For the students looking for the best overseas education and planning to put their careers on the fast track, USA is the hottest destination. This is because it has immense range of specialties, high quality of education, great opportunities, which attracts students from different countries of the world. Students can choose a suitable university from over 3800 universities and colleges available in USA that facilitates several educational programs. U.S provides a lot of offers for international students like, prestigious education in the world, assorted cities and towns, dazzling natural parks, different events and multicultural population.

Education System

Education system in the USA is different from the British system of education as practiced by India and from other countries.

After the Nursery school and Kindergarten, primary or elementary education starts, which will be from first to sixth grade. Grades from 7^thto 12^th is known as secondary education in which seventh to nineth are known as Junior High School grades and 10^thto 12^thare known as Senior High School Grades.

One could join the first year of college, either in a community college which offers a two-year Associate degree or a technical institute of similar duration programs. Completion of this level will make one eligible to take up two more years of the undergraduate program at a four-year college or a university, on completion of which leads to a Bachelor's degree.

A Master's degree after that could be between one to two years. And Doctoral level education could be simultaneous along with the Master's or additional, which can be another 3-4 years.

On completion of two years in college (first two years of Bachelor's program) one could join a first professional degree, which will be an additional four years. First professional degrees are normally offered in Pharmacy, Dentistry, Physiotherapy, Law, Medicine, Veterinary Medicine etc. In some fields, the master's degree is the next highest degree awarded after completion of the first professional degree.

Finally, once a student earns his doctoral degree, he could pursue further research/study as a Post-Doctoral Fellow, which is the highest level of education anywhere in the world.

Economy
USA has the most powerful economy in the world both in terms of economy and technology with a per capita GDP of $46000 in 2007 and with 12% below poverty line (as per CIA World Factbook). The growth in GDP is strengthening by extensive gains in labor productivity. Many companies in USA are ahead in technological advances, specifically in computers, aerospace, medical, and in military equipments.

Formerly, USA has fascinated several immigrants from all over the world and is still the nation that has highly populated them compared to other industrialized countries. All the gains in household income were constantly rising up by 20% of families. Together, all these reasons explain the fiscal status of the country, which shows good scope for the international students and build their careers.

Multiculturalism
In the United States, multiculturalism is the fundamental obsession expressing that people from different culture, ethics and races are equal and they can keep their identities, can take pride in their heritage and have a sense of belonging. It gives a sense of safety and confidence for immigrants, making them more open to, and accepting of, diverse cultures. Multiculturalism encourages racial and ethnic harmony and cross-cultural understanding, and discourages ghettoization, hatred, discrimination and violence. Multiculturalism enables United States to identify the prospective of all Americans. It cheers people from other countries to incorporate into their society and participate in its social, cultural, economic and political interactions.

Job Market
There is good job market for new graduates in United States. As per the reviews of National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), many companies in United States are competing to hire new graduates. As a result there are increased opportunities for graduates from abroad. According to the survey, around 60% of companies are planning to recruit more graduates in 2007 than they recruited in the year 2006.

According to Bureau of Labor Statistics in June 2007, the unemployment rate in United States was decreased to 4.5%. The report stated that the highest unemployment rate was for Michigan with 7.2% followed by Ohio with 6.1% and Mississippi with 6%, Idaho at 2.5% and Utah at 2.6%. The lowest unemployment rate was for the states of Hawaii and Montana at 2.4% each. These facts states that there is good opportunities for the international students in USA and for their careers on good path.

Facts

• Full name: United States of America
• Population: 305.8 million (UN, 2007)
• Capital: Washington DC
• Largest city: New York City
• Area: 9.8 million sq km (3.8 million sq miles)
• Major language: English
• Major religion: Christianity
• Life expectancy: 76 years (men), 81 years (women) (UN)
• Monetary unit: 1 US dollar = 100 cents
• Main exports: Computers and electrical machinery, vehicles, chemical products, food and live animals, military equipment and aircraft
• GNI per capita: US $43,740 (World Bank, 2006)
• Internet domain: .us
• International dialing code: +1

For more accurate and updated information. Plese visit www.educationusa.state.gov