What to prepare for studying abroad?

What should students studying abroad and study abroad agencies pay attention to when choosing schools to study abroad and when choosing cooperative schools? The relevant person in charge of China's Ministry of Education recently put forward five major precautions:

According to the "China Youth Daily" report, the person in charge said that first, we should pay attention to the fact that the education management system of each country is different, and the size of the school is different. The quality of education and teaching varies. You should learn about the school’s actual qualifications and conditions through formal channels.

Second, if you choose a school that provides academic qualifications and degree education, especially private schools in certain countries, be sure to find out whether the academic qualifications and degrees issued by the school are authorized by the education authorities of the country where they are located. Do not choose schools that are legally recognized or registered by the relevant authorities of the country where they are located and can award degrees, but the academic qualifications and degrees issued by them are not recognized or registered by the education authorities of the country where they are located or their authorized authorities. School.

Third, private schools and university preparatory schools in some countries, especially private language schools, are not in line with higher education institutions, and some countries do not have university preparatory courses at all. We should fully understand these situations to avoid being dismissed. False advertising is misleading.

Fourth, for those foreign schools whose qualifications are not well understood, be sure to check the educational qualification certification documents issued by the Education (Cultural) Section (Group) of the Chinese embassy or consulate abroad. Be wary of individual schools or institutions deliberately using consular certification documents such as "certificate of legal qualifications" or "certificate of legal person qualifications" issued by embassies and consulates abroad to replace educational qualification certification documents to conduct deceptive publicity or enrollment activities. At present, the education (culture) offices (groups) of my country's embassies and consulates abroad use a unified method to identify the qualifications of foreign educational institutions, including the school's Chinese and foreign name, address, contact information, school establishment time, number of students in school, and number of Chinese students. It also includes core content such as the nature of the school, the level of schooling, the academic qualifications issued, and whether the degree is recognized by the government education department or an authorized authority. The "Foreign Educational Institutions Qualifications Recognition Form" with a total of 11 items has passed This form makes it easier to determine the actual operating conditions of foreign schools.

Fifth, if you apply for study abroad through a self-financed study abroad agency, in addition to choosing a self-financed study abroad agency that has been qualified, you must also verify and confirm the actual school-running qualifications of the agency's foreign partner school and Whether the study abroad cooperation project has been confirmed by the provincial or municipal education administrative department. In addition, you should also pay attention to signing a study abroad agency service contract that can protect your own interests. It is recommended that overseas students use or refer to the "Intermediary Service Entrustment Contract for Self-Financed Study Abroad (Model Text)" jointly issued by the Ministry of Education and the State Administration for Industry and Commerce on April 28, 2004.

The relevant person in charge of the Ministry of Education recommends the following two ways to learn about the relevant situation and information. The first is to inquire through the Ministry of Education’s Education Foreign Supervision Information Network and the China Study Abroad Network; the second is to consult the Ministry of Education’s Study Abroad Service Center and foreign embassies in China.

According to reports, the Ministry of Education’s Study Abroad Service Center is specifically responsible for publishing the list of foreign schools. In order to facilitate the vast number of overseas students and relevant institutions to understand the details of foreign schools, the Ministry of Education's Study Abroad Service Center has set up a dedicated hotline to accept inquiries from overseas students and all walks of life about the qualifications of foreign schools.

Notes for high school students and junior college students ==========

After the college entrance examination, some students choose to go to college, some choose to repeat, and some of students chose to study abroad. No matter what choices the students make, I believe everyone’s future will be bright and infinite. This article will focus on introducing some things that students who choose to study abroad need to pay attention to in order to successfully obtain a visa.

Visa language issues

Almost all college students applying for a study visa must have proof of language proficiency. If you want to study in the United States, the United Kingdom and other countries, you need to provide IELTS or TOEFL scores; When studying in France, French proficiency is a very critical issue. As high school students are more preparing for the college entrance examination during their studies in school, their language skills are not as strong as those of college students, so they cannot provide IELTS or TOEFL test scores. However, if you apply for the admission notice of language + preparatory course, or pass the entrance examination of the school you are applying for, you will have a good chance of obtaining a visa.

How to improve your visa success rate

Now is the holiday visa peak, so students need to allow sufficient time for their applications. Applying for a British visa is currently on an appointment-only basis, but since the start date of language courses is more flexible than university courses, the impact on the visa processing time is not as great as that of universities. Some language schools and preparatory courses will only start at the end of October or early next year, giving students enough time to prepare for language tests and visa materials. If you avoid the peak period for visas, your chances of getting a visa will be higher.

