Scholarships for Study
To find out about a particular scholarship opportunity, it is best to contact the chosen American university directly. Depending on their academic performance and financial level, each student can submit documents for the following types of scholarships: merit-based scholarship or need-based scholarship. As for master's students, their options are slightly broader – two more types of financial aid from the university are added, the so-called «assistantships» – either a teaching assistantship (the student studies and works part-time as a teaching assistant) or a research assistantship (studies and helps conduct necessary scientific research).
However, there are scholarships that cover only part of the expenses, for example, the costs of applying to an American university. For instance, the «Opportunity Program» (www.americancouncilskyiv.org.ua). The grant may cover: review of documents at American universities, taking standardized tests, delivery of documents to the university, costs for translation and notarization of the student's official documents, visa processing, flight to the USA, and the first month of study.
Applications for participation are accepted throughout the year, meaning a student can submit documents at almost any stage of applying to an American university. To compete for this grant, you need to contact an education advisor at the nearest EducationUSA advisory center. You can fill out the necessary application forms and find a complete list of advisory centers at www.educationusa.info/Ukraine
For Students – UGRAD
This American exchange program allows students from Ukraine to study for one year without obtaining a degree at American universities or 2-year and 4-year US colleges (www.irex.ua) in almost any field. Students in their 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th years can participate. Documents begin to be accepted annually in the fall. Potential scholarship recipients typically have a month to prepare the necessary papers. Future American students will have to go through the following selection rounds: 1) document screening (October-January); 2) interview in English (February or March); 3) taking the TOEFL.
Final results are announced at the end of April. Already in August, winners leave to study. By the way, scholarship recipients cannot choose their place of study; it is selected for them based on their chosen field and selection results. Every year, about 20 Ukrainian students go to the US (competition – 10-15 people per place). The program pays for the student's round-trip travel, medical expenses, tuition, room and board in the US, and scholarship recipients also receive a monthly stipend and money for purchasing textbooks.
Fulbright Program
The Fulbright Graduate Student Program (www.fulbright.org.ua) is an academic program for senior students and university graduates who wish to obtain a master's degree in the US (1-2 year programs). Scholarships are offered in almost all fields. The competition for this scholarship opens annually in February, and the deadline for submitting documents is May 16.
Potential scholarship recipients will have to go through three selection stages: 1) document review and evaluation of the competitive essay (May-June); 2) interview in English (first half of September); 3) finalists taking tests – TOEFL and GRE (October-November; lawyers take only TOEFL). Then in April-May, the winners' names are announced and the universities where they will study are determined. By the way, program participants can indicate three priority universities in their application, but the final choice of university is determined by the program office in Kyiv and the American side.
Studies begin in September. The scholarship fully covers the student's expenses (tuition, purchase of textbooks, round-trip ticket, limited medical insurance, visa interview, test fees). The student receives a monthly stipend of about $1500. Out of 250-300 applicants annually, about 20-25 people enter US studies through this program.
Edmund Muskie Assistance
This is a master's scholarship program (www.irex.ua/ua/education/muskie) lasting 1-2 years. You can study in fields such as MBA, economics, law, public administration, and civil policy. By the way, as with the previous program, future scholarship recipients also cannot choose a university. It is selected for them. The competition opens annually in October, and the deadline for submitting documents expires in November.
The selection stages are as follows: 1) document screening (November-end of December); 2) interview in English (second decade of January); 3) taking the TOEFL (for everyone), as well as, depending on the chosen field, the GRE or GMAT. Winners' names are announced at the end of April. The program starts in August-September. The scholarship covers the recipient's tuition in the US, airfare, medical insurance, and textbook costs. The student receives from $1000 or more in hand (depending on the place of study and living). Annually, 15-20 people go to the US through this program.
What to Be Prepared For
1. Students in the US have the right to choose their subjects.
2. There are no classic lectures in the US. Students come prepared: they discuss the topic and ask questions to the professor.
3. The textbooks also differ. For example, law textbooks contain no mere «dry» theory: it is presented with brief comments on practical examples.
4. You need to study a lot (up to 300 pages per week) and systematically. The final grade will never depend solely on the exam result. You will have to work hard throughout the semester to get a high score.
5. During exams, many professors allow students to use their own notes. But this does not mean it's a "freebie." Simply, exams include more practical tasks to test the student's ability to apply the knowledge they have acquired.
6. There are subjects that are not studied in Ukrainian universities. For example, "econometrics" (for economists).
7. In the US, plagiarism is taken very seriously. If you do not cite the source of information in your written work, you may even be expelled from the university.
8. For master's students, some universities have a "rule of two C's". If there are two C's on the final exams, they may be expelled.
9. Students pay for textbooks, library use, gym ($1000-1500 per year) and purchase student insurance ($200-500 per year).
Shelter
According to Ukrainian students in the US, it is best to start looking for housing in advance – a month or even a month and a half before departure. Of course, many colleges and universities have their own dormitories located on the campus. But as a rule, there are many more people wanting to get a place there than there are spots. Only first-year students are in a favorable situation: some educational institutions require first-year students to live only on campus. As for older students, for example, master's students, they are often forced to find shelter outside the campus.
By the way, dormitories in the US are quite expensive. A spot in a room can cost $500-1200 per month (or even $1500). As for an apartment, the average cost here is $500-900 per month (and if you rent together with other students, you can manage $300-400). The best way to find housing in the private sector is on the website – craigslist.org
To be continued.
Lyudmila KOLB.
Based on materials from the newspaper "Segodnya".