How to study in America in Harbin?

it is very rare to have the idea and plan of studying abroad now. Going to the United States for undergraduate studies after graduating from high school is achieved by submitting an application to an intentional institution one year in advance. If accepted, you can apply for a visa and successfully enroll in the undergraduate course of the school. There are often two ways to apply, one is to apply by yourself, the so-called DIY, and the other is to help the application through an intermediary, of course, you have to pay the intermediary service fee. Whether you entrust an agent to study abroad or the students contact the school to complete the application, the general process and arrangement are almost the same objectively, and I will tell you about the process and arrangement.

Step 1: Take the standardized test

The standardized test for undergraduate study in the United States consists of two parts: TOEFL and SAT.

TOEFL is compulsory, and some schools can accept IELTS instead of TOEFL scores. For the top 5 schools, if China students do not take the SAT, they are generally not easy to be admitted. Because most of the students who compete with you for these places will take the SAT.

American undergraduate application requires students' language proficiency. Undergraduate education needs to learn a lot of courses, and students communicate more frequently and widely. Without a good English language foundation, it is difficult to adapt to the study and life in the United States. The requirements for TOEFL in American general schools are about 8-89. If it is a prestigious school, it should be above 9. SAT, the abbreviation of Scholastic Assessment Test, is an exam that American high school students must take to enter American universities. Its importance is equivalent to the college entrance examination in China, and it is also an important reference for high school students from all over the world to apply for admission and scholarship. It is suggested to prepare for these two exams at the beginning of freshman year, and the order is TOEFL first and then SAT.

Step 2: Prepare the application materials

Because the application is required to be made one year in advance, the following materials should be prepared at the beginning of the next semester of Senior Two. In preparation for the third year of high school to start submitting to the school last semester.

(1) High school academic record (GPA)

Applicants generally need to provide high school transcripts to the university they apply for, in both Chinese and English, with their official seals affixed. The average score of high school is above 8, which is enough for applicants. American academic performance is generally converted according to the full score of 4., and China students only need to provide the original report card issued by the school.

(2) Letters of recommendation

Applicants generally need to provide three letters of recommendation in English. Some schools only require 2 letters. According to the actual situation of students in China, you can find a class teacher, grade leader or school leader to write, and it is best to get a letter of recommendation from the principal. But these 2-3 referees must have had real contact with the applicant.

(3) Personal statement

American universities generally require applicants to provide one or several personal statements. These materials are important documents for applying for admission and scholarships. A general principle of writing an Essay is that it must be written around its own characteristics, because American universities hope to learn about the specific situation of applicants through an Essay. Therefore, applicants should write down their unique characteristics. In addition, we should strictly control the number of words in each Essay according to the specific requirements of American universities.

(4) Reading plans (some schools don't need reading plans, while Essay in some schools are actually reading plans)

Most of them are required to be written when graduate students apply. However, if undergraduate students can write a very in-depth study plan, it will naturally be helpful to apply.

Step 3: Send materials and grades

After these documents are ready, send the materials to the school. Note that the delivery date of materials must be before the deadline. For the delivery of TOEFL or SAT scores, it is necessary to send them through ETS (the school does not recognize the TOEFL or SAT scores sent by students themselves), and it often takes more than one month for ETS to send materials, so these scores can arrive at the school later than the application deadline.

Step 4: Contact the school to see if supplementary materials are needed.

When the school examines the students' materials, students may be asked to provide some other materials. Therefore, it is necessary to ask the school more about their admission. On the one hand, it can let the school know that it attaches great importance to this school, on the other hand, it can prevent some materials you sent from being lost due to some reasons during the school examination, and no one will inform you to supplement them. We have encountered sending the application documents to the school, and it also shows that someone has signed for it, but in the end the school still can't find the document, and finally we have to send another one.

Step 5: Does the school need an interview

American famous schools generally require students to participate in telephone or direct face-to-face communication. It's actually an interview. Because all the things submitted by students are written materials, the school will call the students for an interview in order to measure whether the students are really excellent.

Step 6: Wait for admission and ask for I-2

After completing the above steps, your application will come to an end. At this time, when you receive the admission notice from a university, the general school will ask you to give the school a certain deposit, and will ask you to fill out some forms such as accommodation and personal health, as well as a certificate form and documents about who will fund your study. After filling out these forms, attach the deposit to the school (by credit card or money order, but not in cash), and send these materials back to the school, and the school will return the I-2 for visa to the students. All the work in applying for admission to the school has been completed.

LZ also mentioned the key issue of studying abroad. The cost of studying in an ordinary school for four years is about 8, RMB, which is very high. Therefore, we need to consider it well. Of course, there are some ways to save money:

First, apply for a scholarship or a grant

This usually requires the applicant to submit the relevant scholarship application at the same time when submitting the application. The scholarships of each school vary widely, and students can check it through the school's international student scholarship website. There are more scholarships in private schools than in public schools, but the application for scholarships generally requires sufficient materials.

second, take part in the CO-OP course, that is, paid internship

paid internship is a paid practical activity for students who have already studied in American colleges and universities, which is completely out of the course and connects majors with practice. The average student's salary is 1,5-2,5 dollars a month. Internship time does not occupy students' normal class time, so children have work experience when they graduate, and many students have found suitable jobs.

Many colleges and universities in the United States offer paid internship courses. The duration of internship courses varies according to different majors and schools. Generally, internship can last at least 6 months, and some schools can practice for 18 months in five years.

For example, the paid internship course of Jueshuo University in Philadelphia is very famous. Students of all majors can participate in the paid internship. Students of four-year undergraduate programs can practice for

6 months, and students of five-year undergraduate programs can practice for up to 18 months. Among them, 5% students got formal jobs as a result. The paid internship at the University of Cincinnati is also very famous, but the internship students mainly focus on engineering majors.

Third, choose a school with lower tuition fees

According to experts studying abroad, it is very important to choose a school to reduce the cost of undergraduate study in the United States, and the choice of major can be changed after going to school. Undergraduate students are in the stage of laying a foundation and need a quiet learning environment. The fees of famous schools in some states in the central and southern United States are relatively cheap, which is more suitable for children with ordinary family circumstances, such as the University of Oklahoma. Most of these schools are also state-level universities, with excellent academic atmosphere and education quality no worse than other schools, making them a very good choice for undergraduate students.

Fourth, the second-level jump of community colleges

After finishing high school, many children in the United States enter community colleges to complete their first two years of courses, because the cost of community colleges is usually very cheap, and some schools even pay less than $1, a year. The credits of community colleges are usually mutually recognized with those of universities. After completing these two-year courses, students can transfer to other excellent universities to continue their studies in the next two years, saving a lot of undergraduate fees.