The impact of admission letter on visa success rate

If high school students can directly apply for an admission letter for an undergraduate degree program, the chance of obtaining a visa is higher. For example, at the Irish Xiangnon Hotel Management College, high school students with particularly excellent grades can get admission notices for the four-year hotel management degree program as long as they pass the entrance exam held by the school in China.

This course includes a two-year paid internship, which not only reduces the family burden due to work income, but also provides overseas work experience that will be of great help to future job searches.

Applying to a U.S. community college is also a way for high school students to obtain a U.S. visa. Basically, the U.S. visa consulate will not issue visas to undergraduate students to study in U.S. community colleges. High school students can apply to attend community colleges in the United States (equivalent to domestic junior college level). After receiving the community college admission letter, they can obtain the I20 application form and be eligible to apply for a U.S. study visa.

Reasonable arrangements are required when applying for courses

Although there are no special language proficiency requirements for high school students, in addition to having considerable financial strength, the applicant's family must also pay attention to reasonable arrangements for the courses. Otherwise, it may result in visa rejection. For example, when applying for an Australian study visa, special attention should be paid to the following points when arranging courses:

1. The age must match the course being studied;

2. Current qualifications in the country The education level needs to be consistent with the middle school courses studied in Australia. For example, current high school senior students cannot study in grade 10;

3. The study time of the main course must meet the needs.

Sufficient guarantee deposit preparations are required

Since high school students study abroad for a long time, the guarantee deposit required for a visa is also much larger than that required by college students. To apply for a visa to the UK, college students generally need to provide a guarantee of 500,000-600,000 yuan, while high school students need to provide at least 800,000 yuan.

In addition to the key points on how high school students can successfully obtain a visa introduced above, college students also need to master certain skills and methods when they intend to study abroad. Take college students applying to study in the UK as an example.

For two-year college students, there are three situations for studying in the UK: if you have 5-10 years of work experience, you can directly apply to study in the UK master's preparatory program; if you have less than 5 years of work experience , you can selectively study college-to-undergraduate courses in individual schools; current students or recent graduates (age 21-23 years old) can apply for undergraduate courses.

Three-year college students For this type of students, if you have at least three years of work experience, you can directly apply for postgraduate courses in some British universities, or apply for master's preparatory courses. But if you only have one or two years of work experience, it will be difficult to directly apply for a master's degree. However, if you have met the school's language requirements, you can first take the final year of a British undergraduate degree or a one-year master's preparatory course, and officially enter the master's level in the second year. Under normal circumstances, such students cannot apply to study for an MBA degree because there will be some problems with visas; students who do not meet the school's language requirements need to study the language first.

Adult education students Many foreign universities recognize China’s adult education, especially the adult college entrance examination. Therefore, it is generally easier for this type of students to apply to study in the UK. If you are a three-year college student, you can apply for a master's preparatory program; students with an undergraduate degree can directly apply for a master's program. But a special reminder is: based on past experience, students from three-year colleges in China have a certain gap in professional knowledge with undergraduate students. If they directly enroll in a master's program, they will have to complete 8 to 10 postgraduate courses in one year. Courses are often strenuous; therefore, it is usually recommended to take a half-year or one-year master's preparatory course.

Students who are part-time learners (including self-study students, college students, and correspondence students) have a narrow range of choices and can only apply for master's preparatory courses in some schools. Materials required for studying abroad: academic certificates and transcripts (in Chinese and English or notarized); two letters of recommendation from teachers; or one letter of recommendation from professors and one letter from the employer; bank time deposits.

But don’t go abroad just for the sake of going abroad. Pay special attention to the following points:

1. Don’t think that all foreign countries are more advanced than China. When studying abroad, you must choose the country and school well. Some people are even willing to study in some backward countries in order to go abroad. I don't know if the education in those countries is really more advanced than China.

2. Don’t be superstitious that Chinese society is still or will continue to blindly worship foreign countries. Nowadays, the mixed tide of returnees has awakened the Chinese people from their blind admiration for the ocean. Therefore, obtaining a diploma in some backward countries or unknown schools overseas, or returning to China with foreign status, may not necessarily have any advantages in employment.

3. Don’t go abroad with psychological baggage. Relatives and friends who have never been abroad always think that they will get ahead after going abroad, but they may not understand the hardships of living, studying and working overseas. When you go abroad, you should go quietly, don't think about returning home in fine clothes, and don't think that going abroad is very dignified in front of relatives and friends. Leave yourself a way out. If you feel that being abroad is not good for your development, come back as soon as possible.

4. It is good to go abroad to broaden your horizons, but you must consider the price you pay. People who have already had a successful career in China, people of a certain age, people with families and young children, and people with poor foreign language skills must weigh the pros and cons and see if it is worthwhile to abandon their domestic career foundation and separate their wives.

