FACT

Globalization and Internet revolution has shrunk the world into a global village. Boundaries of the nations are only politically important now. For the trade, commerce and industry, the world has become one market place. In such times, we need to have global compatibility to survive and grow. We need to have exposure to the various cultures and business practices of various countries.

Advantages of studying in USA:

One must understand the advantages that America offers as a place for higher studies before investing the time and money. Also, it is not just enough to decide to study in the USA just because it is trendy. We are therefore putting forth the most distinct advantages offered by the US education system:

More than 500,000 international students come to study every year in the United States from different countries. No other country in the world attracts so many international students. Naturally, the international exposure that you get while being a part of such a diverse students body is one of the most important advantages of studying in the United Sates.

Educational Infrastructure:
as you study higher and higher, you need educational infrastructure, which is as important as the quality of syllabus and quality of teachers. While the quality of syllabus and teachers are quite high in India, the availability of educational infrastructure is far better in the USA.
Research in the Universities:
this is the most distinct advantage of American Education System. Unlike most other universities in the world, the universities in the USA are engaged in conducting practical research work for the benefit of the industry and government of the USA. These researches are conducted under the supervision of the college professors and the students get an opportunity to work on these research projects.
Career Choices:
with more than 3,000 universities and colleges offering tens of thousands of different programs, the choice of careers is the widest in the United States. There is nothing which is worth pursuing a career in which is not covered by the American higher education system.
Flexibility:
American education system is credit hour based. These credits are widely transferable from one university to another. Also, you can take credit hours as per your requirements and therefore the duration of completing a four-year degree may range from three to five years as per the capacity of the student.
Acceptability:
this is a very important advantage from the Indian student point of view. How many times we come across a deserving Indian student not getting a career of his choice in India? Students lose their careers by a fraction of percentage and then they have no other choice but to either change their field of study or settle for an inferior institution by paying heavy donation. Such things rarely happen when you are applying to an American institution. The universities in the USA give due consideration to the desire of the students and admissions are based on a complete assessment of the students overall personality and not just the mark-sheet.

Overall, the advantages of studying in America are far too many and most of the parents and students already know about them. But most of the time they are unaware about the affordability of the courses or the exact procedure and timetable for preparation. This book will deal with these issues in the subsequent chapters.

Trend of Indian Students in USA:

Over the last 10 years, the number of Indian students studying in the United States has increased more than 2 times. From a mere 35,000 students in 1993-94, the number of Indian students has gone up to almost 80,000 students in 2003-04.

This significant increase is an indication of the growing confidence of Indian students in the American education system and more importantly its relevance in the current era of globalization.

Not only that, India is the largest country sending students to USA amongst all countries of the world. Almost 13% of the total international students studying in USA are Indians.

About 20% of the students studying in the USA are studying for a bachelor�s degree. Most of the students are studying in fields such as engineering, information technology, core sciences and business management programs.

Also, if we compare the popularity of different countries amongst the Indian students, once again, USA is on the top with substantial lead. A comparison of Indian students in the major four countries of the world is :

Al the above statistics clearly indicates that Indian students have preferred USA as their most suitable destination for higher education abroad. This trend is likely to continue in future.