1. How to apply for studying in American middle schools?
First, the application process for studying in the United States in middle schools
1. Choosing a school: When choosing a school, it is recommended not to choose blindly, but to comprehensively consider the characteristics and hobbies of students, as well as the advantages, geographical location and reputation of the school.
2. Prepare for exams: TOEFL, IELTS, SSAT and other exams.
3. Preparation materials: The materials have been introduced above, so I won't repeat them here.
4. Fill in the application form and submit the application: choose a good school and prepare the materials before you can apply.
5. Interview: Applying for an American school requires an interview. Take it easy. Said the interview was more like a dialogue.
6. Receiving the admission notice: you need to reply to the school after receiving the admission notice. I suggest you wait until all the school results come out before replying.
7. Visa processing: After getting the school offer, you can take the exam and start applying for a visa. After you get the visa, you can pack your bags and leave for America.
Second, the conditions for studying in the United States at the middle school stage
1. Age
The minimum age requirement for senior high schools in the United States is 14 years old. Gao Mei is in Grade 9- 12, similar to Grade 3 to Grade 3 in China. Therefore, students from Grade Two to Grade Two in China can apply for admission to American high schools.
2. Achievements of foreign language standardization
To study in American high schools, international students should provide standardized English scores, such as SLEP, TOEFL, IELTS or SSAT. The school determines students' English level through English standardized scores, and then decides whether students need to take ESL language courses and the corresponding scores and course selection. SLEP is specially designed for international students attending high schools in the United States. It is the most basic English test for international students, with scores ranging from 20 to 67. According to the score, it will be roughly divided into three levels: primary, intermediate and advanced. About 20-45 points are elementary, 45-55 points are intermediate and 56-67 points are advanced.
3. Economic situation
Economic conditions are an important factor. American high schools generally do not grant scholarships to international colleges, so the cost of studying abroad is high. The family's current and future economic income is the basic expenditure for children to study abroad, including tuition and living expenses, which will be one of the important basis for families to send their children abroad. If the family economy is relatively difficult, studying abroad is a heavy burden for the whole family, which has a negative impact on students' study, especially in countries where students are prohibited from staying in school and working by law. In recent years, the cost of studying abroad is getting higher and higher, so parents must measure their financial strength when enrolling their children.
Third, secondary school materials for studying in the United States
1. application form.
2. High school attendance certificate and high school transcript.
3. Junior high school transcripts and junior high school diplomas.
4. original text 4. TOEFL and SSAT transcripts.
5. Letters of recommendation from three teachers.
6. Application documents, including resumes and papers.
7. passport.
8. Proof of deposit.
2. Extracurricular activities that American high school students can participate in.
1. Academic extracurricular activities
These study abroad activities in American high schools are often aimed at satisfying students' learning depth in a certain field, and they can learn more content or reach a higher level in this field after class. These activities include Olympic science activities, national honor society, American national honor students, intelligence test groups, library advisory committees and so on. In these activities, students can not only review what they have learned in textbooks, but also learn more knowledge after class.
2. Social activities
The United States attaches great importance to students' sense of social contribution, emphasizing that students are all members of their community, have a big picture and make contributions to this community. Therefore, the school will encourage students to participate in some school and community services and participate in some social volunteer activities. For example, the Red Cross, charities and so on. Students may go to the beach to clean up the garbage together during the holidays, give some public lectures in public places and so on. In the process of these activities, students can gradually cultivate their sense of dedication and overall situation, without the thoughts of China, a little emperor and a rich second generation.
3. Special events
Many schools will offer some special activities according to the requirements and preferences of high school students who go to the United States. Such as FACS club Family Life Skills Group, Culture Club Culture Group, Food Club, Fashion Design Club and so on. Students can even apply to form a new club at school according to their own preferences.
4. Art and sports activities
Students can choose their favorite artistic activities or sports according to their hobbies, such as painting, musical instruments, bands, chorus, cheerleading, tennis team, cross-country activities and so on. This is very helpful to improve students' own literacy, and more like-minded friends can be made through these activities.
5. Capacity training activities
This kind of activity is mainly to train students' leadership, organization, work and communication skills. It is very helpful for students to communicate with others and adapt to society. Such societies include student unions, office assistants, debate contests and so on.
These are some extracurricular activities that American high school students should take part in. These extracurricular activities can not only exercise students' learning ability, but also help to improve their comprehensive quality. These extracurricular activities have played an important role in applying to American universities after graduating from American high schools. Excellent students in American high schools are students with strong learning ability, strong activity ability, ideas and distinctive personality. Therefore, in the process of studying in American high schools, foreign students should also pay attention to participating in extracurricular activities, which is not only helpful for their current study, but also helpful for students to better integrate into society and become outstanding members of society in the future.
3. Common travel modes for studying in the United States
1 bike
Sometimes American students just need bicycles. Some universities located in rural areas need to use bicycles because of their large size. There are many shops, supermarkets and restaurants in the university in the city, which is easy to reach by bike. One thing to note is that if it snows in winter where you live, you must use other means of transportation. Besides a bicycle, you need a good bicycle lock. Cases of stolen bicycles on campus are very common. In some states, you must wear a helmet when riding a bike.
