STAGE 2: CHOOSING YOUR COLLEGE
Now this is the fun bit – selecting which colleges you want to apply for!
The first thing you want to do is find out who your current university's exchange partners are. Check out your university's website of eligible exchange partners or contact your exchange department. See the following links below to find your university's USA exchange partners:
How do I decide which College to select?
The most important decision in choosing your college is asking yourself "what do I really want in a college?". Below are a number of considerations you should think about to help you filter which college is most suitable for you.
Are you looking for a college that is more academic focused? Maybe you are looking for schools who specialise in your particular area of study. e.g. University of Pennsylvania for Business.
Are you looking for a college that is more social and party orientated? If so, look at the top rated party schools or those well known for their active social life (e.g. University of Wisconsin, University of Arizona)
Are you a sports fan? If so, look at which schools have the best collegiate sports program and have decent teams. Remember: Football season is during semester 2 (Fall) and is a religion in America. It is something that needs to be experienced!
Which city have you most wanted to live in? You could look at basing your college decision on the specific city it is in. For example, if you have ever wanted to live in San Francisco, then you may look at putting down San Francisco State University as a preference.
Another key factor you must consider is if you want to live in a big city or a college town. There is always a debate on which one is better – a big city (e.g. New York University) vs. a college town (e.g. University of Iowa). Lets go through the pros and cons of each.
College Town
Big City
✓ A real feel of college life
✓ Community – most students live near campus
✓ Lower cost (housing, food etc...)
✓ The entire town will be filled with like-minded young students making it easier to meet people
❌ Might be in the middle of no-where. So it will be college life 24/7
❌ Lack of resources and public transport
❌ Lack of extra-curricular activities and events outside of college
❌ Noisy – college students love to party, so you may not get decent sleep
✓ More things to do in spare time
✓ Cultural diversity: Major cities tend to attract diversity in both student admissions to college but also the general population
✓ Better infrastructure and public transport
❌ Students may not live near the school or may even live at home. This limits the college experience
❌ Higher cost of living
❌ Lack of college feel – no greek life, distractions by major events going on in the city etc...
College Town
✓ A real feel of college life
✓ Community - most students live near campus
✓ Lower cost (housing, food etc...)
✓ The entire town will be filled with like-minded young students - easier to meet people
❌ Might be in the middle of no-where. So it will be college life 24/7
❌ Lack of resources and public transport
❌ More extra-curricular activities and events outside of college
❌ Noisy - college students love to party, so you may not get decent sleep
Big City
✓ More things to do in spare time
✓ Cultural diversity: Major cities tend to attract diversity in both student admissions to college but also the general population
✓ Better Infrastructure and public transport
❌ Students may not live near the school or may even live at home. This limits the college experience
❌ Higher cost of living
❌ Lack of college feel - no greek life, distractions by major events going on in the city etc...
University Requirements
Ask your exchange department how many students they have been able to send to certain colleges over previous years. This will give you an idea of how competitive and popular certain colleges are. Remember, exchange is reciprocal – the American college sends a student to your university, and you will essentially go over to their college to fill the vacancy (i.e. trading places).
If a certain college is very popular, this means that many students are going to apply. Basic rule of supply and demand, there are only a few spots available for such an excess demand. How are they going to decide this? Well, it comes down to your WAM. So when picking your schools, have a realistic idea of what the general minimum WAM is to get into it. This may help with the filtering process. Usually your uni will publish previous year's WAM cut-offs for each college which can give you a good indication of the marks needed and placement likelihood. However, as mentioned, this is based on supply and demand. So, there is no guarantee that the previous years' WAM cut-off will be the same the year you apply.
Other Useful Tools For Choosing Your College
- Checkout a website called Niche which gives a very comprehensive guide into all aspects of a college (e.g. social life, academics, accomodation). Plus it has student reviews which are very helpful
- There are numerous reputable organisations which publish annual rankings of some of the best USA colleges. This includes USNews and Forbes
- Speak to past students who have been to certain colleges you have short-listed. Ask your university exchange department for a list of students who have been to schools you are interested in applying for
Application
Once you have chosen your school, you will then need to apply via your Australian university. Each uni has their own process so please get in contact with your university representative to understand how the application process works. Do this as early as possible!
- You will need to put down preferences of which colleges you want to apply for
- Once you apply and get accepted for that college, you will then need to fill out a separate application specific to that college. They usually request such things as your transcript, bank statement (to show you can financially support yourself), an essay on why you want to apply etc...
When do I need to submit my application by?
Each university's application timelines will be different. Most universities require you to register and attend an information session during the application phase. However as a general rule of thumb:
- If you want to go on exchange in Semester 1 (following year), you should apply by the the end of June (previous year)
- If you want to go on exchange in Semester 2 (following year), you should apply by the the end of October (previous year)
Note: Dates above are only a rough guide – contact your university for the exact key dates to find out when your application is due
