What one needs to get into a top university

Nowadays, studying abroad has become a popular choice for various reasons, be it the desire to thrive in a more competitive environment, be it succeeding in life with all the possible opportunities, or be it simply for a modern, tech-savvy, and easier lifestyle.

For those ambitious souls out there, following the successful applicants’ path is the most convenient way to become successful themselves. The most important thing for an abroad application is the profile, which includes one’s academics, extracurriculars, honours/awards, and research experience for undergraduate programmes; additionally, one will need full-time job experience or such for grad/PhD programmes.

One of the most popular destinations for Bangladeshi students is the USA, as they offer the most generous financial aid or scholarships— especially for undergraduate programmes, no other country comes close. Zubair Hossain, an incoming freshman at Colby College, says about the most difficult thing he went through during his application, “Prioritising where I would apply to was the most difficult thing. I started off considering multiple countries at first, but then I had to consider my strengths and weaknesses as well as my financial situation to prioritise the country that best suited me. Even after that, I had to figure out which university to apply to from among the hundreds of universities that are generous about scholarships.”

For Bangladeshi students, the solution to ‘how good grades I’d need’ isn’t that hard to crack, but when it comes to the SAT for undergrad and GRE for grad/PhD, it is a deal that almost everyone stumbles upon. 1500+ out of 1600 in the SAT is considered the threshold to get into top colleges with high amounts of financial aid or scholarships, whereas for the GRE, applicants seek a 320+ out of 340. Also, if one’s ‘medium of instruction’ isn’t English, one will have to take an EPT (English Proficiency Test, i.e., IELTS or TOEFL or Duolingo or PTE), where they will just have to get a bare minimum score to apply to the universities; and no, the EPT score doesn’t affect their chances once they have the threshold score for that specific university, but SAT/GRE scores do affect their chances.

The most confusing portion for US undergrad applicants from Bangladesh is arguably extracurriculars and research experience. Some would even bat an eye, saying, ‘High schoolers are doing research? How’s that possible?’ Surprisingly so, high schoolers’ research papers aren’t uncommon in other parts of the world; even there are dedicated journals where they only publish papers by high schoolers. The realistic candidates for top universities start social or scientific research from as early as 9th grade.

As per extracurriculars (anything in your application, for that matter), colleges want your entire high school record, i.e., from 9th grade to 12th grade, for undergrad applications. This means applicants need to utilise their time with meaningful extracurriculars from 9th to study at a top university for undergrad.

When talking about extracurriculars, Bangladeshi students automatically think about olympiads; while olympiads are a great addition to your extracurricular, they’re not the only type of extracurricular out there. For instance, Naimul Islam Rifat, who is studying undergrad at Northwestern University with a full-ride, had an extreme range of awards at several olympiads such as USMDO, IMDO, etc, but he also had several other extracurricular activities such as research, establishing a non-profit, an internship at The New York Times, etc. Another successful undergrad applicant, Zubair Hossain, had established a large platform for raising awareness against sexual harassment.

While the most important part is the profile, there are other aspects to an application, e.g., maintaining deadlines, writing essays, scheduling interviews, and putting effort into all those sections, as these applications are evaluated holistically. A number of great candidates often miss their desired universities just for not maintaining all these.

“Authenticity is the key,” Naimul Islam Rifat suggests about writing the personal essay on the Common App. He adds, “When you reflect your mind through your writing, it definitely becomes a compelling essay! Share your unique story, experiences, and aspirations. Start early and seek feedback from teachers, mentors, or peers.”

Whereas extracurriculars are the dimensional factor for undergrad applicants, it is the relevant full-time job experience that grad/PhD applicants need. However, finding the right college/university according to budget and profile is one of the most crucial stages of application for both. While liberal arts colleges and private universities are the most generous among those giving financial aid to undergraduate students, public universities are generous to grad/PhD students. Finding the right opportunity at the right time plays a vital role here.

Sometimes when students can’t get enough financial aid or scholarships, they can consider loans; although this is not a popular choice among undergrad applicants, a lot of grad/PhD students study on student loans. For instance, MPower Finance and Prodigy Finance give out loans for tuition and living if you get into one of the top universities in the world. There are boundless options in reality, and candidates have to find the feasible ones for themselves, along with creating an amazing profile or CV to get into those prestigious institutes.

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