2. Bus
Almost all American cities offer cheap buses. But this may not be a very effective and convenient mode of transportation. In America, buses are sold without tickets. Generally, a ticket costs 50 cents to 2.5 dollars, and you can also buy monthly tickets and prepaid cards. When you take the bus, the driver won't give you change, so you need to bring your own change. If you often use the bus, you need to consider buying a monthly ticket, which will bring you some discounts. American buses don't stop at stations, but only at stations where passengers get on and off. There is no stop announcement at every station, and the way to get off is very different from that in China. When passengers need to get off the bus, they should pull the electric bell on the bus in advance and inform the driver to get off. But it is inevitable that passengers who are not familiar with the route will get off at the wrong station, but there is no need to worry about getting off at the wrong station, because the distance between each station will not be far. Most buses in the United States don't have stop signs, and most small stations have posted timetables, so big stations will have stop signs. Unlike China, bus stop signs in the United States are electronic, which can show the time and the arrival time of the bus. But the disadvantage of American public transport is underdevelopment, especially in small and medium-sized cities. If you live in a big city, you can go anywhere in the city by bus. If you live in a small place or suburb, there are only a few bus lines. In addition, the interval between buses varies from five minutes to half an hour. Only big cities provide 24-hour bus service.
3. Subway
The subway in America has a history of 100 years, but it is not widely distributed in American cities. Only seven cities in the United States have subways, namely new york, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Washington, Philadelphia and San Francisco. Many lines were even built in the early 20th century or even in the19th century, with a long history, but the subway architecture is unique. Among them, there are as many as 37 subway lines in new york and new york, with a total length of 4 16 kilometers, ranking first in the world, while the subway in new york is dirty in the world. New york Metro is also a global 24-hour all-year transportation system.
4. Train
There are basically no railways in the United States. In America, taking a train is usually considered a luxury. Because in many places, train travel is equivalent to a pleasure trip, and many trains seem to be mobile high-end western restaurants and luxury hotels, which are the choice for high-income people to spend their holidays. Many train lines are no longer for public transportation, but more for tourism.
5. Taxi
Taxis are only used in some long-distance trips, and taxis are much more expensive than buses and subways. The number of taxis in the United States is not high, so it is necessary to make an appointment in advance, and the price is expensive. In addition to the taxi fare, there is also a tip from the driver, so it is not cost-effective to take a taxi in America. Studying in the United States, if you need a long trip, you can consider using a taxi to buy a lot of things at the airport. If you want to go out at night, it is safer to take a taxi. You can call in advance to reserve a taxi, and the telephone number of the taxi company can be found in the local telephone book.
6. Drive
You don't need to buy a car unless you live far from school. Although convenient, car maintenance and various expenses are very expensive. In some cities, it is difficult to find parking spaces, and free parking spaces are very limited. Therefore, you should carefully consider whether it is worthwhile before buying a car. Besides, you must have a valid driver's license.
7. Rent a car
There are many car rental companies in the United States, such as udget, Enterprise, National, etc., which are large global chain car rental companies, with dozens of branches all over the country, and some have counters in airports, large hotels and other places where people often stay. Car rental companies offer many models, from Toyota and Nissan in Japan to Ford in the United States, and then to Mercedes-Benz and BMW in Germany. In addition, they also provide other vehicles, such as vans, Lincoln super-long cars for weddings, cabinet vans for moving and recreational vehicles called "RV". Car renters can book car models by phone or online, and then they can go on the road after getting off the plane. Large car rental companies have parking lots near the airport and hotels, and provide free buses to and from the airport and parking lots for car renters. It is also convenient for customers to return their cars, as long as they return to any branch of the car rental company, or even rent a car in this state and return it to another state. Car rental in America is priced by the day. The rental fee for a small car is only about $30 a day. If you book in advance, you can get a 20% discount, and the weekly rent and monthly rent are half price. Tip: You only need two things to rent a car in America, one is a credit card and the other is a driver's license.
8. school bus
In residential areas in the United States, people often see some orange buses coming and going between the streets in the morning and evening, sending their children to school in the morning and sending them home in the afternoon. These unique large buses are school buses used by American primary and secondary schools to pick up and drop off students for free, which are called School Bus in English.
According to the statistics of the US Department of Transportation, there are currently 440,000 such school buses shuttling between residential areas and schools in the United States, picking up and dropping off 25 million primary and secondary school students every day; A year later, the number of primary and secondary school students transported by these school buses reached 654.38+0 billion. Generally speaking, students who go to school by school bus account for 54% of all primary and secondary school students in the United States every day. The rest are mainly picked up by parents themselves, but a small number of them walk.
Bicycle, bus, subway, car, train, taxi, school bus, etc. They are all common ways for American students to travel.
4. Problems that should be paid attention to when studying in the United States
1. Pay attention to distance when talking about study and life in America.
When talking to Americans, keep your body distance from each other. A distance of half a meter is more suitable. When you chat with an American, if he goes straight ahead, you may be a little far away from him; If he keeps backing away, you may be too close to him, so keep a proper distance.
Don't greet people who study and live in America.
According to experts studying in the United States, people in China greet acquaintances loudly to show their enthusiasm, while public places in the United States are relatively quiet and people talk quietly. They don't usually shout unless there is an emergency. See acquaintances also approached to say hello.
3. Talk about keeping eye contact when studying in the United States.
Keep eye contact when talking to Americans. Cold eyes or looking at other places will leave Americans with the impression of distrust and arrogance. Therefore, it is very important to keep smiling eye contact when dealing with Americans. If a stranger walks up to you and smiles at you, he will say "hello". It's just a courtesy, but it doesn't mean that he will stop talking to you.
You can't play jokes on them when studying in America.
Some students in China sometimes tell a white lie or joke, which is considered normal. However, in the United States, if you lie to him or joke that he is dishonest, these words will make Americans unhappy, because the United States is a nation that stresses credibility, and their economic and social status is based on personal credibility. They can't stand the lack of credibility of others.