USA/February 08, 2022/Source: https://telanganatoday.com/

As we continue to talk about special topics on higher education in the US as part of this column, many of our readers have approached us asking how they can connect with our office if they have any questions related to the US university applications.

So, in today’s column, we inform readers about the EducationUSA programme, services offered by the programme, and the kind of help students may receive from EducationUSA Advisers while they work on their US university applications.

EducationUSA, supported by the US Department of State, is a worldwide network of more than 400 advising centers in 170 countries. The programme is designed to provide accurate, current, and comprehensive information on higher education opportunities in the United States to international students.

India hosts eight EducationUSA Centers that are situated in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Ahmedabad. The city of Hyderabad hosts two centers.
Irrespective of the type of programme, a student plans to pursue in the United States (short-term or a degree programme), EducationUSA has the resources to help students navigate the application process through EducationUSA’s ‘5 Steps to Study in the US’
EducationUSA provides many resources and services to students, including:

• Individualised counselling by highly trained EducationUSA Advisers
• Review of essays and statements of purpose
• Specialised information sessions on ‘5 Steps to US Study’, including sessions on student visas with visa officers from the US Embassy and Consulates
• Access to library resources. Students can get free access to our reference libraries for 20 hours a week (currently not available due to Covid-19)
• Access to profiles of students who are currently studying in the United States
• Sessions with representatives of US universities
• US university educational fairs, alumni fairs, and mentoring sessions with student achievers
• Weekly webinars
• Access to test preparation material for GRE, GMAT, TOEFL, SAT, ACT, AP through our center-libraries (in person only)
• Internet access to conduct college research through our center-libraries (in person only)
• Information on financial aid available through US universities

Currently, EducationUSA offices are providing all of the above services virtually. There are many ways through which a student or parent may connect with EducationUSA.

Audiences in the States of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Odisha may connect with one of the two EducationUSA centers in Hyderabad – EducationUSA @USIEF Hyderabad (usiefhyderabad@usief.org.in / hyderabad@educationusa.org) or EducationUSA @Y-Axis Foundation yaxishyderabad@educationusa.org). The full list of EducationUSA weekly activities is available on this link https://www.usief.org.in/images/pdfs/EducationUSA-

Students may also follow the EducationUSA India Facebook/Instagram pages https://www.facebook.com/EducationUSAIndia https://www.instagram.com/educationusaindia/. Do visit the official websites: https://educationusa.state.gov and www.USIEF.org.in. Also, please follow the Facebook and

Twitter accounts of the US Consulate General Hyderabad for EducationUSA announcements in the region. EducationUSA India has also recently launched its mobile app that you may download from Google or Apple App Store.

Best wishes,

Monika

(Monika Setia is the Regional Officer and EducationUSA Adviser at the United States-India Educational Foundation based at the U.S. Consulate General Hyderabad. Please visit https://educationusa.state.gov/centers/educationusa-usief-hyderabad for more information)

Q&A

Q1. What is the difference between MPA and MPP program in the United States?

In the US universities, at the graduate level, students may pursue a Masters of Public Administration (MPA) or Masters in Public Policy (MPP). In an MPA program, students develop their understanding of policy implementation, project execution, and program management. MPA course curriculum includes subjects such as human resources, budgeting and financial processes, information systems, policy and program formulation, implementation and evaluation, ethics, decision making and problem solving, political and legal institutions and processes, economic and social institutions, and organisation and management concepts and behavior.

MPP program, with its emphasis on research and analysis, is concentrated on data analysis, analyzing and evaluating policy problems, and developing solutions to policy issues. So, the course curriculum for an MPP programme includes subjects such as microeconomics, public finance, statistics and advanced data analysis, qualitative research, politics of policy process, policy analysis, public management, urban policy, and program evaluation.

Students also have the option to combine the MPA and MPP programmes with each other or with another graduate programme, allowing them to earn two degrees in a shorter duration compared to pursuing two separate programs of study.

Q2. Our daughter has received an admit to the undergraduate programmes in the United States. We heard about SEVIS – what is this?

SEVIS stands for Student and Exchange Visitor Information System. SEVIS is an Internet-based platform that maintains information on foreign students and exchange visitors and their dependents before and during their stay in the United States. The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) – which is a program of the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) – administer SEVIS. All international students going for their higher education in the United States have to pay the SEVIS fee prior to their scheduled student visa interview.

Source: https://telanganatoday.com/destination-usa-services-and-assistance-offered-by-educationusa