperson or not at that very high level of performance, you may still be eligible for a merit scholarship based on your marks from years nine and/or your SAT or ACT test scores and supporting application material. All four institutions award merit based scholarships to international students, something not all institutions do. They also all provide student accommodation where the majority of the students live on or very near to campus.
The following summarises key points from their presentations:
University of Delaware (UD) or as noted in the presentation ‘Dela – where?’ is located in the city of Newark on the east coach of the US about one hour southwest of Philadelphia. It is a public institution offering over 150 majors (areas of study) to its 18,000 undergraduate students. Average class size is 35 students and there are over 400 clubs and organisations to join. High achieving students may consider applying to the Honours Program. UD boasts about its extremely high - 93% - employment rate upon graduation and have careers services to support students in all areas of study. Merit scholarships are awarded to international students based on their SAT score and considered when students apply for admission.
Indiana University (IU) is a public university located in the college town of Bloomington, Indiana in Midwest of the United States. It’s also halfway between Chicago and Nashville. The undergraduate population of 33,000 students (43,000 including post graduates) may choose from over 200 majors including a world renowned music school and a consistently ranked business school. The town of Bloomington is only 80,000 people and they all get behind IU in their sporting events. Scholarship opportunities for international students are available and based on the application for admission.
University of Akron is located in Ohio (middle of the country) about one hour drive south of Cleveland. It is a public university and the most affordable of the four universities before scholarships are taken into account. Undergraduate student population is about 17,000 students. Most well known majors at Akron include a STEM focus including the world's best known and largest polymer academic programs as well as Business programs and the National Center for Choreography. Despite the fact that their mascot is a kangaroo and one of only two female mascots amongst US universities, they currently have no Australian students. Hint: they’re looking to change that! International student scholarships are available and increase in value as the student continues their four year degree.
University of Vermont (UVM) is located on the east coast of the US and only a 2 hour drive from Montreal. It is a public institution but feels more like a private institution as it only has around 10,000 undergraduate students. There are over 100 different majors from which to choose and 80% of their students are involved in one of the 200+ clubs on offer. UVM caters to students who are keen to explore the outdoors, skiing, hiking and looking for a balanced education. International scholarships are available to students based on their application for admission and can range up to one third of the total cost per year.
A bachelor’s degree from the United States is a four year undergraduate degree. Students will explore an array of course offerings their first year or two (this may vary per university) before they nominate their preferred area of study. This rounded academic approach, for which United States education system is renowned, not only allows students to explore different subject matter before choosing their area of study, it also ensures students are versed on a number of subjects at a university level.
These are four fantastic options from the thousands of institutions in the USA.
Internationally Educated assists students and their families through the selection and application process for United States universities. The best time to start working with us is early in year 11. Contact us to learn more about our services and how we can assist you to study in the US.