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STEPS TO FOLLOW WHEN COMPLETING APPLICATIONS TO US
INSTITUTIONS
FILLING OUT THE APPLICATION
Neatness is important. Before filling out the original application, answer the
questions on a separate sheet of paper. You risk delay or even denial of admission if you
send an incomplete application. University admissions committees will not review your
application without recommendations and transcripts which must be officially authorized in
English. If possible, make a copy of the completed application for your records.
Personal Data
- Address -- Make clear to the university your most reliable address. Permanent address
is your home address, where your parents live. Mailing address is your current
address, for example if you are living away from home in a dormitory. You should write the
address that you want the university to use for all correspondence. If your mailing and
permanent addresses are the same, write the word "same".
- Telephone Number -- international code for Thailan is 66. Your number is 66-(city
code)-number, etc; 66-2-234-5632.
- Social Security Number -- If you have never lived in the US, you can leave this blank;
you do not have a social security number. The university will assign you an identification
number.
Visa Type
In almost all cases, foreign students studying in the United States are issued visa
type F-1 (F-2 for spouses). Visa type J-1 may be issued if you are receiving support from
the US government, your home government, or private foundations. You may prefer one type
of visa over another, but the university will make the final decision.
Test Scores
Universities often ask you to write the results of TOEFL, SAT, GRE, etc. tests on the
application. This does NOT substitute for official scores sent by the Educational Testing
Service (ETS) from Princeton. If you have not taken the tests or do not know your scores,
simply put the date on which you took or plan to take the examinations. You can still mail
your application to the university even if you haven't yet taken the exams. (And ETS can
send your official scores to the university even if you have not yet sent in your
application. They will create a file for you and hold the scores.)
Educational Background
Translate directly from Thai to English items about your educational background and
degrees. Do NOT use American equivalents. That is, do not write Bachelor's Degree or
Master's Degree. (Unless your institution has changed the types of degrees given and does
in fact give official Bachelor's or Master's Degrees.) However, in general, Thailand
degrees provided Bachelor's or Master's Degrees.
Since class rank does not exist in some of Thai schools, leave this section blank.
When answering how many years of English language study you have had, only count formal
training in an educational institution. If you have informal training at home or with a
personal teacher, write that separately.
When describing your knowledge of English and other foreign languages, evaluate your
ability HONESTLY -- don't be afraid to speak highly of yourself but don't overestimate
your ability either. Rate yourself in the areas of reading, speaking, and writing. The
words most used to describe language ability are "excellent", "good",
"fair", and "poor". Include knowledge of any other foreign languages
and Thai. Your first language should be described as "native". |
Academic Honors
Some examples are: First Honors -- translated as "Diploma with Honors",
awards received in an Olympiad, recommendation to participate in Student Scientific
Society, if you receive a higher stipend because of excellent grades, and any published
work. If you have many publications, include them on a separate sheet.
Extra-Curricular and Community Activities
Students should be sure to indicate all extra-curricular activities such as
participation in special clubs, athletics, theater, musical activities, writing, etc. This
is especially important for undergraduates. Colleges and universities are interested in
"well-rounded" undergraduate students who have other interests besides academic
pursuits. If you received awards or prizes for participating, note them.
Often high school and college students in the US are involved in unpaid, volunteer
work. They may spend a few hours a week assisting with patients in a hospital or serving
food to homeless people in a soup kitchen, for example. Even if you have not been part of
an official program, write anything that can be considered service to the community.
Financial Aid
Application for admission is considered separate from application for financial aid,
therefore admission is not jeopardized by requests for financial aid.
If you and/or your parents earn an average ruble salary, the financial section is not
crucial because you do not have enough funds to pay. Fill out this section as best you
can. When completing tables, fill in the equivalent dollar amount, using the current
Baht:dollar exchange rate. Indicate what the current rate is and explain that it changes
daily due to inflation.
If you and/or your parents earn dollars or a very high Baht salary, you may have funds
to contribute to your education. If you plan to pay for all or part of your costs, you
will need to open a foreign currency account. This account is proof of your financial
resources. We recommend that you open the account at least 6 months before you plan to
apply for a visa. The longer an account has been open, the more of a guarantee it is that
your financial resources are stable and legitimate, and that the money really will be
available for your studies. Having a foreign currency account also facilitates payment,
since you can pay by bank transfer.
Depending on the university, you may be asked to provide actual proof of your financial
status, either when filling out the application or after you have been accepted. This
proof can be a stamped and signed letter from your and/or your parents' employers stating
the monthly salaries, and/or official bank statements showing the balance in your
account.
If you are unable to pay for your education, or can only pay part of the costs,
indicate that you want them to consider you for all types of financial aid. Be sure to
check all boxes indicating teaching and research assistantships and fellowships.
