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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Applying to U.S. Universities by University of Pennsylvania

4.8
stars
501 ratings

About the Course

“It depends.” That is what you’ll hear when asking about the U.S. university admission process. With over 4,000 universities in the United States and no standard application system, the U.S. admission process can be confusing for everyone, but especially for students applying from other countries. This course will help international students (non-U.S. citizens) and non-native English speakers navigate the U.S. university admission process by offering practical information about the documents and pieces that make up a U.S. university application. More importantly, admission officers will discuss how they use those pieces to decide who is accepted and who is denied, so that you can understand the process beyond the pieces. By the end of this course, you will understand application basics that include researching schools, creating a school list, and establishing an application plan. This course will not answer all of your application questions, but it will teach you to ask the right questions of yourself and the universities. Ultimately, you will have all the information you need to start your process the right way, putting you on the path to acceptance. * Please note, while the English Language Programs are part of the University of Pennsylvania, this is not a course about applying to Penn. Furthermore, this course is intended for international students educated in the national curriculum of their country. While other students are welcome to enroll, the course is not intended for American students or students studying in an American, International Baccalaureate, or Advanced Placement curriculum. The course is also intended for students who do not have access to university counseling – if you attend a school that offers university counseling, your counselor is the best source of information on applying to university. Finally, this course is for undergraduate (Bachelors degree) freshmen (students who have not attended any university) applicants. Undergraduate transfer applicants, students who have attended a university, will find some of the information helpful, but graduate (Masters and Doctoral) applicants will not....

Top reviews

RR

Nov 9, 2015

Really helpful for International students. Heaped me right from college selection to submission of the application ( and getting selected). Thank You so much University of Pennsylvania...

FR

May 12, 2016

This is a great course, it helped me to understand all the application process, the points and how to choose the better fit for me. It gave all the detailed information I needed

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1 - 25 of 114 Reviews for Applying to U.S. Universities

By Minh A P

Aug 8, 2016

It is really informative for any international students seeking for a higher education in the United States. I would definitely recommend it for my friends.

By Deleted A

Sep 9, 2015

Excellent free resource for anybody applying to US universities or trying to understand the admission process there. Thank you UPenn and Cousera.

By Nguyen T A

Dec 3, 2015

This course is really useful and interesting ! I always dream of studying abroad, especially in America. But I do not know which university fit me, how I can apply to it and how I can get scholarship or financial aid. After taking three lessons of this course, I have opened my mind and know how I can achieve my dream. It has given me plenty of useful information and good advice. It has set me in the right direction and show me where. However, it is still up to me to carry out my plan. In addition, this course also makes me more passionate about studying in U.S. Now I feel absolutely excited to focus on my plan by writing essays, rewriting, rewriting,... and studying on my own. Thank you so much for what you have done for me !

By Lloyd R P

Oct 10, 2017

One of the more comprehensive, detailed and plain-speak courses you will find and certainly the gold standard for this topic. Erick does a masterful job breaking down a complicated, multi-faceted subject into digestible, easily understood nuggets. It's a lot to take in yet when you finish, you will have a thorough understanding of how this all works and be able to use what you've learned immediately. This is not for the dabbler, that's for sure, but if you want the inside scoop as to how to apply to US colleges and universities effectively, efficiently and successfully, you've found it all right here.

By Zhong Z

Sep 1, 2015

This course provides many insights about applying U.S. universities. For example, the instructor said that rankings should be used to find universities you've never heard of rather than to compare universities in the same tier, which I can't agree more. The course also picks several different universities in the States to show audience how to analyse and choose a university. In conclusion, I found this course very helpful, even though I was applying for graduate school.

By Naw M N T

Jan 2, 2023

It is so good for people who plan to study in the US. It gives me so much knowledge and the things I need to have and prepare to apply to the university in the US.

By saeed g

Feb 6, 2016

I found it very useful but about all information that lecturer gave, is about bachelor degree and nothing special said about upper grades.

