Hello. So I’m a U.S. Citizen but I’m about to graduate from a Brazilian college (PUC-MG to be exact). Now, I’m super stressed because as basically the ONLY international student in my department I have no one to turn to and ask about the admission process to an US Graduate program from a Brazilian institution. Like, how do I calculate my GPA when the school works on averages, or how should I send recommendation letters from professors if they do not speak English, or how to send in my transcripts if they are in Portuguese? I barely know what I want to study yet, which is another worry, but all I know is I need to get my Master’s in the US, since I do not see myself working here in Brazil (I am not a Brazilian citizen btw, I’m just a foreign resident) So, if any Brazilian peeps would like to help a sister out it would be great!
Obrigada in advance
This is the undergraduate forum. You may want to repost in the graduate forum.
Or… in the “international students” forum.
@mgcollege You probably will have to get all of your materials translated by an official translator, the letters of recommendation, almost certainly. You may also have to get notarized copies. American universities will know how to interpret grades based on a 1-10 scale, or a 100% scale, so no worries there. Most US-based graduate programs will want you to take the GRE. Depending on the field you want to pursue, there may be additional standardized tests.
Best course of action is to email the schools that interest you and ask what procedures you should follow.
This is the most important sentence in your post. All the other parts are easily dealt with: US universities can figure out your marks (which can be put in context by your undergrad uni) , recommendations and transcripts can be translated, standardized testing is standardized testing. But if you don’t know what you want it is very difficult to convince a post-grad program to choose you. This is true on several levels, including understanding of, aptitude for, and commitment to the subject. No matter what subject, the programs you apply to will be looking for proxies that will speak to each of those things- in your ECs, in academic work you have done, in what you have done with your breaks, etc. So, first things first: figure out what you want to study.
You say that you are ‘about to graduate’- are you graduating in December or June? Most programs will start in September, and application season is pretty much done. Think about what you will do with that time- it is an opportunity to strengthen your bona fides in that arena ahead of applications next winter.