Step 1: Take the standardized test.
The standardized examination for undergraduate study in the United States includes two parts: TOEFL and SAT.
TOEFL is compulsory, and some schools can accept IELTS scores instead of TOEFL scores. For the top 50 schools, if China students don't 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.
The undergraduate application in the United States requires high language ability of students. There are many courses to be studied in undergraduate education, and the communication between students is more frequent and extensive. Without a good English language foundation, it is difficult to adapt to study and life in the United States. The requirements for TOEFL in American general schools are about 80-89. If it is a prestigious school, it should be above 90. 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 all over the world to apply for admission to prestigious American schools and get scholarships. It is recommended to prepare for these two exams from the beginning of freshman year, and the order is TOEFL first and then s at.
Step 2: Prepare the application materials.
Because the application is required one year in advance, the following materials should be prepared at the beginning of the next semester of Senior Two. Prepare to submit to the school in the last semester of senior three.
(1) high school grades
Applicants generally need to provide high school transcripts to the university they apply for, both in Chinese and English, and each copy must have the official seal of the school. The average score of high school is above 80, which is enough for applicants. Generally speaking, American academic performance is converted according to a perfect score of 4.0, and China students only need to provide the original transcripts issued by the school.
(2) Letter of recommendation
Applicants generally need to provide three letters of recommendation in English. Some schools only require two letters. According to the actual situation of domestic students, you can find a class teacher, grade leader or school leader to write, and it is best to get a recommendation letter from the principal. But these 2-3 referees must have had real contact with the applicant.
(3) Personal statement (essay)
American universities generally require applicants to provide one or more personal papers. These materials are important documents for applying for admission and scholarships. A general principle of writing a thesis is to focus on one's own characteristics, because American universities hope to know the specific situation of the applicant through a thesis. Therefore, applicants should write down their own uniqueness. In addition, we should strictly control the number of words in each composition according to the specific requirements of American universities.
(4) Reading plan (some schools don't need reading plans, and some schools' compositions are actually reading plans)
More is that the school will have requirements when applying for graduate students. However, if undergraduates can write a very in-depth study plan, it will naturally help the application.
Step 3: Send materials and grades.
When these documents are ready, send the materials to the school. Please note that the delivery date of materials must be before the deadline. TOEFL or SAT scores need to be sent through ETS (the school does not recognize TOEFL or SAT scores sent by students themselves). ETS often takes more than one month 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.
Schools may require students to provide other materials when reviewing student materials. So 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 for some reasons during the school exam, and no one will inform you to send them again. We have encountered sending application documents to the school, and it also shows that someone signed for them, but in the end the school still can't find the documents, so we have to send another one.
Study in the United States
Step 5: Does the school need an interview?
Famous American universities generally require students to participate in telephone or direct face-to-face communication. Actually, it's an interview Because all the things submitted by students are written materials, the school will call students for interviews in order to measure whether the students are really excellent.
Step 6: Wait for admission and ask for I-20.
After completing the above steps, your application will come to an end. At this time, you receive the admission notice from the university. Generally, the university will ask you to give the school a certain deposit, and will ask you to fill in 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 a deposit to the school (by credit card or money order, not cash), send these materials back to the school, and the school will return the I-20 for visa to the students. All the work for applying for admission 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 800,000 RMB, which is very high. So it needs to be considered. Of course, there are also some ways to save money:
First, apply for a scholarship or grant.
This usually requires applicants to submit relevant scholarship applications at the same time as their applications. Scholarships vary greatly from school to school, and students can check them through the school's scholarship website for international students. Private schools have more scholarships than public schools, but applying for scholarships generally requires sufficient materials.
Second, take a CO-OP course, that is, a paid internship.
Paid internship is a paid practical activity for students who have already studied in American colleges and universities, which is completely divorced from the curriculum and connects majors with practice. The average student's monthly salary is 1500-2500 USD. Internship time does not occupy students' normal class time, so children have work experience after graduation 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 majors and schools. Generally speaking, it can last at least 6 months, and some schools can practice 18 months in 5 years.
For example, the paid internship program at Master University in Philadelphia is very famous. All undergraduates can participate in paid internships, and all four-year undergraduate students can practice.
Six months, five-year undergraduate students can practice at most 18 months. Among them, 50% of the students got formal jobs. The paid internship at the University of Cincinnati is also famous, but the students in the internship are mainly engineering majors.
Third, choose schools with lower tuition fees.
According to experts studying abroad, it is very important 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 basic stage and need a quiet learning environment. Some famous schools in the south-central States of the United States are relatively cheap and suitable for children with ordinary families, 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 undergraduates.
Fourth, the second-level leap of community colleges.
After finishing high school in the United States, many children enter community colleges to complete their first two years of courses. This is because the fees of community colleges are usually very cheap, and some schools even pay less than $65,438+$00,000 a year. Credits from community colleges are usually mutually recognized with those from universities. After completing these two-year courses, students can transfer to other excellent universities for further study in the next two years, saving a lot of undergraduate expenses.
Alternatively, you can consider some countries with low cost of studying abroad, such as European countries or Asian countries. It's really a long-winded answer, but personally I think it answers your doubts in detail.