Study in the USA
AMLN understands that the future of the community it serves depends on the accessibility of higher education to its youth. An advanced degree opens a number of opportunities in our modern-day economy, whether they be social, professional or economic. The future leaders of the Arab-American and immigrant communities will be those who have acquired the skills and leadership abilities higher education can provide. Furthermore, higher education offers an avenue to increased economic security and success, enabling families and individuals alike to improve their standard of living and thereby that of their community as well.
In order to ensure the socioeconomic advancement of the local community, AMLN administers its Higher Education Services program, which assists local youth in navigating the college admissions process. The program consists of two components: a series seminars are presented at various locations throughout Astoria designed to familiarize students with the nuts and bolts of college admissions; and personal consultations with AMLN’s Education Coordinator, which compliment the seminars by clarifying their content to students and assisting them personally with elements of their applications, such as personal essays and financial aid forms.
In general, there are four topics to consider when applying to college:
1. Researching Schools
a. This consists of assessing your needs and interests and using these to form a list of schools to which you want to apply
b. There are a number of resources available for this, the most useful being the College Search engine at collegeboard.org
i. Based on the answers you provide, the search engine will find schools that match your critieria
c. Keep in mind, however, that you want to keep your list to no more than 12 schools, as this cuts down on the work you need to do and saves you money when it comes to application fees
d. Also try to create a balanced list of schools where admission is either tough, competitive, or likely
2. Standardized Tests
a. You need to know which tests you need to take to get into college, generally either the SAT or ACT
b. The SAT can be registered for at sat.collegeboard.org, and the ACT at actstudent.org/regist/index.html
c. They can be prepared for with a number of materials—the College Board offers free practice materials and a reasonably priced, online SAT course; the ACT does as well
d. Don’t let the test consume you! College admissions is about much more than just test scores! Grades, your personal statement, personal experiences, and extracurriculars can be just as important!
3. College Applications
a. Applications are generally done online, either through the school’s website or a common application portal
i. Generally commonapp.org, which is used by a number of schools
b. Try to send all of your materials online, and use commonapp.org for as many schools on your list as possible
c. Remember that the essay is the most important piece of the written application! Try to make it unique and personal.
4. Financial Aid and Scholarships
a. Most schools have private and public money available for financial aid
b. Public money available for financial aid is dispersed according to your responses on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, which can be completed at fafsa.ed.gov
i. Keep in mind that only US citizens and permanent legal residents are eligible for federal aid
c. Private money is usually dispersed according to your responses on the CSS Profile, which is administered by the College Board at profileonline.collegeboard.com
i. Some of this money may be available to students regardless of immigration status
d. Scholarships can be applied for at various locations, such as unions, non-profit organizations, etc.
i. Fastweb.com is a useful search engine that matches you to scholarships in their database
If you have any questions or concerns about higher education, or if you need assistance with your own applications, feel free to make an appointment with our Education Coordinator, who can be reached at:
347-924-9674
