Going to college is one of the greatest investments that people make in their lifetime. Many Kenyans are applying to Universities abroad and US is one of the favorite destinations. Kenyans constitute some of the largest foreign student bodies in the US. In Africa, Kenya may only be rivaled by Nigeria in the number of students sent to the US. Applying to University in the US is not as straightforward as applying to Kenyan Universities. There are just over 5000 universities in the US and you will most likely find a University that just matches your needs.
Private Universities.
There are many private high quality Universities that will meet your educational needs in a unique way. The most famous private Universities are the eight east coast Ivy League Universities of Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Dartmouth, University of Pennsylvania, (Upenn), and Cornell. Other Private colleges that are as famous as the Ivy league include MIT, Stanford, Swarthmore, Williams college, Amherst, Middlebury, Mt. Holyoke college , Smith college(for women). The fees charged by such colleges are expensive and usually average about $40,000 per year. However, if you are extremely academically gifted, you may just get in on a full scholarship. There are thousands of private colleges and it’s essential to select a college that just matches your needs.
Public Colleges
The public colleges are also many and there fees are not as ridiculous as the private colleges. However, public Universities are a bit mean on scholarships as they only favor the in-state students. Some of the most famous public Universities include the University of California Berkeley and the University of Michigan. The fees may range from $10,000 to $30,000 per year.
Community colleges
Some students choose to enroll in Community Colleges for an Associates degree before they can enroll for a bachelors degree. An Associates degree usually takes two or three years to complete. You will be exempted from some credits when you enroll for the bachelors degree.
US Universities-How Kenyans can apply for scholarships
Unlike the 1960s and 1970s where scholarships were easily available to Kenyan students, these days, it’s a bit harder to get the full scholarships. The easiest way is to get near perfect scores in the SAT, graduate in a reasonable position in high school (top 10%), and get a reasonable KCSE or IB grade. Having an extracurricular talent will also prove useful.
Basic requirements.
You will need the following basic information:
-Submit your high school transcripts (report cards). Although high academic grades are never a guarantee for admission, it certainly doesn’t hurt to get top grades.
-Concentrate on one or two areas that you have truly excelled in. For instance, it is better to say that you were a pan Africa math Olympiad and a national science congress winner rather than concentrating on many areas in which you had average performance.
-Sit for the SAT test. The SAT is a computer adaptive test which tries to gauge your IQ. As you start the test, the questions will be of medium difficulty but they will get progressively harder if you keep getting the questions correctly. Consequently, your score will keep on increasing. Similarly, if you get the questions wrong, they will keep getting easier and your score will keep on reducing. You can request for an SAT waiver if need be(it may be hard)
- Complete the online registration. You can also request for a paper application.
-Pay the application fee. It’s just about $60. However, you can request for the application fee waiver.
As a final thought, it’s always good to choose a school that matches your abilities. Since college years are some of the most life changing moments, it would be absurd to go to a college that clearly doesn’t fit you. Also remember that acceptance/rejection to a top school is never an indication of your gauge for success later in life. The politics of admission is sometimes mysterious and a bit of luck may just help someone.
It is also important to note that certain courses are graduate level courses. Medicine, law, architecture can only be pursued after attaining a related bachelors degree. For instance, if you wanted to pursue medicine, you would have to first pursue a biological related degree and then pursue a medical degree for another three or four years.
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