
Most of your college search factors can be placed into one of three categories: academic, practical, and social. Your success in your time as an undergraduate hinges on your knowledge that your university of choice is going to fulfill your expectations, from majors to student life.
Academic
One of the biggest benefits of studying at a U.S. university is the variety of things to study. Majors range from the traditional liberal arts, like philosophy, history, and linguistics, to fields that represent the growing technology field, like information systems, electrical and computer engineering, and biomedical engineering. Many universities encourage interdisciplinary studies and allow students to explore topics they have not yet been exposed to. Terms like “general education requirements” or “core curriculum” usually imply a set of courses that all students, regardless of major, must take in order to graduate. For example, all students at Carnegie Mellon must take an introductory English course that focuses on writing and analysis at the college level. For students who identify themselves as non-native English speakers, the school offers an alternative class that focuses on the rhetorical and linguistic demands of U.S. universities.