In the USA, in addition to the High School Diploma, applicants are required to have certain minimum grades, good letters of recommendation, copies of written papers and sometimes even admission interviews. The TOEFL and SAT are also common at almost all universities. As an undergraduate student, you broaden your intellectual horizon by studying subjects of all disciplines in the first year, regardless of your career aspirations. Students of four-year colleges, for example, only have to decide on a major after one year.