Welcome to the US Main Page, the place which links you to other areas related to US Higher Education.

Don't know where to begin? Check out the US Colleges FAQ.

Why Study in the US?  

A note on the use of the term "Ivy League":  

While in Singapore, many of us use the phrase "Ivy League" or "The Ivies" to refer to a group of universities that are top-tier, well-known, selective and, by implication, academically superior, this is strictly incorrect. The Ivies are simply a group of 8 schools who play sports together in their own exclusive league. These 8 are (in order of age) Harvard, Yale, UPenn, Princeton, Columbia, Brown, Dartmouth and Cornell. As the League exists only for sports, you really shouldn't fret about schools like Stanford, MIT and Caltech not being Ivies. See this brief guide to the Ivy League. 

A note on "College" vs "University": 

In the US, a "College" (which may be part of a "University", like Harvard, or not, like Wellesley) only gives Bachelors degrees. If it's a stand-alone institution, it does not have a graduate school and will normally have very minimal research facilities. This does not necessarily mean that the teaching is inferior. The fact that the professors in a college spend more time concentrating on their teaching duties may more than make up for it. Some of the more famous colleges in the US include Amherst, Boston College, Oberlin, Smith, Swarthmore, Vassar, Wellesley and Williams. The education in these tends towards the liberal arts, with a strong emphasis on small class sizes and active discussions. Again, this doesn't mean they suck at science. Reed's reputation in Physics and Olin's in Engineering are well-respected. For more information, see Little Ivies. Of course, "College" means something very different in the UK, especially Cambridge and Oxford.

What do US universities look for?   

First-Year Students: What Cornell Looks For   

The Match Between You And MIT   

What Does Yale Look For?   

Stanford: Selection Process   

Harvard Admissions FAQ   

Brown Students and their Stories

US admissions go beyond academic grades and look at one's character and potential. The way that is measured is through your essays, how you express your ideals and thoughts through your experiences in and out of school. Another critical measure is the teacher recommendations. How many of your ticks would be in the 'One of the top few in my career'? How you engage with your school community in the 2 years you're there will determine what your teacher thinks of you and thats not something you can change 2 months before the A Levels.

About academics, what they want to see is intellectual promise, which also means that they hope to see that you've taken the most rigorous course offered at your school - and do well in them. For US high schools that would mean taking AP tests and in Singapore that would be 4 H2 and one or two H3s. This is a very common term, among top tier universities. That's not to say that its a critical factor for admission, but it is taken as a prerequisite as it gives admissions officers an idea of how well you will do in (a challenging) university. These are the best universities in the world taking in the best students from around the world.