FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Is it always more expensive to study in the US (as compared to Canada)?
There is a common misconception that the cost of studying in the US is higher than in Canada. As a matter of fact, there are different categories of colleges and universities in the United States. Fees among different schools or school programs may vary. Costs of American public schools are usually cheaper than private schools. For example, the tuition fees at California State University are similar to those of universities in Canada. Also, the tuition in many US community colleges ranges from $4000‐10000 (USD), which is cheaper than Canada.
Canada has very liberal immigration policy (as compared to the US). I can easily get a 3‐year work permit in Canada. Why should I bother going to study in the US?
In general, International students in Canada are eligible to obtain a 3‐year work permit after two full‐years of study in an accredited college/university. However, Canada is sparsely populated. In other words, job opportunities in Canada are far fewer than in the United States. In fact, obtaining a valid work permit does not guarantee you stay and work in Canada easily. Many International students end up returning home or work in restaurants. Known as a hi‐tech hub, California, for example, is home to many world‐renowned hitech companies, including Apple, Google, Facebook, etc… This generates a lot of demand for university graduates. With brighter prospects and higher starting salary, employment opportunities in the US definitely have the edge over Canada!
What are the advantages of first studying in a community college vs. going directly to a university?
The advantages of first going through a community college include:
- Low Tuition Fee
- Low TOEFL/IELTS requirement (if any)
- No SAT required
- Gradual Acclimatization and easier transition into US college life
- Small classes sizes – more personal
- Established priority transfers to pathway universities
- Easier to get higher GPA
- Concurrent US HS completion (which could save 1 year of time)
What are the differences between studying at community colleges in Canada vs in the US?
The key is “Transfer Admission Guarantee”. In Canada, credits from public community colleges are transferable; however, there is no “Transfer Admission Guarantee” arrangement between community colleges and universities. In fact, a large number of students are not able to eventually transfer to universities (such as UBC or SFU). By comparison, many community colleges in the US have very established “Transfer Admission Guarantee” arrangements with their cooperating universities. Qualified students who meet the prescribed requirements (usually with a GPA of 2.0 – 3.4, depending on the university and the major) are guaranteed admission into the cooperating universities. For examples, in California, students who completed 2 years in community colleges could be guaranteed admission to UC Santa Barbara (ranked #28 according to US News), UC Davis (#37) or UC Irvine (#66), etc… 6 campuses of UC system and all 23 campuses of CSU system participate in the Transfer Admission Guarantee arrangements.
Must I take SAT or ACT to study in the US?
In fact, more than 800 colleges and universities in the US no longer require SAT or ACT, including New York University, U of Rochester, Wake Forest University, Texas A&M, U of Texas – Austin, etc… Over time, there will be more and more universities which would consider SAT or ACT as optional.
Is it true that universities that do not require SAT or ACT are not very good?
This is a misconception and is not necessarily true. Though SAT/ACT is considered as 美国高考, there is a fundamental difference between SAT/ACT and 中国高考. 中国高考 is mandated by the Chinese government as a university entrance exam; whereas SAT and ACT are not offered by the US government. It is up to the individual universities to decide whether SAT or ACT is required for admission applications. The National Center for Fair and Open Testing published a report “Test Scores Do NOT Equal Merit”, which indicates that over 815 4‐year colleges and universities across the US do NOT use SAT/ACT to make admissions decisions.
(For additional information, please check out this document)
In China, there are all sorts of classes that claim to get students into top universities in the US. Are they for real? Is this realistic?
Top universities in the US generally use a HOLISTIC approach in assessing the students’ applications. SAT/ACT could be one of the factors for those universities that use SAT/ACT to make decisions on admission. There are many other factors involved including the Personal Statement, the GPA, the extracurricular activities, or even an interview in some cases, etc… In our opinion, this is more like a gimmick to take advantage of the psychology of many parents.
In China, it is generally believed that we need to go to top high schools in order to get admitted into top universities in the US. Is this really true?
This is yet another misconception. What may be happening in China does not necessarily apply to the US. A lot of students start their undergraduate studies at small (and relatively unknown but accredited) colleges and then go to top universities for graduate studies. Similarly, it is NOT true that you must graduate from a “top” high school in order to be admitted into a top university in the US.
My parents want me to go to a top US university such as Harvard, Stanford, etc…. Can you get me into this type of universities?
