The United States India Educational Foundation (USIEF), Hyderabad organized an information session on “Higher Education in the USA” on August 26, 2014 at the DST Auditorium, University of Hyderabad (UoH).
Ms. Piya Bahadur, Regional Officer, USIEF Hyderabad, introduced the USIEF and invited students to make use of various services that USIEF offers for higher education in the USA. USIEF is a bi-lateral organization which was established in 1950 after a joint agreement between Prime Minister Nehru and US Ambassador Loy Henderson and it co-ordinates the flagship Fulbright program initiatives in India. USIEF also host EducationUSA, a US Department of State funded initiative. EducationUSA’s mandate is to provide pro bono accurate, current and comprehensive information on higher education in the USA.
Ms. Tanushka Bali, Adviser EducationUSA @ USIEF, Hyderabad made a detailed presentations on the US higher education system, ways to research and shortlist universities, pre-requisites, standardized tests, admission procedures, policies, financing, timeline, visa process etc regarding higher education in the USA. The USIEF, Hyderabad regularly conducts information sessions, interaction with academicians, workshops on preparing applications and writing essays and it also houses a library facility for students.
Dr. Bhavani Arabandi, Assistant Professor at Department of Sociology at Ithaca College, New York who is also an American Fulbright- Nehru Scholar currently gave a comprehensive overview of various aspects that one should look into objectively while considering applying for a research programme in the USA such as research environment, PhD admission process, requirements and academic opportunities. Presenting many examples from her own experience, she also highlighted common mistakes that students do while interacting with faculty members and other institutions. She also emphasized upon the need of maintaining professionalism at every step of the application process.
Mr. James Hagengruber, Vice Consul, U.S. Consulate General, Hyderabad gave a comprehensive presentation on Visa process with special emphasis on Student Visa. He clarified on a wide array of issues that students face during the Visa process, common mistakes etc.
These presentations were followed by an interactive Q&A session where students asked questions on a diverse range of topics and got relevant advice from experts. The session was attended by about 300 students. Students found the session very interactive and useful.
One may visit following links for detailed information on US Education:
www.usief.org.in
http://www.facebook.com/EducationUSAHyderabad
-Kumar Ashish, Research Scholar in Economics