Welcome. My name is Erick Hyde, the university connection councilor at the English language programs of the University of Pennsylvania. And, your guide through this course on applying to US University. As you work your way through this course, you're going to learn all about the US application and admission process. From how schools evaluate applications to how to research colleges and universities to how to find the right school for you, and much more. We created applying to US universities especially for international undergraduate applicants by building the course on the most common questions, misunderstandings, and myths among international students. And there are a lot of them. Before we really get into the course, we want to share some perspective on one of the biggest misconceptions. The idea that applying to US universities is a complicated competition to win an acceptance to a very limited number of top schools. Because attending one of these schools Is the only way to ensure a bright future. This idea is mistaken and misguided. Why do we believe the myths of US admission? Why do we believe that the US admission process is a competition? Why do we believe that the process has to be brutal and stressful? Why do we believe we have such limited options? The answer is easy. That's what we're told all the time. When you look at articles, websites, movies, everything tells us that admission is an impossible, stressful competition that rarely ends well. Here's why. We tend to focus on only the most selective schools. Schools like the Ivy League, Stanford, MIT, and other familiar names that accept a small fraction of their applicants. Media helps to create the focus, but its parents friends and society that reinforce that narrow focus. When I was a kid my mom bought me a Yale sweatshirt. I no idea what a Yale was but I wore it. I didn't go to Yale, but I still remember the sweatshirt. Take a look at this graphic from the college board. Trends in college pricing report. US colleges and universities are divided according to the percentage of applicants that they accept. Notice that tiny little sliver there? That almost invisible 2% of the pie represents schools that accept less than 25% of their applicants. Highly selective schools, like the Ivy League, Stanford, MIT, and those other familiar names. Even if you add in the next piece of the pie, the 13% of schools that accept between 25% and 49.9% of their applicants, you are only up to 15% of the school's In the US. That means 85% of US colleges and universities accept half, or more than half, of the students that apply to their school. A lot of time and attention is dedicated to admission at highly selective schools. And all of that attention feeds the myths. This graphic always puts thing in perspective by reminding me that highly selective schools are literally the smallest piece of the pie even though they get the biggest amount of attention. Speaking of fighting for a small piece of the pie. Check out this information specifically about international students. The Institute of International Education, IIE, releases an annual report called open doors. This report provides information about international students studying in the US. According to the open doors report, 69% of international students in the US are clustered at only 5% of the schools in the US. So just over 200 US colleges and universities host a majority of the international students attending school in the US. The reality is that the US admission process is what you make it. If you or your parents choose to focus on the smallest slice of the pie, or those same 200 plus schools that most international students go to, then you and your admission experience are falling right into the mitts. However, if you look beyond the 2%, if you look beyond those 200 schools, you're going to be pleasantly surprised by what you find. You're going to see the exciting possibilities that come with a US education. Not to mention how easy it is to avoid many of the myths of admission. Now I'm no fool. Another reality is that you, possibly encouraged by your parents, will probably chose to apply to those schools where the competition for admission is the toughest. And that is okay. In fact, as you'll see later on this course, we encourage students to aim high and apply to highly selective schools. If those schools are a good fit for you. What I am asking you to do, is remember that there is a much bigger piece of the pie that you should also consider. The good news is that this course will help you, no matter what type of school you're applying to. From the most selective, to the least selective. We're going to help you understand the application and admission process for them all. Because the reality is that US colleges and universities want you as a student and a member of their campus community. But in the end, you have a choice. You can choose to enter this process believing the myths about US admission. You can treat the process like a competition. You can choose to be anxious and stressed about admission. Or, you can choose to understand the process. You can explore the possibilities and treat the process like an adventure. You can choose to be optimistic and positive about admission. No matter what, this course is going to help you. But the choice is yours.