Y-Axis Foundation Blog

It takes about 12 to 18 months to prepare you as a student to apply for undergrad admission in the USA universities or colleges.

14 -18 months before you apply to U.S. for UG study

• Work hard in high school and try to get GPA as high as possible
• Consider receiving education counselling guidance to know about USA education from the expert
• Know the requirements of admission and start preparing – be admission ready – prepare for standardized tests like SAT/ ACT & English proficiency test like TOEFL or IELTS
• Can take AP exams as well to earn credit in your application

10 -12 months before you apply to U.S. for UG study

• Research various colleges and universities programs – shortlist your good-fit college
• Organize your transcripts from school
• Start writing Essays and Personal Statement as per application prompt
• Start working on your profile- include all your community service and other activities
• Collate your achievement records like Olympiad scores, extracurricular certificates (if any) related to sports, music etc.
• Approach your teachers and counsellors for LORs

6 -8 months before you apply to U.S. for UG study

• Take the required entrance test for admission – SAT, IELTS/ TOEFL
• Be ready with WES evaluation of transcripts
• Complete and submit all college applications
• Apply for scholarship CSS form
• Plan your finance and get the required amount organised – loan approval if needed
• Wait for admit

3 months before you leave for the U.S. for UG study

• Get ready for student Visa after receiving I-20
• Fill in DS-160 form
• Pay SEVIS fees and get the receipt
• Get ready for Visa Interview
• Attend visa interview with confidence
• Get ready for travel after receiving visa

1-2 months before you apply to U.S. for UG study

• Research on health insurance abroad
• Make travel arrangements- ticketing, foreign exchange
• Get connected to the alumni, know your professors and class schedule
• Final preparation for your U.S trip
• Checklist for your travel
• Accommodation in USA
• Airport pick up and transit to the University after reaching there

The three intakes available in the US are:

• Fall: A popular intake among Indian students. It starts in the month of August. This is the major time when undergrad students get enrolled. Application starts in October-November.
• Spring: Starts in the January; it’s best if you miss the September intake. Application starts in June-July
• Summer: Available for limited programs and colleges, the summer intake usually starts around May. Application starts in December-January

Summer and Spring intakes are mainly for the colleges that have rolling admission.

Undergrad has options of early action and early decision

Early decision plans are binding — a student who is accepted as an ED applicant must attend the college. Early action plans are nonbinding — students receive an early response to their application but do not have to commit to the college until the normal reply date of May 1.