What preparations do you make before studying in the United States, Zhihu?

Whether you can get an American visa and enter an American university smoothly will be a major concern for students and parents. If students can get visas in Beijing, the chances of successful visas are self-evident. As long as we can enhance students' self-confidence and deal with visa officers calmly, the visa problem will be solved.

2. Language problems

Although most of our senior high school students have studied English in China for more than five or six years, even TOEFL and IELTS can get very good grades, senior high school students who study in the United States and live and study in a truly all-English environment may still keep translating English into Chinese and turning English into Chinese in their minds. In fact, it takes a certain period of formal training and adaptation to really pass the language barrier before you can completely get rid of Chinese and think in English.

3. Adapt to the American way of education

There are great differences in knowledge structure and teaching methods between China and America. This is why many high school students still need a long adaptation period after studying in the United States, and some students are prone to some problems at this stage. After all, in our middle school, more knowledge is passively instilled; In American universities, it is knowledge exploration under the guidance of professors. Moreover, domestic high school education is a kind of exam-oriented education, which is usually arranged very tightly and the management of teachers is also very strict. However, in American universities, the initial college life is very easy. Students always feel that they have enough time and energy, and it is easy to relax their time, thus forming some bad habits.

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One of the most important conditions for applying for studying in American universities: IBT scores. American universities require international students to provide IBT scores. Most of the top 20 schools require an IBT score of 100, and even some schools do not specify the IBT score, such as Harvard University, which does not specify the minimum score requirement, but several international students with an IBT score below 100 are admitted to Harvard University.

The second most important condition for applying for studying in American universities: SAT scores. Generally, the average score of SAT/KLOC-0 in the top 20 universities in the United States is around 1400. For students in Chinese mainland, some schools do not require them to take the SAT, but if you want to apply for a high scholarship, the SAT is essential. Some schools require you to take SAT2, and you can choose your subjects according to your major. Most professional applications like Boston University require SAT2 scores, and SAT2 is recommended except for the General Research Institute and the Academy of Fine Arts. The requirements of the school must be provided, and even if the IBT school accepts it, it cannot give students an evaluation.

The most important condition for applying for studying in American universities is that the average score of students in the first two or three years of high school is at least 85, preferably above 90. American universities will examine the students' learning situation through the applicant's usual grades in high school for one year, which is a very important reference standard. Looking at the top 30 or even the top 40 schools in the United States, almost all require GPA above 3.5.

The fourth most important condition for applying for studying in American universities: ranking. Studying in American universities still attaches great importance to the ranking of students in classes or grades. This ranking can vividly show whether the students' grades are excellent or not. In the past few years, at least 50% of the students admitted to the top 20 schools in the United States were in the top 10. If the average GPA of the school where the applicant attends is generally not high, but your ranking in the age group is very high, it will also help to reflect whether you are excellent or not.

The five most important conditions for applying for studying in American universities are: rich extracurricular activities. American universities attach great importance to students' comprehensive ability. Rich extracurricular activities can show students' advantages, characteristics and potential outside the classroom. For example, as the president of the student union, they can embody the students' leadership ability, such as organizing classmates to participate in fund-raising activities, which can vividly reflect the students' innovative ability and independent ability. There are also some internships in big companies that American schools attach great importance to.

The most important condition for applying for studying in an American university is a letter of recommendation. American universities also attach great importance to the evaluation of your head teacher or classroom teacher and elders in other fields.

The most important condition for applying for studying in American universities is seven: research papers. As a high school student, you can finish a paper in depth without a long speech. You just need a clear point of view, which will definitely play an important role in your application.