The topic doesn't specifically say whether to apply for undergraduate or graduate studies in the United States. I will answer them all.
Time planning of American application
Senior one last semester and winter vacation (preparatory stage)
1, and confirm your intention to study abroad. At this stage, first confirm your willingness to study abroad and evaluate your ability and family affordability. You'd better discuss it with your parents. If you don't understand anything, you can consult your predecessors studying abroad or other more professional people. The idea of studying abroad may come from your parents or yourself, but you must decide as soon as possible.
2, study hard, don't be partial. If you decide to study abroad, you must put your study first and don't be biased. GPA has a great influence on the application.
3. Collect information about studying in the United States and understand the application process ~
4. Extracurricular activities. Extracurricular activities are equally important. Try to exercise and demonstrate your abilities (creativity, leadership or teamwork, etc.). ) In these activities. But don't spend too much time on extracurricular activities. After all, these may be your extra points, but they will affect your academic performance, lead to your low GPA and make your application very dangerous.
5. Have a broad understanding of various subject competitions, participate in some selectively according to your own strength and energy, and give up some, so as to achieve a balanced distribution of energy and time.
6. Prepare for TOEFL or IELTS! Listening, speaking, reading and writing can't fall behind. Make good use of the fragmentation time and plan the review plan reasonably. There are many online materials and review methods, but not every one is suitable for you, so you need to identify and choose the method that suits you. Don't blindly participate in training institutions, and decide whether to train according to your own conditions.
7. If you have the opportunity and conditions to exchange abroad, you can also participate ~
Senior three semester and summer vacation (competition and activity preparation stage)
1、GPA！ GPA！ GPA！ The main theme that runs through the high school stage, still can't be partial, try to improve your grades!
There will be some subject competitions in high school. You can choose some to participate, but you should give full play to your strengths and strive for a better ranking according to your ability and time schedule, which will be extra points in your application ~
3. It is still an extracurricular activity ~ provided that it cannot affect learning. Choosing activities that are meaningful and helpful to your application will also add luster to your future documents.
4. Continue to improve English ability and improve all aspects of TOEFL IELTS! Steady progress!
5. According to your own conditions, if possible, take part in activities such as going abroad for exchanges ~
6. If you think your TOEFL or IELTS review is almost complete, you can try to sign up.
Senior two last semester and winter vacation (competition and activity preparation and preparation stage)
The basic points are the same as the previous stage, and the strengthening of this strengthening is progressing steadily. At the same time, I'm going to sign up for the SAT.
Next semester and summer vacation of senior two (TOEFL and SAT preparation stage)
1-March
Prepare for TOEFL;
Prepare for the first phase of AP and new SAT/ACT.
April
Students who take the ACT exam take the ACT exam;
Students who don't take the ACT prepare for the new SAT in May and June or prepare for SAT2.
May
Test a new SAT, SAT2 or AP.
June
Test the new SAT/ACT；;
Officially start the writing of personal statement, and start the preliminary selection of schools.
July to August
1) Determine the examination situation in September and 10 according to the new SAT/ACT scores;
2) Apply for summer projects, internships and research projects. Before the summer vacation, negotiate with the relevant teachers to write a recommendation letter;
3) You can take the TOEFL again;
4) Register an account on the general application;
5) Choose 3-4 schools that have applied in advance, formally start writing supplementary articles of the schools, and participate in third-party interviews.
September of Senior Three (preparation stage of application materials)
1) At this stage, the application is officially started. If you apply by yourself, you need to take time out, but the premise still cannot affect your study. If you want to find a study abroad institution, you should know in advance, and choosing a reliable institution can save a lot of trouble.
Most students will eventually choose study abroad institutions to help them apply, but it should be noted that there are many institutions in the study abroad industry at present, but not many institutions actually apply. Many institutions simply can't meet the requirements of students because of the defects of their own models. The specific situation can refer to:
Answer under/question/19819872. In short, don't easily find an intermediary, it's not cost-effective. Personal recommendation consultation mode. In addition, students who are concerned about me should know that I am a study abroad consultant (Admitwrite study abroad platform). Although the interests are related, I think I am more professional in the application. If you want a better answer. In short, don't easily find an intermediary, it's not cost-effective. Personal recommendation consultation mode.
