Education Mentoring

"The types of primary and secondary school courses in the United States can be broadly divided into three categories depending on the duration of the stay, the type of school attended, and the type of visa chosen."

(1) Regular Admission to Primary and Secondary Schools

• This type involves enrolling in American elementary, middle, or high schools to study the regular curriculum alongside local students.

• Generally, minor international students cannot attend public schools if studying alone in the U.S. Therefore, they usually hold an F-1 student visa and enroll in private schools.

Exceptions:

• If the parents accompany the child to the U.S. for study or as exchange professors, or if they hold a residency visa, the minor children can obtain a dependent visa and attend public schools.

• Regular admission to American primary and secondary schools is often aimed at eventually gaining admission to prestigious American universities.

• Private schools in the U.S. vary in quality, so it is important to carefully check various factors when preparing for study abroad.

• Prestigious private schools have strict application procedures and qualifications, similar to university admissions, requiring thorough preparation.

• Costs, including annual tuition and accommodation (dormitory or homestay), vary widely depending on the school.

(2) Exchange Student Program

• These programs allow students to study at an American school for one year and then return to Korea.

a. J-1 Visa Exchange Student Program:

• Middle and high school students from various countries live with American volunteer families and attend public schools, participating in regular classes as well as various sports and events, and experiencing American culture and language.

• Institutions authorized by the U.S. Department of State and registered with CSIET assign homestay families and schools for exchange students, with around 300 local coordinators and managers overseeing the students.

• Costs include school and homestay assignments, DS-2019 issuance fees, and student management fees.

• Elementary school students can participate in private school exchange programs, but not in public schools.

Advantages:
• Immediate participation in regular school life with local students.

• More economical compared to private school study abroad.

• Systematic and safe student management with regular report updates.

Disadvantages:

• No choice in homestay or school.

• Only one year of stay is permitted with a J-1 visa.

• In case of problems at the homestay or school, relocation or repatriation is possible.

b. F-1 Visa Public Exchange Student Program:

• This program, conducted with major U.S. city school districts, allows foreign students to attend public schools by paying tuition fees, offering a new type of paid exchange student program.

• It has characteristics between the J-1 exchange program and regular private school study abroad. Students are assigned to public schools under city school districts and stay with American homestay families, studying for up to one year.

• Costs include tuition, homestay fees, I-20 issuance fees, school assignment fees, guardianship, and student management fees.

Advantages:

• Assignment to excellent public schools with the best facilities in each region.

• Opportunity to experience high-quality American public education.

• Easy relocation in case of problems at the homestay or school.

(3) Short-term Study Programs

• These programs are typically 4 to 8 weeks long, utilizing summer or winter vacations, and aim to alleviate fear of English and broaden horizons through short-term language study and activities.

• GERI Global Education and Immigration Group offers specialized vacation camps beyond typical holiday camps, such as an aviation pilot camp in collaboration with Florida Tech, or camps related to becoming a CPA or lawyer in the U.S. in cooperation with SUNY Albany, tailored for students interested in global professional fields.

GERI USA provides optimal solutions tailored to the current situation of students regarding admission to professional graduate schools necessary for global high-income professional careers.

In the United States, to work as a professional, one must graduate from a professional graduate school. Therefore, if one utilizes the professional career system of American society well, even students who have graduated from high school in Korea or universities abroad can seize a second chance to turn their lives around through the advanced higher education system of the United States.

GERI USA Global Education Mentoring constructs a roadmap for admission to graduate schools that enable the acquisition of certifications for high-income professional careers, offering systematic mentoring services.

(1) University Classification

U.S. universities are classified according to the purpose and characteristics of the institution as follows:

• Research-oriented Universities
Research-oriented universities emphasize research activities. They focus on producing master's and doctoral graduates with advanced knowledge-creation capabilities through graduate education. Faculty members present various papers and research findings with master's and postgraduate students.

• Teaching-oriented Universities

These universities are undergraduate-centered, typically offering only up to master's degree programs. The role of faculty is to provide quality education to students, and classes are primarily conducted in a discussion format with small groups of students.

• Liberal Arts Colleges
These private, undergraduate-centered institutions typically offer bachelor's degree programs with a focus on the humanities. Faculty members place significance on cultivating rich thinking skills through small group discussions and extensive reading. After graduation, most students pursue graduate studies at professional schools such as Harvard Law School, UPenn Wharton School, and Johns Hopkins Medical School.

(2) Academic Systems/Year Structure/Major Selection/Graduation/Transfer

A. Academic Systems

U.S. universities adopt either a two-semester system or a three-quarter system according to the needs of the school.

(1) Two-Semester System (Semester)

The semester system consists of two academic semesters (spring semester/fall semester) each year, with approximately 15 weeks of academic schedule per semester. Although the summer semester is not regularly scheduled, students who wish to shorten their graduation timeline may choose to take summer classes optionally.

