USA

1. Study Under One of the World’s Best Education Systems

To answer the “Why study in the USA?” question, the natural starting point is the quality of higher education in the USA. And you’ve guessed it – the USA does call itself home to many of the best universities in the world! To put this into perspective, here are some impressive numbers:

2. Personalise Your Degree to Suit You 

One of the reasons why international students want to study in the USA is because of how accommodating the system is. Here, you can truly personalise your higher education journey to suit your preferences! Some students find that they sign up for a bachelor’s degree after high school that ends up not being what they envisioned. Rather than feeling stuck on an academic route that doesn’t feel right for you, the flexibility of attending a US college gives you more room to explore what you want to specialise in! It’s not uncommon for students to declare their major – i.e. choose their specialisation – a year or two into their bachelor’s program. When you need to declare your major differs from university to university. Typically, though, you can spend the first two years of your four-year program (freshman and sophomore year) studying general and foundational courses and exploring electives. A broad range of electives and minors let you dip your toes in all sorts of academic waters to figure out what you’re truly passionate about. Meanwhile, core courses let you build a solid foundation on which you develop your learning! You can then decide what you want to specialise in for your final two years (junior and senior years).

3. Work Your Way Up to Your Dream School

If you’ve always dreamed of studying in a top US school in your field, but find that you don’t quite meet their eligibility requirements, don’t fret. The US higher education system lets you work your way up to it!

To complete a US university program, you have to complete a set number of credits. The good news is that you can transfer credits across universities! This creates opportunities to start off with, say, an associate degree. This degree counts for the first two years of a typical four-year bachelor’s program! You can opt to do an associate degree at a community college, another distinct feature of the US higher education system. A community college will usually cost less, is easy to get into, and features smaller class sizes, helping you ease into studying in the USA. Then, making sure you have the necessary credits, you can transfer these over to a different university! You get to save a bit in tuition fees as well as work yourself up to your dream school as a transfer student. And this is a very common practice in the USA too! You don’t need to complete all four years of a bachelor’s degree at your end-goal university to graduate with a degree from that school. Barack Obama, the 44th American president, was a transfer student! And he’s just one of several high-profile individuals who succeeded through this system.

Pathway Programs

One of the benefits of studying in the USA for international students is the opportunity to take up undergraduate pathway programs. Here, you can take on English as a second language (ESL) courses to polish up your language proficiency. In the meantime, you also take courses adding up to credits you can transfer to start sophomore year at your chosen university! Graduate pathway programs and pre-master’s programs are also great opportunities to bridge your studies and qualifications into your end-goal master’s program in the USA.

4. Innovative and Engaging Classroom Environment

The classroom environment is going to vary from program to program and university to university (and even professor to professor). Nonetheless, learning in a US university does not simply involve reading textbooks, sitting in lectures, and taking notes. The classroom structure and teaching styles of professors encourage you to develop a bunch of in-demand soft skills alongside knowledge-based learning. Professors encourage you to participate in class, voicing your opinions, taking part in discussions and debates, mulling over different perspectives and schools of thought.

They often favour peer instruction as the dominant classroom learning style. You and your classmates, either individually or as groups, tackle questions based on your assigned reading or topics covered in class. Engaging in what you’re learning in this way helps you develop a lot more than just knowledge. You learn to be a critical and independent thinker and a person who can examine any situation from multiple points of view. You grow into a confident communicator and an active participant in your own learning.

You’ll undertake a lot of independent and project-based learning as part of your classes. This teaches you to be responsible and proactive in your own learning, as well as get lots of hands-on, experience-based knowledge and skills. Learning through practice is far more impactful than reading off the pages of a textbook and this philosophy is present in US university classrooms across the country. Technology also typically plays a huge part in learning in these classrooms. This creates a dynamic, engaging, and cutting-edge environment for learning that keeps up with the way the world is advancing!

5. Benefit from Work Experience in a Highly Developed Economy

An in-built opportunity we need to discuss for students wondering why they ought to study in the USA is the option to undertake work experience. As an international student, you can qualify for Curricular Practical Training (CPT) – which lets you work in the USA as a student! You need to check off a couple of conditions to qualify for CPT. First, the co-op program or internship needs to be an important component of your degree program. Second, the training you’re signing up for needs to be within your field of study. And third, you need to secure the training before you can get CPT authorisation. Your school can help you find appropriate training and sign up for CPT!

You might also qualify for Pre-Completion OPT (Optional Practical Training). To qualify, you need to complete at least one year in a full-time academic program at an SEVP-certified institution. Under Pre-Completion OPT, you can work part-time – 20 hours a week – while your semester is ongoing. Over breaks, you can work full-time!

As an international student, you can qualify for both CPT and OPT, depending on your program and relevant requirements. So, it’s worthwhile to consider how to maximise your work opportunities in the USA by taking advantage of these options!

The first-hand experience applying what you’re learning in classes in a practical and professional environment is one you can’t emulate in the classroom. You develop your specialism in your field of study and you get to do so in one of the world’s most highly-developed economies! The skills and experience you develop also make you an incredibly appealing candidate in the job market. Unsurprisingly, 90 US universities rank within the QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2022! Alongside the weight that a degree from a US university adds to your qualifications, work experience in the USA makes you an even stronger candidate in your field.

6. Post-Study Work Opportunities in the USA

Another of the many benefits of studying in the USA for international students is that the work opportunities don’t just end when you finish your degree. International students may also qualify for Post-Completion Optional Practical Training (OPT), which lets them stay on and work in their chosen field for 12 months! If you already took part in Pre-Completion OPT, the duration of your Post-Completion OPT will be 12 months minus the duration of Pre-Completion OPT. In other words, if for example you already completed OPT before graduating for 10 months, your Post-Completion OPT will be valid for two months. If you’re a STEM student, you might also be able to extend your stay by 24 months – clocking in a maximum of three years to live and work in the USA! Your Designated School Official (DSO) will assist in helping nominate you for OPT.