The United State of America

The United States uses nine standard time zones. From east to west, they are Atlantic Standard Time (AST), Eastern Standard Time (EST), Central Standard Time (CST), Mountain Standard Time (MST), Pacific Standard Time (PST), Alaskan Standard Time (AKST), Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time (HST), Samoa standard time (UTC-11) and Chamorro Standard Time (UTC+10). View the standard time zone boundaries.

Daylight Saving Time begins at 2:00 a.m. local time on the second Sunday in March. On the first Sunday in November areas on Daylight Saving Time return to Standard Time at 2:00 a.m. The names in each time zone change along with Daylight Saving Time. Eastern Standard Time (EST) becomes Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), and so forth. Arizona, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, U.S. Virgin Islands and American Samoa do not observe Daylight Saving Time. Read more about the new federal law that took effect in March 2007 which extended Daylight Saving Time by four weeks.

The United States is the world’s oldest surviving federation. It is a constitutional republic and representative democracy, “in which majority rule is tempered by minority rights protected by law.” The government is regulated by a system of checks and balances defined by the U.S. Constitution, which serves as the country’s supreme legal document. In the American federalist system, citizens are usually subject to three levels of government, federal, state, and local; the local government’s duties are commonly split between county and municipal governments. In almost all cases, executive and legislative officials are elected by a plurality vote of citizens by district. There is no proportional representation at the federal level, and it is very rare at lower levels.

The federal government is composed of three branches:

• Legislative: The bicameral Congress, made up of the Senate and the House of Representatives, makes federal law, declares war, approves treaties, has the power of the purse, and has the power of impeachment, by which it can remove sitting members of the government.

• Executive: The president is the commander-in-chief of the military, can veto legislative bills before they become law, and appoints the members of the Cabinet (subject to Senate approval) and other officers, who administer and enforce federal laws and policies.

• Judicial: The Supreme Court and lower federal courts, whose judges are appointed by the president with Senate approval, interpret laws and overturn those they find unconstitutional.

The United States has been a leader in scientific research and technological innovation since the late 19th century. In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell was awarded the first U.S. patent for the telephone. Thomas Edison’s laboratory developed the phonograph, the first long-lasting light bulb, and the first viable movie camera. Nikola Tesla pioneered alternating current, the AC motor, and radio. In the early 20th century, the automobile companies of Ransom E. Olds and Henry Ford promoted the assembly line. The Wright brothers, in 1903, made the first sustained and controlled heavier-than-air powered flight.

The rise of Nazism in the 1930s led many European scientists, including Albert Einstein and Enrico Fermi, to immigrate to the United States. During World War II, the Manhattan Project developed nuclear weapons, ushering in the Atomic Age. The Space Race produced rapid advances in rocketry, materials science, and computers. The United States largely developed the ARPANET and its successor, the Internet. Today, the bulk of research and development funding, 64%, comes from the private sector. The United States leads the world in scientific research papers and impact factor. Americans possess high levels of technological consumer goods, and almost half of U.S. households have broadband Internet access. The country is the primary developer and grower of genetically modified food, representing half of the world’s biotech crops.

The amount of the American population ranks third in the world after China and India, most of the citizen live in suburb. Most of the USA citizens are the descendants of German, Chinese, and Philippines people. This makes USA to become one of the countries with many cultures. The languages are English and Spanish as the minority.

Living cost is different in every place and will vary depend on which city where the citizen live and their personal living style. Large city like New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, have bigger cost than other place. The average of living cost for students is about USD 1.000 until USD 2.000 per month. This cost includes accommodation, consume, transportation, and telecommunication.

Everyday personal transportation in the United States is dominated by the automobile driving on one of 13 million roads. As of 2003, there were 759 automobiles per 1,000 Americans, compared to 472 per 1,000 inhabitants of the European Union the following year. About 40% of personal vehicles are vans, SUVs, or light trucks. The average American adult (accounting for all drivers and non drivers) spends 55 minutes driving every day, traveling 29 miles (47 km).