By Qianbo Y

Jul 10, 2017

Very useful and informative course! It provides me lots of essential information for the application. I'm a US transfer student and also found many information helpful. More importantly, it helped me understand the core value and way of thinking in the application. Highly recommend.

By Rutuja

Nov 10, 2015

Really helpful for International students. Heaped me right from college selection to submission of the application ( and getting selected). Thank You so much University of Pennsylvania...

By Jenny L

Nov 15, 2017

Very nice course and helpful. We use it as a start step for my daughter's application. We did the process by ourselves. She is now in UCLA.

By Solongo M

Dec 9, 2015

It is an extremely useful course that goes through the details of applying to U.S. Universties step by step covering all ares that need to be covered to receive an adequate understanding especially for foreign students aiming for universities in the U.S. It has numerous resources such as interviews, links to other websites and a brilliant host. Overall, I am fully satisfied and I am glad to give it five stars, which this program clearly deserves.

By Farnam M

Sep 7, 2015

Despite the fact that I am willing to apply for graduate programs to US universities, this course illustrated so many ambiguous points in my mind and helped me to rise good questions for choosing the best fit for me. It also made the whole process of applying organized and clear for me, as I didn't know where and how to start, and what I should be looking for.

By AMBAR M R

Jan 22, 2018

This course was incredible in helping me understand how the U.S. Application Process works. The teacher is awesome and sets clear examples of what you will be asked for by universities. If you're like me (or at least how i was before) and you know near to nothing regarding what is necessary for applying to university in the U.S, this course is for you.

By Ismat A

Dec 21, 2015

I want apply for graduate admission this year and I find this course extremely helpful. Though this is designed for undergrad students it is suitable for graduate students too. This course is really motivational and informative. This course is eye opener to me and I hope other people will be benefited by it too. Thanks :)

By Deleted A

Jan 17, 2016

I really liked the course. I got answers on questions I had, also I understood a difference between transfer students and freshmen, so now I know what I should write on my application list. Also now I took Penn University into consideration for further application process.

By Zane D

Sep 18, 2015

I found this course highly informative both from a HS College Counselor perspective as well as from a High School student gaining a holistic perspective of the expectations of the demands of secondary learning. This is also a great source for parents of students.

By Roopa S

Jul 2, 2019

This course was very useful for me to get an insight into the process of applying to US Universities. As a parent I would highly recommend this course to all parents who want to guide and be a support to their children aspiring to study in the US.

By Sidharth S

Sep 9, 2015

Mr Erick Hyde , I would like to tell you that your course is the best ive ever taken on courser. Very user friendly and I loved the way you implemented animations into your course. Keep up the work and I hope to see more courses by you on corsera

By Whitney S Q

Mar 6, 2018

I'm so impressed.....this course is outstanding. Not only is it informative, but the articles and resources provided are top notch. I would highly recommend this course to anyone, even non-international students, looking to study in the US.

By Lídia R

Jan 1, 2020

It's a nice course. There are many things you'll only learn about the application by doing it yourself, which might be stressing. But I knew the course couldn't possibly cover everything, because situations are so different across countries.

By 陈美

Jun 20, 2016

If you want to know how to apply universities in United States, just listen to this course!!

The only thing that I feel a little uncomfortable is that the professor is speaking at such a slow speed, I have to listen to this course at 1.50 x.

By Elvira O

May 9, 2019

Great and valuable content, perfect American English accents, academic English, well-thought quiz, high-quality material, and videos, well-prepared and charming presenter. Thanks a lot!

By Fernanda R

May 13, 2016

This is a great course, it helped me to understand all the application process, the points and how to choose the better fit for me. It gave all the detailed information I needed

By MILTON C

Jan 20, 2024

The program offers a diverse range of high-quality learning programs known for their academic excellence and strong emphasis on interdisciplinary studies.

By João V L Q

Jul 26, 2017

It gave me crucial information for my application, I am sure that now I will do a preparatory readier and wiser for the American Universities.