Undergraduate study in the US

Why pursue an undergraduate education in the United States?

An undergraduate education in the United States gives you many opportunities to develop yourself. Thanks to the liberal arts system, during the first years of your studies you get the chance to try out and combine different fields of study. You will have the opportunity to graduate in different fields, as well as develop other talents, gain practical experience during summer internships and build a large international network. A study in America is therefore a great option when you have several talents, but do not yet know exactly which direction you want to take.

What would your education look like?

In America, you have a lot of room to shape your studies yourself — two students doing the same course at the same university do not necessarily follow the same program. The first two years of the undergraduate program are general education, where you have the opportunity to try out all kinds of subjects before choosing a final direction. If you already know which way you want to go, you can take more specific courses. The last two years of the undergraduate program are dedicated to your major.

During your program, you will take general core courses, courses for your major, and electives. Each type of course constitutes one-third of your entire program. At the beginning of the academic year, you will discuss with your academic advisor which courses you will take that year. If you’d like, you can do a minor or even a second major (double major) in addition to your major.

At American colleges, you often live on the college’s campus. You live in a dorm, where you usually share a room with one or more roommates, and you eat in the dining hall. In addition, every campus has all kinds of facilities to support you with your studies, such as a library, writing center, career center, international office, psychologists, disability offices and a health center. Life on campus gives you many opportunities to develop interests and hobbies alongside your studies. There are recreation centers, all kinds of activities, and you can join student organizations or develop further in the arts or sports.

Where can you get a bachelor’s degree?

There are more than 4,000 higher education institutions in the United States, which makes the range of programs and types of universities very diverse. For example, you can pursue an education at a small private college or a large state university.

Perhaps you are looking for a broad education where you can still discover all kinds of new fields of study, or maybe you are looking for a university that is already very specialized in a particular field, such as a more specialized institution. Think of technical universities, but also programs in the arts such as colleges of music, design schools or film programs.

Besides your studies, if there other areas in which you would like to develop yourself further, such as a sport or making music, then you can search for universities where you have the opportunity to do so.

Because the range of degree programs in the US is so diverse, you also have the opportunity to search very specifically for universities that fit well with your own wishes, goals and your personality.

How to go about it?

Finding suitable American universities and applying to them is a fun and exciting process, but it also requires good preparation. Ideally, you should start preparing at least 18 months before departure. It takes about a year to complete your application. Keep in mind that American university deadlines close earlier than we are used to in the Netherlands.

The following 5 steps offer you a practical chronological guide to realize your studies in the US.

Webinar

Prefer to watch a webinar first? Below you can watch back our latest webinar on an undergraduate degree in the US, where we discuss the entire application process and show you how to look for a suitable university.