The civil airline industry is entirely privately owned, while most major airports are publicly owned. The four largest airlines in the world by passengers carried are American; Southwest Airlines is number one. Of the world’s thirty busiest passenger airports, sixteen are in the United States, including the busiest, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. While transport of goods by rail is extensive, relatively few people use rail to travel, within or between cities. Mass transit accounts for 9% of total U.S. work trips, compared to 38.8% in Europe. Bicycle usage is minimal, well below European levels.

American public education is operated by state and local governments, regulated by the United States Department of Education through restrictions on federal grants. Children are required in most states to eighteen (generally bringing them through twelfth grade, the end of high school); some states allow students to leave school at sixteen or seventeen. About 12% of children are enrolled in parochial or nonsectarian private schools. Just over 2% of children are homeschooled.
The United States has many competitive private and public institutions of higher education, as well as local community colleges with open admission policies. Of Americans twenty-five and older, 84.6% graduated from high school, 52.6% attended some college, 27.2% earned a bachelor’s degree, and 9.6% earned graduate degrees. The basic literacy rate is approximately 99%. The United Nations assigns the United States an Education Index of 0.97, tying it for 12th in the world.

PRIMARY & SECONDARY SCHOOL

In general, the length of primary and secondary education in the USA is the same as in Indonesia, which is 12 years. Basic education in primary school lasted for five (5) years, and then secondary school for seven (7) years. After graduating from grade 12, students will get High School Diploma; recognized for entry into colleges and universities in the USA.

Cost of Primary and Junior Secondary School ranges between AU $ 8,000 – AU $ 14,000 per year, while the Secondary School cost about AU $ 9,000 – AU $ 15,000 per year.

USA has more than 4760 colleges and universities, including at its 17 scientific research in leading universities and eight top universities in the world.

After earning a high school diploma, the student can continue studies for a Bachelor’s degree for four (4) years. Students are expected to determine the direction of interest in the second year at the latest.

The term used for first year students are freshman, in both the sophomore and junior and senior in his third year in the last year. State College and the University is run and owned by state or local government. Usually this government schools are given word “State” in its name. Private College and University run by private parties. In addition to its costs are more expensive than government-owned schools, was also a smaller scale.

Community College is a two-year state or public college, which is available to local communities. However, many international students who chose this institution because of the intensive English language program or ESL and special services such as free tutoring.

Tuition fees at universities around U.S. $ 17,500 – $ 25,000 per year, whereas in community colleges cost less ranged between U.S. $ 10,000 – U.S. $ 12,000 per year. Government schools offer a more affordable cost compared to private schools, and community colleges have the lowest costs among other government schools.

After completing Bachelor’s Degree, the student can take the Master’s program that the average duration of two (2) years. Often the student can be accepted in certain majors programs Master if they obtain a Bachelor’s degree with majors related. However, many exceptions granted to students who wish to pursue a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) program.

Furthermore, students can complete a PhD which lasted about three (3) to six (6) years dependent than the majors explored, the ability of the student and the thesis is chosen. The thesis takes as a graduation assignment is an in-depth research assignment; sometimes to graduate from the Master’s Degree thesis was required. This applies to majors such as law, medicine and dentistry.

Tuition fees for the Post Graduate Professional (Graduate Degree) ranges between U.S. $ 17,500 – $ 25,000 per year.

Academic Year

Usually universities in USA start their learning processes from August or September and the learning processes take place until May or June. Many of the institution also offer two terms in one year, but there is also tri semesters or four terms.

Credits

System credit at USA is so common, every subject consist of several credits, usually between three until five credits. Full time in universities usually consists of twelve until fifteen credit hours for four until five subjects per semester. International students should take full time study as the requirement for student visa.

