For the application, sometimes it is actually because we think too simply, and lack the awareness and method of reasonable planning, so we will encounter it in the application seasonGPA is not enoughThere is no background experience, and the essay lacks highlight materialsproblems.
Instead of asking seniors one by one, and doing useless work with favors, it is better to understand what is going on with studying abroad first!
The most important thing to prepare for studying abroad in your sophomore year is to have a timeline:
What to do at what stage, grasp each stage, even if you don't do much, you can get twice the result with half the effort.
Freshman to senior yearThe most important thing is to maintain a GPA that can be taken and can be reached, and the goal should be a little higher, to 35. Alignment.
Later you will know that the higher the GPA, the better it is).
Sophomore: Think about which country you want to study in (The evaluation criteria can be referred to: how much it costs whether it is a prestigious school to apply for a major.) This point must be carefully considered, the future study area and the direction of the application major (very important!).）
Determine the direction of specialization you can:
1.Think about your future career plan and discuss it with your family and seniors.
2.After deciding where to study, you will know whether you will take IELTS (Commonwealth Europe, etc.) or TOEFL (mainly used in the United States), whether you need GRE (science and engineering + most famous universities in the United Kingdom, the United States and Europe) and GMAT (business required). If you need to take the G test, IELTS and TOEFL should be prepared quickly.
Summer vacation of sophomore year: Participate in practical Xi. If you need to exchange words, you need to prepare the language and confirm the program as early as possible.
Sophomore lower: It's best to have already tested the language once, and if you don't reach the goal, quickly check and fill in the gaps and learn Xi. At the same time, prepare your resume to look for real Xi.
Junior year: You can basically test your language and G, and at the same time start to improve your professional background, such as practical Xi, scientific research, etc. You need to make good use of the holidays, and if you play again, you won't learn!
Junior year: Continue to improve your professional background, at this time, you need to get a basic GT score, and then start to prepare your complete CV, PS and other application materials. And check the project, choose a school, and look at what are the requirements for school applications.
Senior year begins: Ready to start submitting online applications and other offers.
Things you must do when preparing to study abroad
1.Decide where to apply as early as possible
When deciding to start studying abroad, you should have a general direction for studying abroad, including the country you want to study in, the major you want to apply for, etc.
1) In terms of major, whether to continue to choose the major you studied in your undergraduate degree, or to apply for intermajors (of course, it will become more difficult to apply for intermajors). Of course, this requires you to consider your own preferences and employment goals according to your own situation.
For example, I am passionate about doing scientific research, and I always regard my PhD as the end point of my studies. Compared with the first master's degree, the undergraduate direct doctoral degree has advantages in terms of time cost and cost, so I finally chose the direct doctorate.
The difficulty of undergraduate direct doctoral degree is much higher than that of graduate school, so students who want to have undergraduate direct doctoral degree must plan well in advance.
2) Whether you take IELTS, TOEFL, French, German, Russian and other language tests in the language score test mainly depends on your country of study, and the major direction such as choosing business, engineering, law, etc., determines the choice of professional test (GMAT, GRE or LSAT, etc.).
3) When choosing a country, my main considerations include budget, consumption Xi, living Xi habits, and cultural atmosphere.
2.Learn about the school system in different countries and regions:
1) United Kingdom. The academic system is divided into research-oriented and taught-oriented.
XiDuration: Teaching type: September to December, mainly [teaching], [discussion], [, some require participation in practical Xi or practice, and there may be half a year of graduation project time. (Some schools will have a pre-master course as a preparation for the master's course, and students with poor backgrounds can consider passing the exam and can directly enter the master's Xi.)
Research: 1-2 years of laboratory research Research** Major: There are many science and engineering majors.
Features: short, flat and fast, there are more schools, but I care more about the background and average score of the undergraduate school, the cost is medium, it takes about 30-500,000 yuan to complete it in a year (London is very expensive), and the probability of staying in the UK has increased after the visa policy has been revised.
2) Hong Kong, China.
Xi duration: 1-15 years. It can be regarded as a cost-effective degree. It takes about 200,000-400,000 yuan to complete it in a year (the tuition fee for business is more expensive). HKU, Hong Kong Science and Technology, Hong Kong Chinese, etc. are all very excellent universities, and employment advantages.
3) Singapore.
Xi length: MBA: 12-18 months;Other master's programs: 12-18 months, generally one year for taught master's programs.
However, there are very few schools, the new National University + Nanyang Polytechnic + Management University, and other schools are not well-known and not highly recognized when they return to China. Most students consider applying to these three schools, so the competition is very fierce, and it is recommended that students with 985211 background + average score of 85+ soft background apply.
