Ten inside stories about applying for American students. Freshman, I'm not going to regret it.
The following is a direct conversation between domestic American university applicants and American professors recently read by Max Qiao, senior consultant of Kai Tak Education American Center. In addition to Max's many years' working experience in studying abroad, he further supplemented and interpreted the top ten questions of American graduate application and gave our students some very pertinent suggestions.
1.GRE is much more effective than TOEFL.
Note: Actually, this is very important. Many times, online comments confuse people, leaving them at a loss, not knowing whether to pay attention to GRE or something else, completely underestimating the role of GRE. Last year, I helped an NPC student apply to the University of Michigan. She told me that two students in her class were admitted to the University of Chicago. One applied for a master's degree, the other applied for a doctor's degree, and both of them got more than half a prize offer. After careful inquiry, she learned that their GRE scores were above 1400, and their writing scores reached 5. This explains the problem, and the role of GRE is very obvious. Indeed, TOEFL is only a language test, but it is neither important nor objective. After all, elite schools admit people with super-high GT scores, but it is not difficult to understand that people with high GRE scores will not have low TOEFL scores. After all, both of them are English exams and complement each other. So GRE is not as useless as the legend in the forum. In the top 50 schools, the GRE of 1200 can only be considered low. It is true that many American colleges and universities do not have a clear score line for GRE, as if they have just been admitted. It seems that they have no requirements for the GRE of applicants, but in fact, many colleges and universities will have a statistics of students admitted in the past, in which the range of GRE scores of admitted students will be clearly seen, and this data has strict reference value. Therefore, GRE is the most important for students who want to enter the top 50 universities. Don't ignore it.
2. Most American graduate applications are divided into the first round and the second round.
Note: Most American graduate applications are divided into the first round and the second round. The first round decides whether to admit you, and the second round is worth paying. Generally speaking, the first round mainly depends on hardware conditions, such as GPA, TOEFL, GRE, CV, personal statement (PS or SOP), recommendation letter, award-winning, internship or work experience; The second round focuses on laboratory work or research experience and paper publication. After several experiments, the key to get the offer is to get the research results. Laboratory experience mainly depends on the experimental proportion of specialized courses and how many hours of experimental operation study the applicant has. As for the paper, as long as it has some technical content, no matter what kind of journal it is published in, it is very helpful.
3. The average score (GPA) of 85 is a threshold.
Note: the average score of 85 (100%) is a threshold. After this threshold, it will be much easier to apply for a scholarship. Usually, American graduate schools require that only the GPA reaches 3.5/4.0 to be eligible for the award. No matter how strong it is in other aspects, it is almost impossible to win the prize. Up to the watershed of 3.5, there is almost no substantial difference between 3.6 and 3.8. According to my past application experience, class ranking is still very important. Americans believe in grade ranking. If the ranking can be in the top 3 or 5, you can consider opening a grade ranking certificate and mailing it to the applying institution together with the transcript. In addition, even if you really can't pass 3.5, don't worry too much, because only some scholarships can't be applied, and research grants and tuition fee reductions are still possible.
4. Personal statement (PS) does not need to emphasize achievements.
Note: Personal statement (PS) does not need to emphasize many achievements, but should highlight what difficulties you have encountered and how to overcome and solve them. American advice: Be sure to make yourself close to perfection and impeccable in PS. China's traditional modesty can be put aside. As long as you highlight your own characteristics and advantages, you can improve it moderately, but not too far. Some things can be written, but don't compile things that are not. Americans generally believe what you say. However, you must not be old and stupid. In case people find out that you are faking it, your death is not far away.
It goes without saying that returning to China to serve the motherland is the future development direction.
Note: When writing the future development direction, you should focus on your life and career planning in the next few years. There is no need to say, "Go back to China to serve the motherland after your studies." . Old Americans are open-minded. They think that studying science through graduate school serves all mankind, and there is no need to be patriotic at every turn, let alone patriotic with China characteristics. "Returning to China" is what you should say to the visa officer, not in the application materials. 6. The recommendation letter for postgraduate application should be written by foreigners as far as possible.