/question/2 1246982/answer/ 163987840
Remember a few points:
A) The tutor is the core person in charge of your application, so the significance of choosing an institution is far less than that of choosing a tutor.
B) Tutors must have overseas study experience in famous schools, especially those seniors who apply through diy.
C) If you apply for a master's degree at the undergraduate level, you must also apply for the same major or related majors.
2) Finalize the list of schools applying. Schools need to be graded. Generally speaking, the results are divided into sprint files, main application files and guaranteed files. Don't fill in one grade at a time.
3) You can consult a professional (such as me) or wait for yourself to finish writing the application article for the school in advance.
4) Communicate with referees and write letters of recommendation! Be sure to remember that there are alternate referees. Among the students in charge of our tutor, there have been several referees who suddenly stepped forward. Be sure to prepare an emergency plan in advance to prevent it from being difficult to remedy when the deadline approaches.
5) Prepare proof of family property.
10- 1 1 month senior three (application for sending the first batch of materials)
1) Fill in and submit the online application form.
2) Complete the documents and recommendation letters applied by normal schools and send them by express mail.
3) Send TOEFL and SAT test scores to normal admission schools through official institutions.
4) Submit all supplementary materials to the normal application school.
5) Contact the school by email or telephone to confirm whether all the materials have been received.
6) If you are not satisfied with the SAT or TOEFL score, you can consider retaking the test.
65438+ Senior 3 February (application materials sorting stage)
1) Check the unfinished matters in the previous stage, such as the preparation of similar application documents, the preparation of recommendation letters, the sending of grades, and the preparation of supplementary materials. , and process them and submit or send them out this month.
2) If the school requires an interview, it is necessary to make some preparations for the interview in advance.
3) Around 65438+mid-February, the results of early admission will come out, so wait patiently. If the admission is successful in advance, all the submitted applications can be cancelled. If the application is not delivered, you can choose whether to continue the application according to the policy of early admission to the school.
However, if you fail to enroll in advance, don't lose heart, actively adjust your mentality, maintain a good state, and continue to face normal applications. If you feel uneasy, you can choose schools with late application deadline or rolling admission to continue to join the list of applying schools and complete all application matters.
Senior three winter vacation (waiting for admission results)
1) keep in touch with schools that have no results, but not too often, just moderately.
2) If you are on the waiting list for applying to the school in advance, send the updated status of the latest valuable situation to the school by selectively submitting the form. Take part in academic competitions selectively according to time and energy, and strive to get valuable achievements as status updates and inform the school.
3) Accept possible face-to-face or telephone interviews.
4) Don't worry, keep a good attitude, or concentrate on your studies. Even if you feel hopeless, don't give up learning. After all, there is a college entrance examination waiting for you. ...
Next semester of senior three (decision-making stage after admission)
1) Generally, from mid-March to early April, all applications will have results. What you can do is to accept them frankly, don't lose heart when rejected, and actively prepare for the next study and face the college entrance examination.
If you get the offer, you should choose a successful school as soon as possible and reply to the only institution you are willing to attend. At the same time, you should fill in whether you want to attend by email or receipt from the school, and express your heartfelt thanks to the school that has accepted you but is unwilling to go.
For the favorite institutions that are still on the waiting list, send a letter to update their valuable performance. You can't wait for a reply from this school silently. You must choose a school before the deadline, otherwise the admission will be cancelled.
2) Fill in the admission form, send the check-in fee back to the school, and handle matters such as dormitory selection.
3) Apply for a passport at the Public Security Bureau.
4) Choose whether to take the college entrance examination according to personal interests and strength.