4) United States. Xi duration: 1 year, 15 years, 2 years (most common), 3 years for individual design projects;Features: There are many schools, many choices, focusing on diversity of backgrounds, and students with shortcomings can also apply to good schools. The quality of education is high, the tuition fee is expensive, and the length of study is long, and common graduate students generally need to prepare 40-500,000 yuan a year.
3.Recognize the importance of GPA
Let's take a conclusion: GPA is the most important factor in an application!
1) Have a high grade point = you have good Xi ability and a good Xi attitude.
2) High grade point + practical Xi, scientific research + extracurricular activities, etc., a series of affairs that need to be coordinated, that is, good grades, rich activity experience = strong learning Xi ability, and high comprehensive quality ability.
Therefore, during college, you must not relax your grip on your GPA, especially for professional courses related to the major you want to apply for studying abroad in the future, preferably with a high grade class rank, or an assignment score that can be spoken (such as completing a certain project, making a certain model, etc.).
Even if your undergraduate school is not good, a good GPA can turn you around!
4.Be sure to get involved in activities both on and off campus
On-campus and off-campus activities are the icing on the cake. In addition to academic Xi results, participating in on-campus and off-campus activities is also a proper plus. If you are slightly dissatisfied with your GPA, you can also save the country through activities.
According to my application experience, it is not about the number of activities inside and outside the school, but about the essence, as long as you can extract a point from it that can reflect your unique ability. It can be paired like this:
1) Join the student union, clubs and other organizations on campus.
2) Participate in large-scale events.
3) Participate in activities related to your application, such as public welfare activities, volunteer teaching, fundraising, etc.
5.Xi started in sophomore year
Personally, I would suggest starting your sophomore year to find some Xi positions.
For domestic undergraduate students, the courses in the first two years of college are relatively basic, and the junior and senior years begin to delve into the content of professional courses. The freshman and sophomore years are relatively less stressful.
For example, the Ph.D. in computer science I applied for, of course, whether it is a PhD or a master's degree, is not like the college entrance examination, and you can work hard to improve your overall score. Different institutions or professors have their own admission preferences, and there is no unified standard at the macro level. However, there are still some more fixed application rules for reference.
At that time, I actively looked for big name Xi to enrich myself, and finally got a Xi offer from ByteDance.
It is important to note that there is not much in the real Xi, and it can be related to the undergraduate major or the graduate major you want to apply for.
If it involves the cross-major application of graduate students, making practical Xi experience related to the graduate application major will make the applicant school think that you have the foundation and determination to enter a new discipline, and if you are admitted, you can quickly adapt to the Xi content of the new major.
At the same time, there is an added benefit of the real Xi, you need to have a letter of recommendation in the process of applying to the school, and the supervisor of the real Xi is a good recommendation.
6.Language test (TOEFL IELTS.
Preparation for a language exam is a long-term and planned process. So it's hard to prepare from your freshman year.
In fact, most of the students have been preparing for it since their sophomore year. For example, a lazy cancer patient like me doesn't have that much self-control, and I only started to assault after my sophomore year. Or many students only decide on the country of study in the second year of college, and then prepare for the language test.
There is also a reason (especially for Chinese students) that there are certain test-taking skills for language exams.
So to a certain extent, focusing on "assault" for a period of time to prepare for language scores can actually get a good score (of course, when I say "assault", I don't mean letting everyone sharpen their guns a month before the exam).
1) In my opinion, it is usually better to spend a few thousand yuan to enroll in a class for intensive training and then prepare for the exam than to learn by yourself.
From the first time I came into contact with the TOEFL test content to the second time I prepared, the battle line in the middle was relatively long, and each time I was consolidating my knowledge from scratch again and again, and at the same time, my energy was a little slack. Therefore, "assault" learning Xi can be more focused on the other hand. And be sure to concentrate on training and mock exams in a "short-term" period before the exam.
2) Also, I recommend using your sophomore year to prepare for exams and brush up on grades.
Most students have experienced TOEFL or IELTS scores, and if you apply to schools in your junior year and brush your scores at the same time, the pressure will be really great and the process will be painful. If you have an exam plan in the past two years, you must pay attention to the open status of the exam seat in time and seize the opportunity to test the language. Prepare for everything in advance and leave room for yourself.
7.Professional exams (GMAT, GRE, LSAT...)
In addition to the language test, most students of most majors should also prepare for the GMAT, GRE, LSAT and other professional exams corresponding to their chosen major.
I believe that the main reason for preparing for the language test first and then preparing for the professional exam is that the preparation for the language test lays the language foundation for the professional exam. Let me give you a brief introduction:
1) Most business schools will require a GMAT score (ideally 700 points), mainly quantitative reasoning (mathematics), textual logical reasoning (Chinese), analytical writing, and integrated reasoning (logic).
