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I have a dream......
If you are planning to pursue your graduate study in USA, then you probably know that you need to submit an application to the graduate school you are interested to join. My advice is that you apply to a number of schools around 10. Fewer than this may make your probabilities of obtaining admission weaker due to the high competence level. On the other hand targetting more than 10 might be a waste of your time and money. You should also try to diverse your potfilio by not only including just schools from the top ten but also allowing some places for middle ranked schools; the level of competition is very high and hence it might be more useful to have such places as a reserve. A typical application to a US graduate school would contain: Your degree official transcripts, Your GRE test score and any subject tests if required, Your Toefl test score, Your cirriculum vitae (CV) and Your statement of purpose (where you describe why you are intending to pursue your graduate stidy, why you have chosen this specific graduate school and what your futur plans are). Take care of the application deadlines. No univeristy would accept an application if it was submitted after the declared deadline (and this varies from one university to another) so you should be very careful for this. The following guidelines might be helpful:- The minimum GPA required for admission in most USA graduate schools is 3.0/4.0. However, in order to obtain a financial aid most universities look for GPAs higher than 3.5.
- Most top graduate schools will ask for a Toefl score not less than 213/300. You will find schools asking for at least 250/300. Aim high !
- There is no minimum required for the GRE in most schools. However try not to score less than 1100 in the quantitative and verbal sections combined.
You might find these sites useful:1- ETS : This is the organization responsible for tests like Toefl and GRE.: www.ets.org2- How to write a statement of purpose?: http://www.statementofpurpose.com/3- How to write a CV? : http://www.cvtips.com/4- Top Graduate Schools in US: http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/usnews/edu/grad/rankings5- Applying for a student visa (F1 or J1 visa) : http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_1268.html