This would have to depend on your academic standing, your aspirations and many other factors. Just taking some courses would not guarantee you admission into top universities (no matter what you might have been told). You have to understand that if everybody could get into Harvard, then Harvard would not be an exclusive top university any more. While it is a noble ambition to hope to get into Harvard, it is not true that only Harvard can provide a good education. In fact, Harvard is not necessarily suitable for every student. Furthermore, a lot of students first study in a smaller college for undergraduate studies and then transfer to a top university for graduate studies.
I am NOT top A student. My English is obviously not particularly strong (as typical for many students in China because there is no conducive environment to speak English in China). What could be the fallout if I force myself into going to a top‐ranked university in the USA.
Ranking of a university could be based on factors which are not particularly relevant to you as a freshman. Many universities are highly ranked because of their research output, library holdings, reputation of their professors, endowment funds, etc… First‐year classes are huge. Teaching is not emphasized. On the other hand, smaller colleges tend to focus more on teaching. The class size is small. The professors get to know their students, resulting in more attention spent on the students. Many reminisce that they received better education from smaller colleges for undergraduate studies.
I belong to a large group of students who are NOT top students studying in top high schools in China. In fact, there are more of us than super‐A students. However, I still like to go to the US for university studies. Are there any other ways for me to transition into a top‐200 university? Just like many other students (and as expected by my parents), I like to eventually get a degree from a top‐200 university at the end of 4 years (while still being able to enjoy my university life).
Contrary to the common belief in China, we feel that you should explore the option of first going to a community college for the first 2 years and then transfer to a good university for degree completion. At the end, it is where you can your degree that counts. The “Transfer System” in the US is very developed and established. In fact, most universities do offer some form of “Transfer Admission Guarantee” to students from community colleges.
Must I take TOEFL/IELTS to study in the US? If so, what is the score required?
Not necessarily. There are a number of community colleges that do not require TOEFL/IELTS. Also the required score is not high, even when they need it. For some community colleges, TOEFL iBT score requirement only ranges from 30‐40.
What exactly is 2+2 Articulation between a community college and a university?
2+2 Articulation between a community college and a university is by first studying 2 years at a community college, the credits can be transferred to the university so that students do not need to repeat taking the same courses redundantly.
What is meant by “Transfer Admission Guarantee”?
Some US community colleges are partnership with universities by endorsing the Transfer Admission Guarantee. So that the qualified students are given the choice to transfer to those universities (based on the specific requirements of college and program admission of university). For example, graduates from community colleges in California can be sent on recommendation to the UC Davis, University of California, UC Irvine or UC Santa Barbara. Six universities in University of California system have participated in the Transfer Admission Guarantee. This includes all 23 universities in California State University System.
Transfer Admissions Guarantee is a very attractive idea. Now, I understand that going to a college first has a lot of advantages. How do I go about choosing the right community college to attend (when there are so many)?
Yes, you are right. There are close to 6,000 institutions in the US. In California alone, there are 112 community colleges. Choosing the right community college which meets your expectation (in terms of location, programs, transfer, requirements, etc….) is important. We provide Academic Counseling services (for a fee) to help you to select the right community college (and other universities) to match your situation. Basically, we are here to provide solutions. Please talk to one of our counselors for details.
What is included in your Academic Counseling services?
Our services include:
- Student Profiling
- College/University Research
- College/University Recommendation
- (Finalizing) College/University Selections
- Student Preparedness – Helping Students to get more Prepared
- Admission Applications – Preparation and Submission
- (Monitoring) the Progress
- Final Decision – Deciding on which College/University to attend
Once I got into a community college, when do I need to watch out to make sure that I can qualify for transfer admission guarantee (TAG)?
You need to make sure to take courses that are appropriate and acceptable for transfer. There are areas to watch out for in terms of taking the right courses, watching for the deadlines for TAG applications, satisfying the TAG requirements, etc…. We also provide Follow‐Up Services (for a fee) to help you to navigate through your studies in college or in university. Please talk to one of our counselors for details.
Is ranking the most important criterion in choosing a university for undergraduate studies?
Ranking is very subjective. It is an important criterion, but not the most important. University rankings are primarily based on research output at the doctoral level, which is not necessarily relevant to quality of teaching. It is more important to make sure that the college/university is regionally accredited.
What is Ivy‐League? How come everyone wants to go to an Ivy‐league school?
This is also a misconception. Ivy League originally referred to a collegiate athletic consortium consisting of sports teams from 8 private institutions from Northeastern US. Historically, these were considered to be very prestigious universities; however, the rankings of some of the Ivy League schools have been dropping in contrast with the rising rankings of some of the west‐coast universities.