College Admissions Counseling for International Students

Why International Students Need Admissions Consulting: Overcome Challenges and Maximize Opportunities

Working with a trained consultant as an international applicant can help you plan your journey to attending college abroad and set you up for success by advising you which prerequisites you should pick for your chosen disciplines. They can help you find colleges where you would be a competitive candidate and narrow down your top choices, thus maximizing your opportunities and chances for admittance.

Furthermore, many students choose college admissions consulting because an advisor can help you keep track of the application timelines and navigate unfamiliar application systems; this is often a friction point for applicants. They will advise on the various components you have to submit throughout your journey. If you face any road bumps, such as language barriers or questions about culture and processes, you’ll have a professional to turn to for advice; which can truly make or break your efforts in the end.

If you're wondering how to study in the US as an international student or want to know how to apply to university in Canada as an international student, be prepared for a fiercely competitive admissions pool. Every school is different in terms of acceptance rates (it can range from 10- 40%) but the admissions process is challenging no matter which school you choose to apply to.

For all students, navigating systems like Common App, Coalition App, or the Ontario Universities' Application Centre (OUAC) can be challenging. But for international students, this process is even more challenging because they might be less familiar with the process and may have to tackle hurdles like standardized tests or language tests.

This is the reason local students in the US, Canada or the UK often reach out to college and university admissions consulting for help. The right advisor can truly move mountains for international applicants:

“This [BeMo] is very informative, and really helpful for a person like me who is international. [The advisor told me] what exactly I need to do, helped me to create a template myself, takes time to provide quality experience like where I can improve, what I can improve in a very professional way, I would love to work with her [advisor] again.” – Anonymous, Former BeMo Student

Need to work on a common app essay? Take a look at this infographic:

How College Admissions Counseling Helps International Students

Now that you know what you can expect from the application process, let’s review the exact ways college admissions counseling for international students can help you navigate this journey.

#1: Pre-Application Phase

Different educational systems have different requirements and expectations, and while you may be familiar with the requirements in your country, a foreign system may be completely different. This makes the pre-application phase extremely important!

Almost all colleges in the US, Canada, the UK, or Australia expect students to complete certain prerequisite: high school courses. Depending on your intended major, you may be required to have department-specific pre-requisites as well as a specific GPA requirement—which can vary by school.

Additionally, some colleges in the US and Canada really value International Baccalaureate and Advanced Placement courses, or IB and AP courses. However, these types of secondary classes are not available everywhere. If you dream of attending one of the Ivy League schools or UC schools, you might want to research the availability of these secondary options near you. If you want to learn how to study in the UK as an international student, be aware that there are different standardized tests you may need to take as well as an English Language Proficiency test.

A consultant can help you navigate which courses you should take. If you would like to attend a biochemistry program somewhere in Ontario, an international student advisor will know exactly the kind of courses you can take and what else you can do to make sure you stand out—whether that is extracurriculars of even a summer program for high school students that could help you look like a phenomenal applicant. 

#2: Standardized Tests

Standardized tests like SAT and ACT are intimidating for all students, whether they are international or local. The volume of information that is covered on these tests is overwhelming, and all students can benefit from assistance with their test prep and study strategies:

“Dr. MacConnachie was well prepared with knowledge about where I am in the program and was able to quickly review all of the relevant information to my study schedule. She followed up on my assignments and next steps for study sessions which helps give me a clear set of action items moving forward.” Russ Wunibald, Former BeMo Student

However, international students may face some additional challenges when it comes to these tests:

While some of these obstacles will have to be overcome by you solely, an international student advisor can help you with what test to choose and how to prepare for it. Secondly, they can help you strategize and personalize your study plan and make sure you cover all the required material, whether you choose the ACT or SAT, and stay on-track. By completing an initial practice test for assessment purposes, you and your advisor will identify which knowledge areas need more review, which topics you have to start from scratch, and which topics you are an expert in. Your advisor will regularly check your progress and keep you accountable for your plan.