Note: write letters of recommendation from foreigners as much as possible, but it is best to be your teacher and emphasize that you have been teaching for many years or more. If you find some awesome people, but there is no direct relationship, it is unnecessary. But after all, there are not so many foreigners around us. At this time, the selection of referees should be based on teachers, and the quality of recommendation letters should be guaranteed. It is precisely because Americans don't believe China's recommendation that our recommendation should be improved. Americans really believe what their own people write. They think that what China people write is generally the same, and they are full of praise. If there is nothing particularly brilliant or attractive, foreigners will look down on these letters of recommendation. At least, it will be better if the recommender has a background of studying in the United States. When writing a letter of recommendation, be sure to indicate which school the recommender graduated from and how close he is to you. Referees who graduated from prestigious schools will also carry more weight in the United States. The teacher who examines the application materials will definitely read it carefully after getting it. So finding the right recommendation letter can also become an advantage. 7. The supporting documents should be sent clearly and correctly.
Note: you don't need to send some supporting documents, because Americans generally believe what you say. As long as it is stated in the resume, he will approve it. However, if some of your award-winning certificates or supplementary materials really have a strong supporting role, you can also mail them, and most schools will refer to them. For example, internship is closely related to applying for a major, and it is ok to issue a certificate, but if it is troublesome to open, it should be stated in your resume. There is no need to issue it. Don't worry about not issuing an internship certificate. If the school needs it, America will take the initiative to ask you for it. But for some schools, these materials may be stopped by the admissions office, because in such schools, there are strict rules on who can review what materials, and their admission process is very standardized.
8. Press "School" to distribute materials.
Note: There are different requirements for sending materials. Some schools have always had the tradition of "first come, first served" admission. At this time, students should mail the required application materials before the deadline of the first round. But for some colleges and universities, they don't have to send the materials early, so they are locked in the safe of the admissions office. It is very strict that professors who review materials cannot contact students' application materials in advance. After the application deadline, all the professors who participated in the material review will come to the school to unpack and exchange reviews with each other, and the package review will be carried out in an orderly manner.
9. The United States knows China's university rankings.
Note: As for China's university rankings, in fact, the United States is not ignorant. Before reviewing the application materials, foreigners have a list of schools in various countries, and they will really check your school's ranking. However, in China, except Tsinghua, Peking University, China University of Science and Technology, Zhejiang University, Fudan University and Shanghai Jiaotong University, in fact, most schools are not very different, basically at the same level, but some universities have their own advantages in some advantageous majors, such as media major of China Communication University, finance and statistics major of China Renmin University and mathematics and psychology major of Beijing Normal University. In their view, these majors in these schools are also relatively well-known, so they apply. If the difference is too far, there will be some difficulties. After all, students who have gone abroad like Tsinghua and Peking University have achieved great success in the United States, and it is not unreasonable for the United States to favor them. The predecessors paved the way, and the descendants enjoyed the cool!
10. Magnetization is very important, but it is mainly limited to academic research.
Note: Magnetization plays a great role, but it is mainly limited to academic research, and degaussing in business, media, education, art and social sciences is of little significance. The effect of applying for a doctorate in magnetism will be more obvious. Except for a few majors, it is almost useless to apply for a master's degree. After admission, you will start to study magnetism. In the early stage, students usually need to show their academic background. To study the professor's background, it is best to read some professors' works and publications, then ask some academic questions, hoping that the professor can give answers, and then slowly cut into the academic aspects. If the professor finds that you have great insight or potential in major-related issues, the professor will take the initiative to have the next conversation with you. However, magnetism is more about late magnetism, that is, get the admission first, otherwise the professor will generally ignore you. After admission, the chances of winning the prize by magnetic trap are greatly increased, and such magnetic trap is more meaningful.