SEARCH

We've created our own customized Search Engine thanks to Google which looks through a host of college related websites on the world wide web. So go ahead and search as you usually would but expect much more focused results than using the regular Google (or any other search engine). You can narrow down even further by a number of sub-categories we've set up to help you get the results you need as fast as possible.

A blog just for financial aid for foreign students

Trolling around on the web we found this blog which specializes in discussing financial aid for international students. There's a treasure trove of information here.

Here's what the blog says about itself:

A blog for information, advice, updates and thoughts on funding an international education -- for international students that want to study in the US, as well as US students that want to study abroad.

Click on header or here to go the the blog.

Summer College Prep Programs-ASA

Yes, Virginia you can spend your summer vacation preparing for college. At first glance, the prospect of spending a week or more in a classroom studying for the SAT or filling in college application forms while the sun shines might seem unthinkable. However, for some teenagers the opportunity to focus on the college preparation process without school-year distractions is invaluable. What's more, it's an opportunity for a non-American student to visit the States, see a few college campuses up close and personal and (in most cases) live the life of a real college student by living in a dorm with other students of the same age and attend classes. No wonder, then, that there are a number of so-called College Prep of programs on offer around the country. Some are held on college campuses, on a boat or even (ironically) at schools.

Be warned: all this preparation does not come cheap. Count on $300 or more per day, which does not include travel back and forth and spending money. Also, be sure to read carefully the refund policy of any program you sign up for. People sign-up months in advance, and when plans change, it’s good to know if you’re due a full or partial refund.

Here's a profile on one of the oldest and most prestigious college prep programs: ASA.

ASA offers college prep in 3 locations at premier universities on both the West and East coasts: U Berkeley (San Francisco), Tufts University (Boston), and Columbia University (New York City). These are residential programs (yes, you get to live in a dorm), and last two weeks, so they're not for the faint of heart.

Here's what the website says about the UC Berkeley experience with ASA:

Getting ready to apply for college? Then it makes excellent sense to attend our college admissions prep camp at UC Berkeley � one of three ASA College Admissions Prep sites.

ASA’s experienced Princeton Review SAT instructors will prepare you to ace the newly formatted SAT®. Plus you’ll learn everything else it takes to get into the college of your choice, benefiting from the expert help of our college counselors and writing faculty.

If you’re like most students, what you learn at our college admissions prep camp will help drive up your score on the reformatted SAT by at least 200 points. ASA's "Meet the SAT"college prep program, offers you: course, a key part of our comprehensive

• 18 hours of thorough instruction
• a strong focus on timed writing � essential given the reformatted SAT
• proven strategies for high scoring
• three full-length diagnostic tests
• practice exams
• personalized guidance and valuable feedback

Your ASA College Admissions Prep experience will give you the support you need to master your interviewing skills as well as learn how to get excellent recommendations from your teachers. Once finished, you will have these invaluable tools:

• polished Personal Statement (essay)
• list of potential schools (dream, reach, target)
• completed college admission application
• personal resume
• personalized admissions calendar
  
  

The website for Academic Study Associates (“ASA”) has a profile about dates and curriculum and what have you about each location. However, most of the information about the content of the program comes only by downloading a brochure in PDF format. What's more, you have to fill out a detailed questionnaire before ASA will allow you to download anything.

If you've set your mind on applying, we're glad to report that there is an online Registration process if you like what you see, but expect to spend 15 minutes or more on the application. Get all your paperwork together before you sit down at the computer and everything will go more quickly.

Click here to go to the ASA Home Site.

Look for more College Prep profiles in the future.

September 11 Changed Everything

There's a very interesting article in Education Sector, an education think tank about what happened to the number of international students allowed into the United States after the events of September 11 2001. Guess what ? Less foreign students came to the U.S., and we still have not caught up to the pre-9/11 level.

Heightened scrutiny of visa applicants, travel restrictions here and abroad, and fears about security in the U.S. combined with other factors to create a sharp 20 percent decline of F-1 visas from 2000–01 to 2001–02. Despite a 15 percent surge this past year, the U.S. issued only 273,870 visas in 2005–06, 20,000 less than 2000–01.

That's probably not very surprising, but the article does have a few surprises worth noting:

-Saudi Arabia is sending record number of students to the United States:

Saudi Arabia's jump in visa numbers is a direct consequence of government policy. After a 2005 agreement between President Bush and Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah to increase student exchange, the Kingdom offered 10,000 Saudi students full four-year scholarships. The overwhelming majority of these students chose to study in the U.S. and skyrocketed Saudi Arabia's student visa rates from 2,166 in 2004–05 to 9,240 in 2005–06.

-The major destination countries for foreign students are South Korea, China and India , each sending more than 14,000 students each. In fact, although 196 countries send students to America, just 5 nations account for half the incoming student totals.

South Korea, China, India, Japan and Taiwan—the top five sending countries—together account for just over half of all student visas issued in 2005–06.

-The UK is sending far fewer students to America than in 1998, as is Germany and Japan.

The article is just a couple of months old, and packed with a lot more very interesting data. Just click on the heading.