University of PennsylvaniaThe Locust Walk at the University of Pennsylvania.

How might an Indian student interested in studying business as an undergraduate in the United States begin the task of finding a program that might prove a good fit? And how does one set about seeking admission?

Researching such questions is not necessarily an easy task, especially from afar. But in this latest installment of The Choice on India Ink, we attempt to provide some basic guidance.

Specifically, we talked to representatives from three American colleges and universities with well-known undergraduate business programs. They are Babson College and Bentley University, each located close to Boston in Massachusetts, and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia. While our list is hardly comprehensive — dozens of colleges and universities offer variations of such programs — we thought it might be helpful to start with a sampling. At the end of this post, we suggest one way to learn the names of other colleges that offer undergraduate business concentrations.

What follows, now, are excerpts from our interviews, organized around several key questions:

What are examples of the business courses and programs that American institutions offer to undergraduates?

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  • Babson College emphasizes entrepreneurship and offersconcentrations in several fields, including computational and mathematical financing, global business management, and technology, entrepreneurship and design.
  • Bentley Universityseeks to integrate “business, the arts and sciences, and technology through experiential learning,” said Karen Karidoyanes, the senior associated director for international admissions at Bentley. It offers majors in corporate finance and accounting, managerial economics, and marketing. The school requires to students to have a foundation in the arts and sciences, and it’s not uncommon for a business student to graduate with a double major as a result, Ms. Karidoyanes said.
  • At the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia, students begin taking a mix of business courses and liberal arts classes during their freshman year. “A lot of our students do pick up minors in the liberal arts field,” said Celia Cameron, the senior divisional director of Wharton. “We really do spend all four years teaching students how to apply theory.” Students at Wharton are encouraged to customize their curriculum. The school offers concentrations in several fields for undergraduates, including in global analysis, managing electronic commerce, and operations and information management.

Is there a large population of international students at these schools?

At Wharton, up to 20 percent of the undergraduates are international students, Ms. Cameron said.

Bentley also has a growing population of international students that currently stands at 15 percent, said Pap Sarr, the director of the Center for International Students and Scholars at Bentley. The school also has a large alumni network in India.

India is the largest represented country among international students at Babson, said Grant M. Gosselin, the dean of undergraduate admissions. In fact, he said, the Indian population is so large that it accounts for 6 percent of the 2,000 students who attend Babson.

What are admissions officers looking for from international students?

Strong applicants often have similar characteristics, no matter their country of origin. Admissions officers say they are looking for well-rounded students with strong leadership skills. Specifically, they look for evidence of strong leadership skills in the students’ recommendation letters and their history of extracurricular activities. It’s not uncommon, for example, for student entrepreneurs to apply to Babson, Mr. Gosselin said.

As for SAT and ACT scores, admissions officers are interested in students with high scores in math, though they also have a strong interest in a student’s high school transcript as a more in-depth indicator of academic achievement. Academic achievement is also relative, said Ms. Karidoyanes. She often compares a student’s SAT scores with the national average in his or her home country.

“We’re looking for a student who takes advantage of the rigorous classes that the school has to offer, and if they’ve performed well in that rigor,” Ms. Karidoyanes said.

For schools like Babson, however, students should learn calculus or statistics in high school.

“We are looking for students with a quantitative background,” said Mr. Gosselin. “We don’t teach anything below calculus.”

Babson also heavily emphasizes the liberal arts. In fact, half of the curriculum is liberal arts, Mr. Gosselin said.

(Robin Mamlet and Christine VanDeVelde, the authors of “College Admission: From Application to Acceptance, Step by Step,” wrote a great post about standardized testing in a previous installment of The Choice on India Ink. Be sure to read “An Indian Student’s Guide to the SAT and ACT Admissions Exams.”)

What is the international student experience like at these schools?

The schools offer several services — like international student associations — to help students transition to college and a new cultural environment. Bentley, for example, pairs accepted students with an international peer adviser who helps them throughout the summer before freshman year, before they step foot on campus. The freshman curriculum also provides guidance on cultural adjustments and classroom behaviors, said Mr. Sarr of Bentley.

“What we’re intentionally trying to do is teach from a global perspective,” said Mr. Gosselin of Babson. “They’ll never sit in a lecture hall. All of our classes are discussion-based classes. We really encourage them to bridge across groups that they may not normally be a part of. So our international students are mixing well with our domestic students.”

Each of these schools have opportunities for hands-on learning. Bentley students will be exposed to high-tech facilities that include a simulated stock market trading room and a center of marketing technology, Ms. Karidoyanes said.

At Babson, students are encouraged to become entrepreneurs during their studies, Mr. Gosselin said. “We loan them $3,000 to go out and start their own business their very first year,” he said.

Some schools also help international students on visas get paid internships, or study abroad in places where they may decide to work after graduation. Wharton students have worked in the non-profit sector or have started their own businesses while in school.

What should international students know before they arrive?

For starters, be prepared for winter, at least at these three institutions. Students from warmer climates who move to the Northeastern United States might want to seek out an international student adviser for guidance on proper clothes and coats. Students should also determine whether they will need a new cellphone while in school, and if their electronic devices are compatible with the outlets in their dorm.

In addition to seeking out support from international student advisers on campus, students may want to explore the off-campus neighborhood. Wharton’s Locust Walk, a pedestrian area, provides an oasis from the urban Philadelphia area, Ms. Cameron said. Also, the Bentley campus is very close to Moody Street, where students can shop for Indian groceries and have a sense of home.

Do readers of The Choice on India Ink have other suggestions about studying business as an undergraduate in the United States? Please use the comment box below to let us know.

Where can you find more information on your own?

Those who believe that rankings are sometimes helpful in leading students to the names of colleges worth researching can check Bloomberg Business Week’s annual attempt to handicap undergraduate business programs, although we add this caveat: Take the numerical rankings with a grain of salt.