Ask the Advisor: Understanding U.S. Education

• Ranking of schools?
• What is the difference between a college and a university?
• Differences between undergraduate and graduate programs?
• GPA?
• Part-time study?
• Distance education via computers?
• Transfer?
• Interrupted study?
• Vocational schools?

How important is the ranking of a university? How can I find out about ranking?

Answer: In some countries, there is a great deal of emphasis put on ranking of schools. This is sometimes done by the government. Sometimes a job in the public sector will depend on graduation from a highly-ranked institution.

However, in the United States, all rankings are unofficial. They are produced by book and magazine publishers and sold to the public. Rankings in one publication are often different from those in another. In our opinion, these so-called rankings should not be considered definitive. For example, many of the factors that go into such unofficial estimates do not pertain to international students very strongly at all, and relying on such a ranking could be self-defeating.

We encourage you to look for factors that fit your needs, not just the overall reputation of a particular program. It may well be that a school with a lower unofficial ranking may in fact be the best choice for your particular circumstances. In other words, the U.S. has over 3,000 accredited colleges and universities: don't restrict your search unnecessarily.

If you decide to look at rankings, you can obtain them from almost any bookstore that carries U.S. publications. Again, however, we caution you not to rely on them as highly important factors in your search. There are much better sources of direct information.

What is the difference between a college and a university? This confuses me because the words seem to mean very different things in my country.

Answer: In the United States, most schools decide their own names. A university may be large or small, and it may have many programs or just a few. There are even some 2-year associate degree schools that call themselves universities. Similarly, colleges may be big or small. Some give Ph.D. degrees. There is no quality distinction in the names, and degrees have the same recognition whether they are granted by a college or a university. Both are tertiary institutions.

This may be confusing you because in many countries the word Auniversity@ has a special status, often recognized by the government as the highest level institution. In some countries, Acollege@ refers to secondary education. In others, a college is a part of a university.

The educational system of the United States is very large and diverse. It has the advantage of being very flexible. It sometimes has the disadvantage of being confusing, even to students from the United States.

I know that undergraduate programs lead to associate=s and bachelor's degrees and that graduate programs lead to master=s and doctoral degrees. What are some of the other differences?

Answer: There are, of course, many differences. Some of the most important ones are:

1. Undergraduate programs are more general in nature. They include Ageneral education@ courses that are not part of graduate education. Graduate programs are highly specialized and much more advanced than undergraduate programs.

2. Undergraduate classes are usually much larger and less individualized. In graduate programs, students work closely with professors, often on a one-to-one basis.

3. While some undergraduate programs require a senior project or a similar activity, graduate studies are much more research oriented. Master=s and doctoral programs include some class work, but research preparation and defense is a primary focus in most programs. Undergraduate programs usually restrict examinations to those related to individual classes; graduate programs also include comprehensive examinations that are very important.

4. It is comparatively easy to change undergraduate major subjects and to move to a different school during a program. It is much more difficult to do so in graduate programs, as they narrowly specialized. Graduate programs in, say, Psychology may be very different from one university to another.

I keep hearing about GPA and how some students have a GPA of 3 or 4, etc. Could you further explain what these numbers mean explain how I should calculate my GPA?

Answer: GPA stands for Grade Point Average. It is a standard way of measuring academic achievement in the U.S. Basically, it goes as follows: Each course is given a certain number of "units" or "credits", depending on the content of the course. In secondary school, most courses carry the same number of units, but this is not true at the college level. Most college courses have a load of three units (approximately three hours of lecture and six hours of homework per week for each semester), but the number can vary from fractions of 1 to more than 5. GPA assumes a grading scale of A, B, C, D, F. Each grade is assigned a number of grade points. An A grade receives 4 points, a B=3, a C=2, a D=1, and an F=0. The process is the same whether you are working on secondary or college grades.

If you take a three unit class and receive an A grade, you receive 3 units times 4 points (for the A), which gives a total of 12 grade points for the course. Let's say you also take a 4 unit class (common in Mathematics, for example) and receive a C grade. That's 4 units times 2 points for 8 points. So for your two classes you have accumulated 20 grade points for the 7 units. You then divide the accumulated grade points by the number of units and you have your GPA. (20/7=2.86), so your GPA is 2.86, which is slightly less than a B average.

If your grading system is A-F, with a 4 point scale, you may be able to calculate your grade point average. However, most systems outside the U.S. do not use that scale. Even some systems that do use a similar scale have different meanings for grades (for example, in the U.S., "A" grades are not rare, but in some systems they are almost never given), so the GPA is not representative of the same thing that it is in this country. It is for that reason that colleges here usually have people specially trained in the evaluation of credentials from other countries.

Do schools in the US offer part-time degree programs? If so, what are the basic requirements to enroll in such a program?

Answer: Many US schools offer part-time degree programs. However, they are not appropriate for most international students, since most student visas require full-time attendance.

In some cases, however, they may be available for people who are in the United States on some other visa status (for example, a spousal visa or a temporary work visa). If you are going to be in such a status, you should contact colleges and universities in the area where you will reside to ask about part-time study.

I am wondering if it would be possible to attend a U.S. university via the computer. I live in another country, and would be unable to move.

Answer: The type of education to which you refer is a form of what is called "distance education." There are many possibilities for such study in the U.S.

A point to keep in mind: not all distance learning programs are offered by regionally accredited schools. Be careful to determine the accreditation of schools that interest you: a school with non-regional accreditation may not give you what you are looking for in terms of degree recognition. Be especially careful about programs that offer credit for "life experience" or similar credit recognition.

You will find that there are many courses available via computer, and this is a growing trend in higher education. However, most accredited distance learning degree programs require at least some period of campus residence. Many of the universities and colleges that have links to this site (see earlier pages) offer some courses by distance learning and are worth checking out.

Is it possible to transfer from one college or university to another without starting my program over?

Answer: It is quite common for students to transfer from one school to another at the undergraduate level. In fact, some schools (many 2-year colleges) are designed to be transfer schools and offer only the first two years of undergraduate study. Their graduates often go on to do the last two years of a bachelor=s degree at another school.

The situation regarding graduate programs is more complicated due to the nature of graduate education (see Question #3, above). It is sometimes possible to transfer to another university after beginning a graduate program in the U.S. The policies, however, will vary by individual school; therefore, it is important that you inquire of the university where you plan to transfer as to exactly what courses they will accept for transfer. You should make sure to inquire about the general transfer policy as well as the specific policy which pertains to the school from which you will be transferring. It is likely that some of your previous graduate credit will not be accepted. You should chose the school you are transferring to carefully, and you should probably discuss this with your current graduate advisor.

I am currently working toward a university degree in my country. During my course of study, I have lost one year due to illness; otherwise, my academic performance is all right. In such a situation, am I eligible to apply to American universities?

Answer: In most cases, the interruption of a normal academic track is not a handicap for admission to a U.S. university, since the U.S. uses a credit system. We would therefore consider you as an eligible candidate for transfer admission to a U.S. university based on the courses that you have completed and the marks you have received.

I am helping a friend from another country gather information about studying in USA. He would like to enroll in a vocational school. Is it possible for an international student to enroll in a US vocational school?

Answer: Yes, indeed it is possible for your friend to study at a vocational school in the U.S. Depending on the program he is interested in, he may be seeking an M student visa instead of the more common F visa. He should contact an academic counseling center in his country for advice about vocational programs in the U.S.

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