So what I share with you in this issue is: how to plan to study abroad?
Among the students who apply for graduate students under our guidance, there are freshmen and sophomores who have strengthened their idea of going abroad and even anchored their ideal institutions; It was not until the summer vacation of my junior and senior year that I began to consider going abroad. Come to consult us for the first time. There are also graduating seniors, some difficulties in finding a job, and the failure of the domestic postgraduate entrance examination. And forced to go abroad for postgraduate study. ...
In short, everyone's situation is different, but the experience we have gained from countless applications is: we must hurry! ! !
Some students said: shouldn't the application start until the senior year? It's not too early to prepare for Chinese grades, is it? Our answer to this is: this idea is very dangerous! Judging from the application materials, personal statement, resume, recommendation letter and standardized score are essential:
0 personal statement
Do you write it yourself or seek counseling from overseas institutions? If you write it yourself, you have to revise at least two or three drafts, right Do I need to ask a professional to read and revise it after writing it? Looking for counseling from a study abroad institution, how to confirm whether the study abroad institution you are looking for is reliable?
0 resume
What is a good and rich resume? What key contents should a resume cover? What if there is no good GPA? If you don't work hard in the early stage of college, will it be too late to brush GPA in the last year? What should I do without rich internship experience? Is it okay to have no professional and high-value scientific research experience? Are volunteer experiences and extracurricular activities important? How is the resume effectively arranged?
0 letters of recommendation
Do you need to find an influential Daniel in academia or industry? If not, what should I do? Internship recommendation, the higher the referee position, the better? The more recommendations, the better?
0 standardized score
What is the minimum TOEFL/IELTS /GRE score required by the school? How many points is safer? It's not long before the school application deadline. Is it too late for TOEFL GRE? When is the latest time for schools to accept standardized scores?
Although these problems seem to be worrying, they can be easily solved as long as they are prepared early and planned early, supplemented by capable study abroad institutions!
Among the students we tutor, everyone's situation is different, but let me show you an ideal schedule first:
Let's explain some details in this form:
GPA and course selection
Maintaining excellent GPA can help you attract the attention of admissions officers to a great extent!
Because in their view, this means that the applicant has a good learning attitude, learning habits and learning ability. And according to our experience, applicants with high GPA are more likely to get scholarships.
In addition, the courses of freshmen and sophomores are relatively basic, while there will be more professional and difficult courses in juniors. In order to get a high GPA, some students deliberately avoided these courses and chose the "water class" with high scores.
In fact, choosing some difficult professional courses can not only help the writing of personal statements, but also improve students' chances of getting to know Professor Daniel and participating in high-end projects/internships.
This will enrich your resume and give you something to say in the interview.
Target universities and applied majors
Having a clear application goal in the early stage can make the whole application process get twice the result with half the effort. There are two main ways to understand the target institutions: direct and indirect.
Direct students to visit and exchange in the target colleges.
Here, I suggest that you make full use of exchange programs such as summer school during the winter and summer vacations of your freshman year, which can not only help you choose a school, but also gain an experience of foreign exchange.
If you want to have a deeper understanding, it is also a good choice to participate in long-term academic exchange programs during your sophomore year. In this way, you can change credits, have a long-term and in-depth understanding of colleges and universities, and will not delay the internship and application after junior year.
At the same time, you can also take this opportunity to fully communicate with professors from relevant institutions. If you can get the recommendation letter from the professor of the target university, the follow-up application can be said to be very relaxed and comfortable ~
Through online and offline lectures, we can indirectly let you know the application experience and feelings of relevant institutions.
For applying for majors, we provide guidance to students who apply for this major or related majors, as well as students who apply for cross-majors. It is suggested that you can go to official website in various universities to have a look at the relevant majors and courses.
If you want to apply for a cross-major, you can try a minor, a double degree, or find an internship related to your major during school. This can make the admissions officer think that the applicant has good interdisciplinary thinking, high self-study ability and adaptability.
Clubs/internships/research
Volunteer to join the army
In addition to internships and scientific research, we also encourage everyone to spend some time participating in activities inside and outside the school. After all, time is limited. While maintaining excellent GPA, it is naturally not easy to prepare to apply for going abroad and participate in some activities inside and outside the school.
I want to tell you here: the activities are not bad, not much. Focus on some meaningful activities that can reflect your leadership and organizational skills.
Language test
Language needs long-term training and cultivation, but the language test might as well try to surprise.
Language learning is subtle, not overnight. Its methods are also varied. Watching American TV shows, listening to songs and communicating with foreigners at school can all help you develop a sense of language.
The Chinese exam is actually very skillful. Take TOEFL as an example. The test focuses on listening, speaking, reading and writing, and the questions have certain routines. Therefore, it is very necessary to systematically and pertinently use the model test for pre-test training.
We met some students who started very early, but they stretched the front line of the exam too long. Every time they thought, "I can't pass this time, there will be another chance in the future", so they killed their patience and energy in repeated times. There are also some students, although they have a good foundation, but they started too late, and they were in a hurry when preparing for the exam, which was very stressful.
Therefore, we suggest that you make a good plan during your freshman and sophomore years, and spare 3-5 months to concentrate on preparing for the exam. In order to urge yourself and prevent laziness, you can register in advance and set a target score. If possible, you can also sign up for a remedial class and prepare for the exam with your classmates.
intermediary
There are many intermediaries in the market, and the services they provide are also varied. To sum up, there are mainly: full-time custody, consulting services and document counseling.
Conditional students can find a trusted intermediary to handle the whole hosting service. Intermediaries can make corresponding plans for the undergraduate period according to the different situations of each person, and make timely adjustments. This saves a lot of time and energy in consulting materials and trial and error, and is also more conducive to full preparation.
Consulting services are charged according to the number and time of consultation. If you are confused in the process of DIY, you may wish to consult a reliable intermediary, such as choosing a school, choosing a major, applying for requirements and so on.
Document counseling is mainly aimed at the writing of personal statements, resumes and letters of recommendation. Even if you write a personal statement, you might as well find an experienced intermediary to do some guidance, revision and polishing.
No matter what kind of service you seek, the first and most important thing is to keep your eyes open and find a reliable, capable and experienced intermediary.
Don't trust online advertisements. Listen, ask and read more by yourself.
Online application
Online application is actually only the last step of studying abroad, not the only link, nor the first step of application.
This means that the success of online application is still based on the preparation of 2-3 years in the early stage.
For students applying to American colleges and universities, online applications are roughly divided into two or three rounds:
The first round focuses on the fall academic year of senior year, that is, the beginning of senior year, so you should be ready to apply at any time. If you are fully prepared in the early stage, it is very possible to get an offer at the end of the year.
The second round is in the spring school year of senior three. If you miss the first round, you must seize this opportunity. The deadline for most colleges is from March to May.
The third round is actually a make-up exam. According to the number of applicants this year, colleges and universities account for some on the shortlist.
Finally, I hope everyone can get inspiration from it. I wish you a lot of discounts!
Guangzhou universal education opens consultation channel for studying abroad.
Welcome overseas students to consult in time.