Graduation from senior three (preparation stage before departure)
1) You can make an appointment for a visa in April. There will be specific time on the I-20 form. According to the schedule, prepare the visa answers and related materials, and then go to the consulate to apply for a visa ~
2) What if the visa fails? Don't worry, just start booking the next visa, think about why I failed, and try to pass it as smoothly as possible next time!
3) Prepare luggage, contact the airport to pick up, stay, book air tickets and other matters.
4) Handle bills of exchange and credit cards, and handle future tuition payment.
5) Strengthen listening and speaking practice, understand and learn American culture and customs, and prepare for future American life ~
Postgraduate application (taking the application of 20 17 as an example)
First, the first stage! Exam! Take a test! (20171-July)
1) Prepare for various exams. Professional test scores: applying for science and engineering, liberal arts, education, art and other departments usually requires GRE professional test scores; Applying for an MBA in the Department of Business Administration requires GMAT professional test scores; To apply for the law major, you need to attach the LSAT professional examination results; Applying for medical major requires the results of MCAT professional examination.
TOEFL scores: Foreign students whose mother tongue is not English usually attach TOEFL scores to show their English level. Students who take the TOEFL can ask the Education Testing Service Center to send their transcripts directly to designated schools.
It usually takes 6 to 8 weeks for TOEFL scores to be mailed to the school, and mailing fees are required for entrusted mailing. TOEFL scores are slightly different from school to school, so you can check directly from the school department online or the school department. It is recommended to register early.
2) Take part in extra-curricular activities to improve your background.
Second, document writing, school choice and orientation (2065438+August-September 2007)
1) Select a school and major.
There are more than 3,600 universities in the United States, but only more than 200 often apply. Choosing a school can't just look at the school rankings and professional rankings. Many factors need to be considered, such as geographical location, the length of time required for majors, tuition fees and so on. If you can, you can go to official website to learn about the facilities members of this major and their contact information, so as to get a more intuitive understanding of all kinds of information of the school.
Some students asked me privately about the orientation of choosing a school. I would like to mention here that the orientation of choosing a school requires students to provide accurate background information and clear needs. Tutors can only use their own experience to help you choose a better school according to your conditions and needs. In addition, to be honest, the orientation of choosing a school is the more experienced and high-tech part of the application. You can only give a rough idea by private mail. If you really need help in the application, you can contact our tutor who is studying in Admitwrite. You can also ask customer service to help you arrange a tutor who fits your background to help you analyze and locate.
What I want to emphasize here is the factors that many people often ignore in the process of choosing schools:
1. Understand the enrollment information of each school, including the number of students enrolled, the number of international students, the number of students in China, the average GPA, TOEFL scores, GRE/GMAT scores, etc., so as to screen according to your own situation. If a school enrolls a small number of China students each year and its own conditions are not very good, it is suggested to set aside this quota to choose other schools.
2. Geographical location. This has different requirements for different majors. In order to give full play to their professional advantages, such as finance, some majors need to set up schools in big cities and find more internship opportunities in big cities. If you want to learn cs, there is no doubt that California, where Silicon Valley is located, is the best choice. At the same time, many schools have multiple campuses, so you need to know for yourself. Some schools are far away and have different living habits.
3. Professional academic system. Most schools in the United States have two years of postgraduate study, but some schools do not. Maybe two years in this school and the same major in another school 1 year. Specifically, we should check it in detail in the official website of the school, including the time and what classes to take each semester.
4. Do you need work experience? For example, an MBA requires work experience. In finance, some schools also require work experience.
5. Tuition. Tuition fees will vary according to different geographical locations. According to your tolerance, you can get the corresponding information in official website.
6, understand the professional career development prospects. This is also very important. Everyone goes abroad to study, hoping to find a good job in the future. It is best to have an understanding of the career prospects of your major.
2) Preparation of application documents
The documents for studying in the United States include RL (Letter of Recommendation), resume or CV (Personal Resume) and PS (Personal Statement).