On the basis of language, GMAT increases the assessment of candidates' logic, calculation, writing and other abilities, which not only requires candidates to be able to read the text, but also requires candidates to be able to eradicate their logical analysis and other abilities to answer questions. Although the time to do the GMAT test is really tight, I personally think that the GMAT is more technical than the IELTS and TOEFL, and it is easier to get a high score.
2) Most science and engineering programs, STEM programs will require GRE scores (ideally 320 points), and many graduate schools and business schools in the United States require applicants to submit test scores to assess the potential of applicants. At the same time, GRE scores are also an important reference factor for awarding scholarships and grants. GRE has three main sections: Analytical Writing, Chinese, and Mathematics.
3) The LSAT is required to apply for a JD in Law (a career-oriented degree called a Ph.D., but similar to a master's). (Strange said that Zhan Qingyun's application for Harvard JD was this test).
8.Actively look for exchanges
For a PhD application at CS, it is important to have a multidimensional experience of the individual. Compared with the painstaking "dead" three-dimensional, I suggest that you should also do some exchanges and exchanges, both at home and abroad, at least you can contact some research projects, and show a more three-dimensional you to the target university.
Before I applied, I had accumulated a total of two exchange programs, NYU Summer Research & Peking University Research.
However, for the application, the gold content of overseas summer research is higher than that of domestic scientific research. Because the undergraduate exchange experience abroad will, to a certain extent, make the applicant think that the applicant has the experience of living abroad, which may be better adapted to the study abroad life and improve the probability of admission.
However, the epidemic has been serious recently, and everyone should pay attention to their own safety first, and secondly, it is not very convenient to exchange during the epidemic, which is time-consuming, labor-intensive and costly. Generally speaking, overseas exchange experience is not necessary, so there is no need to worry if you don't have it.
9.Find an agent or DIY yourself?
There are three main types of application process: DIY, semi-DIY, and full agency.
It is too difficult to get a direct doctorate, and you can't do it by yourself, so you can completely entrust the application process to the intermediary.
During the process, relevant materials will be prepared according to the arrangement of the applicant teacher. The biggest advantage of applying to find an agent is that you can get comprehensive information, reduce time, waste of time, and save yourself trouble.
But you also need to keep your eyes peeled, if you are cheated, it will be one more complaint for the agent, but for you, it may affect your entire academic plan. So learn more about the intermediary, how long-sighted, everything is guaranteed by the contract!!
Regarding the point of finding an intermediary, if you want to find an intermediary if the economy allows, my advice is to keep your eyes open, learn more about the comparison, and choose the service that suits you.
10.Online application must be made as early as possible
Many schools have different online application processes and the specific requirements for the required materials, DIY friends can check the relevant requirements on the school's official website when applying, and find friends who are looking for an agent, your agent will tell you what materials to provide, but you still have a long mind to supervise. I won't repeat it here.
Most schools have two or three rounds of online application:
The rule of most applications is that the first round of applications will be relatively easy, because of the large number of places, and at the same time, the screening criteria of the applicants are not so strict compared to the later stage, and getting a scholarship is generally a round 1 application. Therefore, the online application must be started as early as possible to strive for more application opportunities.
11.Submit an online application!
Prepare all of the above, as well as application materials, and you can submit your online application.
The materials required for the general study abroad application are:
1) Personal statement, resume recommendation letter, essay and other essayal materials that need to be written by yourself;
2) All transcripts and other materials are generally required: original Chinese and English transcripts with the fresh seal of the school or the Academic Affairs Office (not photocopies) 5-6 copies of the Chinese and English certificates of enrollment and the fresh seal of the school or the Academic Affairs Office (for students who have graduated, it is the Chinese and English graduation certificate and degree certificate), 5-6 copies of the Chinese and English score calculation instructions, and the envelope with the fresh seal of the school or the Academic Affairs Office and 5-6 supporting materials and other special circumstances. Some schools may also require you to mail your details, such as:
3) When mailing materials, you can choose UPS, FedEx, DHL, EMS and other four international couriers, usually choose DHL mail.
My suggestion is:
About the Instrument:
There are so many ways to write essays professionally that I won't go into them.
There are two essences to pay attention to: 1. Be sincere and impress the admissions officer;2 Be fluent in language, do not translate from Chinese to English casually, be native.
About GPA:
The importance of GPA to study abroad applications depends mainly on two dimensions:
1.Undergraduate school.
2.Target country region.
Generally speaking, foreign institutions have different attitudes towards 985 211 universities and double-non-affiliated universities, and the impact of GPA on college applications in different countries (such as the United Kingdom and the United States) is also large and small.