(2) Three-Quarter System (Quarter)

The quarter system consists of three academic quarters (spring quarter/fall quarter/winter quarter) each year, with approximately 10 weeks of academic schedule per quarter. Similar to the semester system, students may opt to take summer classes, resulting in continuous year-round classes.

B. Academic Year Structure

While domestic universities in Korea strictly distinguish between two-year and four-year universities based on the duration of the program, U.S. universities do not. U.S. universities also have distinctions between freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior years, but this doesn't necessarily mean that students must complete a minimum of four years (eight semesters) as in Korean universities.

Instead, U.S. universities operate under a system where students themselves determine when they will complete the required credits for graduation within a certain period. In the case of universities operating on the semester system, students typically graduate in four years by earning 30 credits per year.

In U.S. universities, rather than years, the following distinctions are commonly used:

(1) Lower Division

Lower Division consists of general education courses mainly taken by first and second-year students. It varies by school and typically consists of 30-45 credits.

(2) Upper Division

Upper Division consists of major courses mainly taken by third and fourth-year students. Depending on the major, students must complete prerequisite courses from the Lower Division to enroll in Upper Division courses.

C. Major Selection

In U.S. universities, students are not required to select or finalize their majors upon admission. While they are asked to indicate their intended major on the application form, it is not mandatory to choose that major, and it is perfectly acceptable not to specify any intended major at all.

Typically, students confirm their majors when they transition from the Lower Division, which consists of general education courses, to the Upper Division, which comprises major-specific courses. Before this transition, students are free to change their intended majors.

To select popular majors at each school, achieving high grades (GPA) in Lower Division and completing prerequisite courses required for the chosen major are essential.

D. Graduation

In American universities, rather than having a strict academic year system, the system allows students to graduate upon completing the required credits. Therefore, students can adjust their graduation timing themselves.

To obtain a Bachelor's Degree in an American university, the usual required credits are 120. If a student earns 12 credits per semester and 6 credits during the summer term, obtaining 30 credits per year, it will take 4 years to graduate. If a student wishes to graduate earlier, they can take more courses per semester.

E. Transfer

Transferring in American universities does not mean transferring to a specific academic year. Instead, it involves moving to another higher education institution and having some of the credits earned at a previous institution recognized.

For example, if a student has earned 70 credits at their current university and wishes to transfer to an American university that agrees to recognize 48 of those credits, the student will need to earn 72 more credits at the American university (if the graduation requirement is 120 credits, then 120 credits - 48 credits = 72 credits) to obtain a Bachelor's Degree.

Additionally, the GPA from the previous institution is the most important evaluation factor during the transfer assessment in American universities. Therefore, if students maintain their GPA well and manage their experiences related to their desired major, transferring to a top 100 prestigious American university is not difficult.

The list of prestigious American universities where students have successfully transferred through GERI USA Global Education Mentoring includes the following:

Johns Hopkins University, Cornell University, UC Berkeley, UCLA, University of Notre Dame, UC San Diego, UC Davis, UC Irvine, University of Southern California, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, University of Virginia, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, New York University, University of Rochester, Georgia Institute of Technology, Penn State University, University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign, University of Miami, University of Florida, University of Texas-Austin, Ohio State University, Purdue University, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, University of Georgia, etc.

Transeferable Universities

Overview of OPT

Optional Practical Training (OPT) is a program that allows international students (F-1 students) who have studied in the United States for more than one year and obtained an associate, bachelor’s, or master’s degree to work in a job directly related to their degree major for 12 to 36 months (the OPT longer than 12 months is only provided to those with a bachelor’s/master’s degree in a STEM major). All OPT must be directly related to the student's major field of study. Qualified students can apply for up to 12 months of Pre-Completion OPT or Post-Completion OPT.

• If a student uses Pre-Completion OPT, the time used will be deducted from the total period available for Post-Completion OPT.

Types of OPT

Pre-Completion OPT

F-1 students who have been registered full-time for one year at a two-year or four-year college, vocational school, or practical training institution certified by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) can participate in Pre-Completion OPT after receiving prior employment approval.

• During the academic period, students can work part-time (less than 20 hours per week), and full-time during vacation periods.

Post-Completion OPT

This type allows students to work part-time (less than 20 hours per week) or full-time after obtaining their degree.

• If a student participated in Pre-Completion OPT, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will deduct the time used from the available Post-Completion OPT period.

• For example, if a student participated in Pre-Completion OPT for 10 months, they would only have up to 2 months available for Post-Completion OPT.

STEM OPT Extension

Students who have obtained a bachelor’s or master’s degree in specific fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) can apply for an additional 24-month extension to their initial 12-month OPT period.