It is best to be completely truthful about your financial situation. |
Statement of Purpose
The statement of purpose is an extremely important part of the application because it
gives the faculty assessing your application their most significant impression of you as
an individual. What are your motivations? Do you write clearly? Do your interests really
fit those of the department or school? Can you communicate your ideas effectively? Are
there special things about you that set you apart from other applicants and make you
particularly desirable as a student?
You should probably write a general statement of purpose as the first step in even
considering graduate school. Setting your ideas and goals down on paper should help you
clarify your thinking. If you can get things down in no more than 3 double-spaced typed
pages, you probably have a good idea of what you really want to do. The statement should
reflect your own intellectual development. One way to show that is to discuss the points
in your life when you made decisions and what influenced them -- the decision on a college
major, the decision on a career goal, the family members and role models who inspired
you.
Once you have a general statement, you can tailor it to specific programs to which you
are applying by talking about the reasons you chose the program -- how it fits your
background and interests. The application materials may give you a specific format for the
statement of purpose or ask you to respond to specific questions, but in all cases,
faculty members are interested in your motivation, your intellectual skills, and your
suitability for their particular program.
The general statement of purpose is also a good vehicle to use to approach faculty
members for recommendations. Make an appointment with a faculty member to discuss your
statement and ask for comments before you put it into final form. Also ask for a letter of
recommendation after you have had the discussion. You will have valuable feedback on your
statement, and you will be demonstrating your seriousness and interest in graduate
school. |
DOCUMENTS TO BE SENT WITH THE APPLICATION
Diplom
Make a copy of the original Diplom and have it stamped and signed by the register
office of the university. In addition, you may want the head of your department to sign
it. You must also include an English translation verified by Notarius, an official
translating agency, or the department of foreign languages at your university. Keep
everything neat.
*If applying to an undergraduate program, include a copy of your Attestat instead.*
If you have not yet received your diplom, you cannot send a copy of it. Universities
understand this situation. If you are accepted, the university may ask you to forward a
copy of the diplom once you receive it.
Transcript
You need to request the additional transcript from you university. This transcript is
need to be enclosed in the envelope to make it official. Some university do not accept the
copied transcript or the one that do not seal.
If you have not yet graduated, the transcript should include all classes taken and
grades received so far.
Letters of Recommendation
Letters from faculty members (professors and/or teachers) are very important because
your teachers are in the best position to assess your ability to do advanced academic
work. Obviously you will want to approach faculty members in whose classes you have done
well. You want people who know you personally, hence the importance of talking with your
teachers, both as you take their classes and when you seek advice on possible graduate
programs. Other possibilities are supervisors and directors with whom you have worked.
When deciding who will write your letters, pick teachers or supervisors who know you
well. Try to pick people in different areas, maybe a professor in your field, your
English teacher, and the supervisor in your research laboratory, for example. Try to
balance the letters; if you include a letter from a professor who is very famous in the
West but does not know you well, make sure the other 2 letters are very specific. Since
these letters should evaluate your potential for study in a particular department, it is
better to have at least one letter from someone in your field who is qualified to evaluate
you.
Usually 3 letters are requested. You should send exactly as many as are required. While
too few may cause them to consider the application incomplete, too many means they have
more to read, and they might not be pleased.
Each recommendation should be signed by the recommender and enclosed in an envelope.
The university generally expects that you will not see the letters. However, Thai have
little experience writing such letters; you may want to look at it and make sure that it
is done correctly. You are highly advised NOT to write your own recommendations. It is
obvious to a native speaker when the same person has written all of the letters. It is to
your advantage to obtain well-written, detailed recommendations from teachers and
supervisors who know you well. |
CHECKLIST FOR SENDING IN THE APPLICATION
__ Parts of application
__ application for admission
__ statement of purpose
__ application for financial aid
__ application for fellowships or indication of interest
__ Included with application
__ verified copy of diplom and translation
__ verified copy of transcript and translation
__ letters of recommendation
SENDING IN THE APPLICATION
To avoid losing parts of the application, send it along with copies of documents and
letters of application in one large envelope. The recommendations should be sealed in
smaller envelopes and enclosed in the big one.
If you are able to pay the application fee, it is better to do so. Some schools will
waive the fee, but others will not. If you ask them to waive the fee, send the application
in early, before the deadline. If they refuse to waive the fee, they will hold your
application and contact you. In that case you should send the money immediately so that
you do not miss a chance to be considered for financial aid.
- If you are applying to graduate school and are unable to pay the application fee, send
the application to the academic department to which you are applying. Only the department
may apply for a fee waiver. If you are able to pay, follow the instructions on the
form.
- If you are applying as an undergraduate, send your application to the undergraduate
admissions office, whether or not you are able to pay the application fee. Be aware that
undergraduate departments rarely grant fee waivers.
Deadlines for decisions on financial aid are often in January and February. Do NOT
wait until the deadline. Send as soon as possible.
After you mail the application, it is your responsibility to stay in touch with the
university departments to monitor the progress of your application. If you do not receive
a response by April, you should contact the university. |
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