Before Applying to College, Answers Every Indian Student Should Know Latha Ramchand, a native of Thiruvanandapuram, Kerala, who was raised in Mumbai, is now the dean of the C.T. Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston in Texas. Readers can post comments at the end of this essay. Today, with more than 170 universities and 6,000 affiliated colleges, the number of universities in India offering undergraduate and graduate degrees has grown, and continues to do so. Despite this, the average Indian teenager applying to college now continues (in the absence of financial and other constraints), to list the United States as the destination of first choice. While the Indian brain drain of the "70s was confined to students from the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) arriving on U.S. shores in search of master's and doctoral degrees in engineering and business, today's brain drain would include younger students seeking to earn undergraduate degrees. After attending the University of Mumbai, I myself came to the U.S. in the "80s as an Indian student, seeking a graduate degree in business. I attended the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University where I graduated with a Ph.D. in finance, and am now the dean of the largest business school in Houston, the C.T. Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston. International students at the university make up 8.4 percent of our student body. Nearly 800 of our students are from India. I often find myself talking to students, prospective students and parents about what they might want to consider before filling out that application form or considering that foreign degree. Among the questions I ask them are some that readers of this blog may find helpful. These include: Why do you want to come here? This tends to be the first question I like to ask. Certainly, the pursuit of knowledge is an end in itself, and degrees never hurt. It is useful, however, to think about a longer-term goal even before you decide to apply. Are you coming here "just because"? Or are you coming with the goal of returning to India so you can put your skills to work in an emerging economy? Perhaps you are coming here with the goal of settling down in the U.S. because your cousins live here and everything you hear about making the country your home is wonderful. The answer to these questions will and must have an impact on the colleges to which you choose to apply. Are you comfortable with the idea of a new home for the next four years? While the degree may be your end goal, it is important to remember that you are moving to a different country where the protection afforded by your parents, your friends and all the domestic help you may have received growing up, may not be available. This can be a big regime shift, especially for students coming from economically advantaged backgrounds where the Indian lifestyle with a chauffeur, cook and maids is light-years away from dorm-room reality. That this is not an idle concern is borne out by the fact that more students from India are coming to earn an undergraduate degree, for which the possibility of receiving financial aid or scholarships for non-residents is very slim when compared with graduate school, where research and teaching assistantships are more common. I have seen students, unprepared to deal with this reality, having to return to India after their first semester. Unless you know what your long-term goal is, the sacrifice may not be worthwhile. Have you considered "the livability index" of the university you are applying to? What is the climate like? "Cold" and "chilly" might mean 60 degrees Fahrenheit for a student from Bangalore, but cold in Boston or Chicago means something else. While most large cities have good Indian restaurants, smaller towns may not. Food choices may seem secondary compared to the application form. But we are creatures of habit, and having an affordable local Indian restaurant can substantially impact what I call "the happiness index." This index varies directly, in my opinion, with grades on quizzes and end-of-semester exams. Does the city offer public transportation? How can you get around campus without a car? Do you have friends or family that can drive you to the grocery store or the clinic should an emergency arise? Some universities like the University of Houston set up an "India Desk" at certain times of the year so students applying for admission can "chat" with other Indian students that are currently on campus. The service is free except for the cost of the call and is definitely worth it. If you know your long-term goal, you can evaluate the pros and cons before you decide where to apply. In short, do your homework. It used to be (and is probably still the case) that Indian students applied largely to the Ivy League schools. While this is not a bad decision, I believe that the range and breadth of institutions of higher learning in the U.S. is what makes a U.S. degree so appealing. Like everything else in America, your choices are vast, and customization is possible. You can decide, for instance, to major in journalism with a minor in music, or major in history as a pre-med student (going on to become a physician), or major in bio-chemistry with an entrepreneurship minor. The choices are endless, and your end goal can, and must, inform the choice of institution to which you decide to apply. Ask yourself, why do you want to be here? If you do not have a clear answer to that question, delay sending in that application form. Now, readers of The Choice on India Ink, it is your turn. For students: How might you answer the questions posed here? For others: What questions might you add to this list? Please use the comment box below to let us know.