Student Visa

All international students in USA, regardless their study program they should have F-1 student visa. Other than that, there are also J-1 visa, this visa is for the student exchanges and there is also M-1 visa for the one who takes non academic studies or courses in the USA.
Before getting the student visa, document SEVIS- generated document is I-20 must be obtained from the institution in USA as the evidence of acceptance. SEVIS (The Student Exchange and Visitor Information System ) is the online data from all of the international students are given by Department of Homeland Security.

Other supporting document is the academic report, financial, TOEFL, birth certificate, family card and pay for the visa and SEVIS fee amounting USD 100 online. Visa application can be made 120 days prior to intake, but the new students are allowed to enter the USA starting 30 days before intake. When the students got in the USA students must report to the international office on campus, because the school must immediately complete the SEVIS system. Negligence if it cannot cause a student visa revoked.

Many accommodation options are available to international students in the USA, ranging from accommodation in the university, renting an apartment or house, and the option to stay with a local family called home stay.

For the dormitory provided by the university, booking must be done as soon as possible, his usual two (2) or three (3) months earlier. For those students who came first rather than his time in booking accommodation has been set, they can stay in hotels, motels, youth hostels or YMCA, and international houses.

The costs of accommodation in the USA range from U.S. $ 3,000 – U.S. $ 7,500 per year.

International students are allowed to do part time job, but only inside the campus (on-campus) only, a maximum of 20 hours per week. But after they graduate, students get the opportunity to work full time for one (1) year, this is referred to as Optional Practical Training (OPT)

● USA is the superpower of the high-tech and up-to-date
● Community and culture that is multicultural USA
● Quality of education is high and has an international standard
● The environment and a comfortable and safe learning
● Competitive Cost Study
● Permit to work part time 20 hours per week during school and full-time 40 hours during the school holidays
● The opportunity to work full time for one (1) year in the USA after graduation
● A country that is very modern and has many interesting sights and beautiful

United States has so many interesting attractions to visit. If Europe offering places romantic and comfortable, then a vacation to the United States will be more adventures. Yellowstone National Park, Grand Canyon, the Statue of Liberty, Hawaiian Islands, Disneyland, and Cedar Point are the places that offer a variety of exciting attractions.

Grand Canyon and Yellowstone National Park

Grand Canyon is a cliff-steep ravine, created by the Colorado River in northern Arizona. This gulf is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. This gap cut a passage for millions of years, to a length of approximately 446 km with a width ranging from 6 to 29 km with a depth of more than 1,600 m.

Yellowstone National Park is famous for its geysers and hot springs. One of the world famous geyser named Old Faithful Geyser, can be found here. Creatures like the typical American Grizzly Bears, wolves, bison and deer also live in this area. Many tourists visit this place to witness the lives of wildlife and natural beauty.

Statue of Liberty

Statue of Liberty Enlightening the original name of The World is a well-known landmark in the world. 46 meters high statue is a gift from France to the United States in 1886 as a gift a hundred years of independence the United States. This statue symbolizes independence and freedom from pressure as well as a symbol of welcome for visitors, immigrants, and Americans again. Statue of Liberty is located on the island at the mouth of the Hudson River in New York Harbor, the United States.

Hawaiian Islands

Hawaii is the youngest state in the United States. Hawaii consists of six main islands: Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lanai, Maui, and the big island of Hawaii. The islands are very famous in the world with natural charm. Hawaii is home to one of the most active volcanoes and the world’s tallest sea mountain. Natural charm that has been famous Hawaii has invited millions of tourists to come to watch with their own eyes.
Some of the common tourist attraction visited by foreign tourists is the Napali Coast on Kauai island, visiting the USS Arizona Memorial and USS Missouri in Pearl Harbor on Oahu Island, around the peninsula of Kalaupapa on Molokai, Munro Trail on Lanai, Hana in Maui, or Kilauea volcano watch Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island of Hawaii.

