Study US: How to choose a good university?

In an online chat with readers on February 14, Prof Nora Burke Wagner, Programme Director, University of Cincinnati College of Law and Anjali Khavnekar, India co-ordinator for University of Cincinnati, USA addressed queries on the requisites of an international admission application, student life in the US, opportunities for financial aid, scholarships and more.

For those who missed the live chat, here's the unedited transcript:

Dinkar Dosanjh: What is the cost of a four-year degree course in the US?

Anjali Khavnekar: The estimated expenses for the undergraduate programme is $42931 per year. http://rediff.ly/2suue

deepikadeewani: What is the right time to apply for a student visa? How long is it valid for?

Anjali Khavnekar: You can apply for the student visa just before the start of your program. You cannot apply before 120 days from the start date of the progam

Nora Burke Wagne: With regard to the LLM programme, once you have a letter of admission from the College of Law, the International Services department of the University of Cincinnati will work with you to help you secure a student visa.

ulfat: How many Indian students have graduated from the UC?

Anjali Khavnekar: There are so many who have graduated over the years. At present we have more then 650 Indian Students on campus

jinny: pls tell me what's the student life like in the US?

Nora Burke Wagne: With regard to the LLM program at Cincinnati Law, you will find that our cohort of students focuses fairly seriously on their studies. They work very well together, are supportive and friendly. We have designed opportunities for our LLM students to spend time networking with attorneys in the Cincinnati area.

alex: How to prepare for GRE and TOEFL?

Nora Burke Wagne: In order to apply to the LLM programme at Cincinnati Law, you will not need to take the GRE. If your university education has been entirely in English, you will not need to take the TOEFL either.

Anjali Khavnekar: By practicing and dedicating a lot of time. Please do as many mock test as possible both for GRE and TOEFL and analyse your test. Analysis of your test is very important

rittika negi: I am in class 9. How much should i score in my board exams to be able to apply abroad?

Anjali Khavnekar: The more the better :) All the best. Also for US your grades starting from Class 9 are important. So its just not the boards :)

jinny: How to choose a good university? What should one look for while making the decision?

Nora Burke Wagne: Some of our students choose classes related to business (corporate) law, other students decide to take criminal law classes or human rights classes. And many students will choose to take a variety of classes in order to be introduced to a broad cross section of subjects.
It is also important to choose a school that give you attention and support. Cincinnati Law runs a small LLM program--likely less than 20 students next year. This allows us to get to know each LLM student, meet with them individually when they are selecting classes, offer academic support, etc.

naman: What are the opportunities available at the undergraduate level?

Anjali Khavnekar: You want to know about which opportunities? There are various opportunities which include participation in co-curricular and extra curricular activities. There will be study abroad programmes, Honors programme, research opportunities, projects, internships and lots more

kaushal: Please guide me on how to write an admission essay? What to include what to avoid etc. Nora Burke Wagne: I recommend that you keep your personal statement to 1 -2 pages. You might write about why you are interested in pursuing an LLM, what your goals are, and the areas of the law in which you are most interested. If you have reasons for applying to the specific LLM program, you could describe those as well.

Anjali Khavnekar: Let the admission officer know why are you particularly interested in the University. Let them know your short term goals and your long term goals and how studying at the particular university help you to achieve those.

mustafa: How will US education benefit my career? Pls explain.

Nora Burke Wagne: Given the way that US law impacts law and business around the world, an understanding of the US legal system will benefit attorneys who wish to represent US parties, companies doing business with US parties, or lawyers whose work will be impacted by the US government or US law.

Anjali Khavnekar: Studying in the US will give you an International exposure. Its more hands on and gives you actual exposure to real world. For eg. UC has the Co-op education concept where students actually experience real world experience. The curriculum is always based on the feedback from the industry.

Jeswal: hii.......mam..!! I completed engineering last year with a CGPA of 7. I would like to apply for the 2015 intake. what should be my ideal GRE score for MS in USA?

Anjali Khavnekar: Hi, Anything above 310 or more. The more the better :)

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Firoz Khan: What is the right time to apply to US universities?

Anjali Khavnekar: Always have everything ready one year in advance of the start date of the program. Have your test scores ready at that time. The earlier you apply the better.

Vinayak Tavade: My budget is 10 lakhs. Pls tell me about the courses I can consider at the PG level

Anjali Khavnekar: The estimated annual expense at UC for most Master's programme is $42,811. Please refer this link to know more about our academic programmes http://rediff.ly/2suuu

menisha: Do university rankings matter while picking an institute?

Anjali Khavnekar: While selecting the University read about the department you are applying to. Find out what research is happening in the department. Does your interest match? It depends what you want to do after your Masters degree. Get in touch with the Alumni, find out where they are placed.

Nora Burke Wagne: University rankings may be more important to some employers than others. You might talk to people who work in the industry or with the type of employers for whom you are interested in working.

In general, it's a good idea not to be too distracted by rankings alone. You want to get a sense for the place you would be studying -- whether the staff are responsive to your needs, whether the faculty research and teach in the areas in which you are interested, whether the student body is satisfied.

kaushal: Please guide me on how to write an admission essay? What to include what to avoid etc.

Nora Burke Wagne: I recommend that you keep your personal statement to 1 -2 pages. You might write about why you are interested in pursuing an LLM, what your goals are, and the areas of the law in which you are most interested. If you have reasons for applying to the specific LLM program, you could describe those as well.

Anjali Khavnekar: Let the admission officer know why are you particularly interested in the University. Let them know your short term goals and your long term goals and how studying at the particular university help you to achieve those.

vaishali: On what occasions do you usually reject an admission application?

Nora Burke Wagne: In order to be admitted to the LLM program an applicant must have already earned a law degree (such as a BA in Law) and demonstrate his academic promise and serious intent.

Anjali Khavnekar: If the student doesn't meet the requirements of test scores and also the academic scores then might not get admitted. Also there are so many students who apply so admissions is always competitive. You should among the best one in the pool to get admitted.

Hiya: I am currently studying in class 11 sciences. Can i apply for a scholarship? Where will i find the details?

Anjali Khavnekar: International student are eligible for the UC Global Scholarship. Please score well on the SAT and your academics are also important- right from your 9th grade. We don’t have a separate application for scholarship. Your application for admission itself is considered scholarship. You will apply for the Fall 2015 intake. For more details refer: http://rediff.ly/2suuk

Chirag Cheran: Am I eligible to apply now? I think Jan intake is over, when can I apply next?

Anjali Khavnekar: There are some programs which are open for the Fall 2014 intake so you can apply for those.

Amit Shellar: What is the tuition fee at UC? For a 1 year masters programme?

Anjali Khavnekar: It's $25,696 for most of our programmes. http://rediff.ly/2suue

Nora Burke Wagne: When it comes to the LLM program specifically, tuition for 2014/2015 will be approximately $29,000. (In the US, law school is often more expensive than other programs.) This is a LOWER tuition rate than most other US LLM programs. We do have partial scholarships available.

Mahima Das: Does the UC also provide placement after completion of course?

Anjali Khavnekar: The Division of Professional Practice helps students with co-op placements and internships. Please refer to the link for more details http://rediff.ly/2suv9