#3: College List

Not every college will be the right fit for you. Some schools do not even accept international students, though these are rare. The college list you create should be composed of schools you truly want to attend, but it should also be realistic. For example, if you dream of studying in California and attending Berkley, but your GPA is not 3.9, you might want to reconsider wasting your application fee on this school. 

However, statistics don’t always make or break an application. Most colleges test to do a holistic review of their applicants, which means that your educational background beyond courses and grades is also considered. This includes any additional programs or courses you did outside of school, your extracurricular activities, your volunteer background, your hobbies, and so on. Working with an admissions consultant can help you narrow down your list of schools based on your GPA and your other application components and experiences: 

“The feedback on my school selection list was great. It made me see my weak and strong points based on each school requirements. Thanks so much.” – Anonymous, Former BeMo Student.

Looking for more on the common app activities section? Check this out:

#4: Admission Essays

Admissions essays are required by most programs in the US. Almost all application systems require the submission of an essay, such as the Common App essay. Additionally, some schools require the submission of supplemental college application essays. In Canada, this admissions requirement is less common, but it is a staple for some of the most competitive programs.

These essays are a challenge for many reasons. Writing a compelling narrative is hard but writing about yourself is even harder. This is why many students turn to essay tutors and advisors for help.

Keep in mind that a good advisor will not write your essay for you – but rather, will help you brainstorm and create a narrative about you and your experiences that will show the admissions committee that you are the right candidate for their program. Do yourself a favor and take this as an opportunity to learn not only better written communication skills but how to reflect and think critically. This will not only benefit you in the application process, but in your academic and professional career:

“This has been a great help to me as a person, a student, and a future professional. I have nothing but high praise for this company, and I would not be where I am currently without them!” – Thomas W., Former BeMo Student

 These experts have helped thousands of students craft their stories, so take full advantage of this opportunity and learn.

#5: Application Timeline and Components

If you are not using unified application systems like OUAC, then you will have dozens of application components to keep track of for different schools. And truth be told, even if you are using unified application systems, the number of components and the deadlines are hard to keep up with. Many of our students struggle to keep up with all the moving parts, and creating an ideal timeline… but we always find a way to make it work:

“[My consultant] gave me excellent feedback on my essays, as well as resources to improve my writing flow and grammar. I really appreciated her insight as well as how well she was able to work with me on a tight timeline!” – Anonymous BeMo student

#6: College Interview

Preparing your application is one thing - you can take your time to brainstorm, draft and redraft, and finalize your components; interviews are not like that! You will have mere seconds to respond with concrete answers to college admissions interview questions. If your school conducts admissions interviews, then you must properly prepare for this hurdle.

An advisor can not only help you practice answer strategies for common questions, but they can also help you prepare for the interview format and interview behavior that will be expected of you:

“I recently had a session with Vicky Cerdeira to help me with my interview preparation and she was a great help! She spent the time to go over my answers with me and gave me useful advices to work on my interview skills and answers. She seems genuinely interested in my success. It was a real pleasure working with her!” – Anonymous, BeMo Student.

Even if it’s a video interview, there is certain professional interview etiquette that you must follow. This goes for all applicants, international and local.

#7: Financial Aid

Many colleges have higher tuition fees for international students. Fortunately, there are funding opportunities available. They can be internal (via the university itself) and external (government funding or private funding). A great advisor can help you find the opportunities you are eligible for and make sure you qualify and submit all required materials on time in order to be considered!

As most of these applications also have written components, you might also use the help of an international student scholarship consultant in crafting a catchy grant or scholarship application. 

How to Choose the Best College Admissions Consultant: 4 Things to Consider

Now that you know what kind of help you can expect, let’s go over the qualities you should be looking for in your advisor.

FAQs

To your success,

Your friends at BeMo

BeMo Academic Consulting