USA Life and Culture

In its beginnings, the United States was founded by immigrants from Western Europe alongside indigenous peoples. A continuous stream of immigrants from around the world has seen the United States grow into a large and diverse country where virtually all nationalities and ethnicities are represented. One can find every type of climate and landscape in addition to different lifestyles and cultures in USA.

American mainstream culture is extremely diverse and complex, and varies from one geographical region to the next, between rural and urban areas, and can be particularly influenced by the ethnic communities found in each region. American culture encompasses traditions, ideals, customs, beliefs, values, arts, and innovations developed both domestically and imported via colonization and immigration from the British Isles.

Among developed countries, the US is one of the most religious in terms of its demographics. American contemporary music can be heard all over the world and American popular music also contains many styles of music that developed in the US.

Sports in the United States are an important part of the American culture. However, the sporting culture of the U.S. is unique from that of many other countries. Compared to any other nation, American preferences for sports differ from the rest of the world. Baseball is the oldest of the major American team sports. American football, Basketball, Ice hockey and quick martial arts are other common sports.

The sheer number of world-class institutes of higher learning is one of the key factors that has made the US the premiere destination for Indian students from all over the world. The reputation of American universities coupled with the comprehensive curriculum offered at these institutions is valued by students. Another major reason that draws international students in large numbers to study in the US is the array of courses on offer: from highly academic programs like nuclear physics to very creative courses like art and film direction.

The vast majority of students (up to 70 percent) lacks the financial resources to pay tuition up front and must rely on student loans and scholarships from their university, the federal government, or a private lender. All but a few charity institutions cover all of the students' tuition, although scholarships (both merit-based and need-based) are widely available. Generally, private universities charge much higher tuition than their public counterparts, which rely on state funds to make up the difference. Because each state supports its own university system with state taxes, most public universities charge much higher rates for out-of-state students.

The qualifications and credentials earned by studying in US colleges and universities are recognized in every part of the world. Traditionally securing top positions on global university ranking lists are the Ivy League institutions, eight private institutions located in the north-eastern part of the US, as well as other top American institutions like MIT, University of California and Stanford, among others.

USA Climate

USA is a big country; it varies tremendously in climate conditions. Generally the western and southern half of the USA has an overall warmer weather, as compared to the eastern and northern half. Eastern/Northern half is extremely cold in winters accompanied by heavy snowfall, and has pleasant summers whereas the Western/Southern part has extremely hot summers and comparatively tolerable winters.

Northwest Pacific is the wettest part of the country. Here the summer months are pleasantly warmer but never too hot. You can see fogs along the coast during the warmer weather, which disappears by the mid-day.

Mid/South Pacific Rockies have generally dry and delightful summers. There are very few places in California which experience snow, mostly all the cities have quite tolerable winters. Midwest region is moderately dry. Precipitation occurs mainly in late Spring and early Summer. All have excellent Summer weather, but the Winters are bitterly cold, with quite a lot of snow and heavy chilly winds.

Northeast area is moderately rainy. In winter, the area experiences a heavy snow and freezing rain. Summers are usually pleasantly sunny and warm. The fall is especially beautiful in wooded areas. Southeast is very hot and dry in summers. The entire area experiences moderate rains fairly evenly throughout the year. The Spring, Summer and Fall seasons are all very pleasant. Some snow and freezing rain will fall in Winter, but, for the most part, the winters are quite mild and short lived.

Southwest is unbearably hot and humid in summers. This is the hottest and high rainfall region of the US. The winters are generally short in duration, but some freezing rains do occur. The spring and fall seasons are quite long and temperatures are generally excellent. The summers are very hot with temperatures.