5. Don’t use going abroad as an escape. Don’t think that things that cannot be solved at home can be solved abroad. Some people go abroad because things are not going well at home. They think that going abroad is a new beginning with better conditions.

In fact, to move from setbacks to success, the first thing to solve is to find your own problems. Those who cannot adapt to Chinese society may not necessarily be very competitive in other countries.

6. Don’t give up your own interests to go abroad. I have seen some people apply for majors that have nothing to do with their expertise and interests in order to make it easier to go abroad. For example, I originally studied liberal arts, switched to computer science in the United States, and then worked day and night in a software company writing or testing programs. It's fine if you like this kind of work, but if you don't, you'll really suffer. But life is irreversible.

It’s quite useful, take a look!

It is the wish of many students to study abroad, receive advanced foreign education, become fluent in foreign languages, and become familiar with international market rules. Statistics show that over the past 20 years, 580,000 people in our country have studied abroad. As the craze for studying abroad continues to heat up, some problems have begun to surface, such as professional recruitment and younger students studying abroad, which have led to a decline in the value of foreign diplomas. Problems such as fraudulent and illegal application materials have not only damaged the face of Chinese students studying abroad, but also The path to study abroad is blocked...So, what issues should Chinese students pay attention to when studying abroad? This newspaper invited Mr. Shao Chunlei, a senior study abroad expert and deputy director of Shanghai International Education Exchange and Information Center, to comment.

■Integrity issues

Incident 1: When a Chinese international student applied to study for a doctoral degree at the University of California, Los Angeles, he was disqualified for forging transcripts and letters of recommendation, and was also disqualified from the university. Expelled from university.

Incident 2: After a Chinese student completed his studies in Germany, he encountered difficulties in applying for a job there. The reason was that he had experienced bus fare evasion during his studies abroad, which damaged his personal credit record.

Analysis

At present, the integrity problem of Chinese students mainly manifests itself in fraud. On the one hand, academic materials are falsified. Some students hope to enter prestigious foreign universities or popular majors, but their professional grades or foreign language proficiency do not meet the school's requirements, so they resort to modifying or forging transcripts without authorization. On the other hand, there is the falsification of financial certificates. Some students use forged income certificates, bank statements and other means to get through when applying.

Tips

Western countries attach great importance to integrity. They believe that integrity is the most indispensable personal quality and the most important wealth in life. Therefore, when applying for overseas schools, Chinese students should act within their capabilities and seek truth from facts, and should not adopt an opportunistic mentality, let alone commit fraud, otherwise they will only shoot themselves in the foot. In recent years, the review of some popular countries for studying abroad has become increasingly strict, and the review cycle has become longer and longer. This is the sequelae caused by fraud. Moreover, for counterfeiters, even if they get through by chance, they will encounter various difficulties in their future study abroad due to their inherent deficiencies, and will fall into the embarrassing situation of riding a tiger.

■Illegal work problem

Incident 1: In 2002, the Australian Immigration Department deported 6,300 overseas students because they were illegally and overstayed. Among them, Chinese students accounted for A certain amount.

Incident 2: In the same year, 86 Chinese students studying at Sakata Junior University in Japan were expelled from the school for staying in Tokyo, resulting in the sensational "Sakata Junior University Incident".

Analysis

In recent years, illegal incidents involving Chinese students studying abroad have occurred frequently. Among them, some students do not have enough understanding of the policies of the countries where they study, and they have not done enough financially. If financial difficulties occur while studying abroad, they can only pay for the tuition or fees by doing "black jobs"; there are also some people who study abroad for impure purposes and regard foreign countries as a paradise for gold, and go abroad to pan for gold under the pretext of studying abroad. Obtained with fake materials, and eventually deported to the country due to illegality.

Advice

It is a part of studying abroad and an effective way for international students to understand foreign cultures, improve their language and communication skills, and exercise their survival abilities. However, different countries have different policies. Some countries allow international students, while others prohibit it. Therefore, Chinese students must first understand the policies of various countries and not rush into minefields; secondly, they must arrange their studies according to their study progress and not affect their studies; thirdly, when studying abroad, they must do according to their ability and not put too much financial pressure on themselves. It is not advisable to go abroad to work illegally in the name of studying abroad. Nowadays, the job market in Western countries is generally sluggish, and it is difficult for international students to find opportunities. Moreover, frequent illegal incidents involving international students have had a negative impact on the image of Chinese students. For those who want to go abroad to prospect for gold, it is recommended to take the formal route of labor export.