Disneyland

Disneyland is a first established Disney’s recreation theme park. Disneyland is located in the city of Anaheim, California about 28 miles from Los Angeles. In the park there are a variety of rides like any other playground. The difference here of children and visitors can meet with various Disney characters like Mickey mouse, Donald Duck, Goofey and many others. Since its official opening on July 17, 1955, Disneyland became one of the most visited places in the world.

Cedar Point

Cedar Point is an amusement park area of 1.5 square miles (1.5 km ²) located in Sandusky, Ohio, United States on a small peninsula that juts into Lake Erie. Until now, Cedar Point amusement park is the record holder with a roller coaster with the most number of 17 pieces, one of which is the highest and second fastest in the world, Top Thrill Dragster with speeds up to 120 km per hour with a height of 420 feet.

Playground which stood in 1870 include the second oldest in the United States after Lake Compounce. In 2008, Cedar Point will be the only amusement park in the world with 75 rides. This amusement park has white sandy beaches along a mile, two water park, indoor water park including hotels in it, two docks, and a “Challenge Park” in which there are attractions such as go-kart and miniature golf.

Virgin Island

Virgin Islands (USA), consisting of 50 islands is part of the Small Antilles in the Caribbean. Three main islands – St. Croix, St. John and St. Thomas – a beautiful tropical environment, each distinguished by its own personality.

St. Croix, the largest of three islands is characterized by its cultural diversity. Charming pastel buildings and shops found in towns of historic Christiansted and Frederiksted. Off the coast of St. Croix, Buck Island provides snorkeling in the only underwater national monument in the United States. Emerald Island waters, white sand and rolling green hillsides remained untouched since 1493.

Two-thirds of St. John, the smallest of three islands, is protected U.S. national parks makes green hills and reserves land under water. St. John’s famous beaches in the world include Trunk Bay, Cinnamon Bay and Maho Bay. St. John also offers eco-friendly resort where visitors can discover the beauty of an intimate nature, along with the comfort and convenience at an affordable price.

The most exciting is the cosmopolitan island of St. Thomas, offers a sophisticated dining and duty free shopping where seductive port city of Charlotte Amalie offers fine restaurants, warehouse stores and historic monuments. Beautiful Magens Bay has been chosen as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. And protection of ocean and lagoon Mangrove Island can be visited by naturalists and biologists led tours like kayaking.

In addition to beautiful beaches, U.S. Virgin Islands share a rich history and adventure. Visitors engaging in activities such as tennis, golf, horseback ride, kayaked, bike, hiking and sport fishing. Various water activities are also available including scuba diving, snorkeling, sailing, windsurfing, parasailing and “snuba” – a unique sport that combines snorkeling and scuba diving.

• The Girl Scouts used to be called The American Girl Guides.
• The average person in the States uses 80-100 gallons of water each day.
• During the Civil War more men died from disease than from gunshots or fighting.
• The first iced tea was served in 1904 at the St. Louis World’s Fair!
• The State of Florida is bigger than the country of England

Academy of Arts University; Bellevue Community College; California State University, Fullerton; California State University, San Bernardino; City University of Seattle; Diablo Valley College; Education Management Corporation (EDMC); ESLI; Edmonds Community College; ELCI / AEEA; Golden Gate University; Green River Community College; ELS; Hillsborough Community College; Indiana University – Purdue University, Indianapolis; Kendall College; INTO Oregon State University; INTO University of South Florida; Lake Land College; Murray State University; Navitas at University of Massachusetts Lowell; Navitas at University of Massachusetts Boston; Navitas at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth; Navitas at University of New Hampshire; Navitas at University of Western Kentucky; New York Film Academy (NYFA); North Seattle Community College; Oregon State University; Pierce College; Santa Barbara City College; Shawnee State University; Seattle Central Community College; Southwestern Acadeny; Shoreline Community College; Southern New Hampshire University; South Seattle Community College; Spokane Falls Community College; Tacoma Community College; The Foothill & DeAnza Colleges; University of Incarnate World; University of South Florida