■The problem of overcrowding

Incident 1: According to the latest statistics from the Association for the Promotion of Japanese Language Education, the number of students enrolled in Japanese language schools is currently 40,000, a record high in history. Among them, Chinese students account for 70%.

Incident 2: In the past two years, financial majors have become the main direction for Chinese students to study in the UK. Students studying such majors account for more than 50% of the total number of international students; in some British universities, financial majors even There is a phenomenon where more than half of a class are Chinese students.

Analysis

As the popularity of self-financed study abroad continues to heat up in China, the phenomenon of studying abroad is becoming increasingly serious.

The main manifestation is that the number of study abroad destinations is overwhelming. The United States is the most popular among Chinese students. Although the study abroad rate is low, half of those who study abroad choose the United States every year. In addition, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand are also new hot spots. The number of people increases year by year. Moreover, most Chinese students choose big cities to study abroad. Secondly, there are a lot of overseas schools and majors. Chinese students often like to choose popular majors and famous universities such as MBA, finance, and IT. The phenomenon of overcrowding has not only turned the path to studying abroad into a highly competitive "one-plank bridge", but has also put considerable pressure on the educational facilities and environment of some countries, leading to a decline in the quality of their education and ultimately affecting the value of the diplomas obtained.

Tips

The main reason for the phenomenon of studying abroad is the irrational concept of studying abroad. Therefore, when Chinese students study abroad, they must first correct their mentality and not blindly pursue hot topics, but should combine Based on your own interests and abilities, you should have a rational positioning for your future career development. Think clearly about which career you plan to pursue, which aspects of knowledge you will supplement, and which abilities you will develop, etc., and then choose a major and school. When it comes to choosing a study abroad direction, there is no best, only the most suitable. On the contrary, blindly following the trend will not only reduce the success rate of studying abroad applications, but also lose employment advantages due to the same majors, affecting the rate of return on investment in studying abroad.

■The issue of younger students

Incident 1: Statistics show that in recent years, among those who study abroad at their own expense every year, the proportion of young international students accounts for more than 50% of the total, and the younger students are studying abroad. The phenomenon is very prominent.

Incident 2: A New Zealand media reported that the number of primary school international students from China is increasing year by year. Many of them come from wealthy families. They spend all day comparing consumption, racing, gambling, and even skipping school. In the end, because their attendance rate reached Denied renewal without government request.

Analysis

As the level of domestic residents continues to improve, more and more parents are sending their children to study abroad. Most of these children from wealthy families are "flowers in the greenhouse". They have lived a long life of "opening their mouths when there is food and reaching out for clothes", and their self-care ability is weak. Quite a number of young international students are at a loss after going abroad, find it difficult to adapt, and even give up on themselves because of their bleak future. Some young international students even go astray.

Tips

Chinese students should not study abroad too early. The best time is after graduation from college. From the perspective of major selection, students at this stage can find the major they really like, thereby reducing the blindness of studying abroad. Even if you plan to study abroad in middle school, you must complete high school education in China before going abroad. It is recommended that you complete preparatory education in China first and lay a solid language foundation before studying abroad.

■Safety Issues

Incident 1: In 2004, four Japanese language schools, including New Tokyo Language School and Greater Tokyo Language School, were on the verge of bankruptcy because all their freshmen were rejected. Students studying in these schools face difficulties in transferring and entering higher education, including more than a hundred Chinese students.

Incident 2: In 2003, a major fire broke out at the Lumumba Friendship University of All Nationalities in Moscow, killing 8 Chinese students and injuring 43 others.

Analysis

In recent years, casualties of Chinese students have occurred frequently while studying abroad, and safety issues while studying abroad have attracted widespread attention. Judging from the current situation, being deceived is the issue that needs the most attention. The overseas study market is a mixed bag. Some "Clayden University" takes advantage of the eagerness of Chinese students to go abroad to set up various study abroad traps, which are difficult to guard against. Secondly, there is the issue of life safety. Some Chinese international students do not have a strong sense of self-protection and encounter violent incidents such as robberies. Some international students lack the ability to deal with emergencies. Some international students even take legal action.

Tips

It should be said that the murder of international students is purely an individual case, and most countries and regions are safe. But as the saying goes, it is essential to be on guard against others. Especially for international students working alone in a foreign country, they must pay more attention to safety issues. It is recommended that before going abroad, you should understand the customs, laws and regulations of the country you are going to, especially the environment and public security situation around the school and accommodation; keep a low profile when interacting with people, and make friends carefully; do not go out alone at night; and be aware of traffic accidents , fire, earthquake and other emergencies; purchase insurance in time to be just in case.