ESSAY (not necessarily different according to different requirements of schools and majors) and writing samples (some majors).
Many students in China write their own letters of recommendation and then ask their teachers to sign them. But to be honest, if it is not awesome, the effect will not be too great, but it is better than nothing. I suggest writing. I won't write the specific writing here, but there are many related answers in Zhihu.
PS many people will find an organization to modify it. This is ok, generally speaking, it won't be too pit (as far as I know). However, it is absolutely not recommended to write on behalf of others, which is basically equivalent to giving your own destiny to others.
It is suggested to refer to the correct PS writing method, then try to write one yourself, and finally find a teacher or institution to modify and polish it. It should be good.
Supplement: American postgraduate study abroad expenses
In order to prevent students from dropping out of school due to lack of financial resources, American research institutions require foreign students to produce documents to prove the source of tuition, fees and living expenses for at least one year. When you estimate the cost of studying abroad, in addition to tuition and fees, room and board, you also need to consider books, clothes, medical insurance, holiday travel and other expenses. Proof of financial resources can come from the bank deposit certificate of the applicant's parents, real estate certificate, personal scholarship, guarantor guarantee, etc.
Some schools will provide proof forms of fixed financial resources for applicants to fill in, and proof of family financial resources should be accompanied by proof of the relationship between bank depositors and applicants. It is suggested that the longer your parents deposit, the better, which can prove that your plan to study in the United States is long and sufficient.
Three. Online application, mailing materials, mailing results and magnetic traps (September-February, 20 17)
Because there will be more application materials, it is often necessary to prepare in advance. Online application is relatively simple. You can master the account password if you apply by yourself, but if you apply through an intermediary, the intermediary may master this information without telling you.
Send materials:
A. The cover letter, together with the school explanation materials, is ready, and now it is sent together. I hope the school will seriously consider and give an answer.
B. application fee. The application fees of American schools are different, ranging from $50 to $65,438+000 on average. Applicants can buy cashier's checks, money orders or pay by bank check in the United States. Whether it is a cashier's check, money order or check, you should write the name of the school you are applying for on your head. The application fee should be sent together with other documents.
C. fill in the application form according to the requirements of the university. You can type it with an electric typewriter if possible. If you fill it out with a pen, be sure to write it clearly.
The length of the application form ranges from one or two pages to seven or eight pages. The application form must fill in the applicant's name, date of birth, marital status, educational background, experience, major and degree. Some schools' application forms also contain records of extracurricular activities and special talents. When filling in the application form, the English spelling of the name should be consistent with the English name in the academic certificate, passport, etc. When filling in the learning experience, you should fill it backwards, that is, write the latest one first and go back year by year.
D. Personal statement and resume, which are related to your scholarship. Be sure to write your strengths and achievements completely and credibly.
E. thesis.
F. The new TOEFL, GRE or GMAT transcripts should be copied, signed and put in the package.
G. If professional papers are attached to the file, it will definitely increase the chances of admission or scholarship.
H proof of financial resources, whether you have money or not, you should fill out this form and put it in the application package.
1. Other materials and documents required by the school. These documents should be prepared and sent by yourself.
The following documents cannot be put in the large envelope mentioned above, and must be sent separately.
A. Three letters of recommendation. Put the three letters of recommendation in three envelopes and ask the professor to sign the envelopes.
B The transcripts in English and Chinese should be sealed with the envelope of the school, and the seal should be signed by the school.
To apply for graduate school, you should attach four years' transcripts and graduation certificates. If the school issues an official English version, it can be directly attached to the application; If the school issues a Chinese version, besides the original Chinese version, it also needs a notarized English version. The report card should have the course name, credits and average grade. The report card should be stamped and sealed by the school.
C. Official transcripts of the new TOEFL, GRE or GMAT must be sent directly to the school by overseas test centers. GRE and TOEFL scores are considered to be officially valid only if they are sent through the test center ETS. Delivery methods include mail, fax and telephone.
On the magnetic cover
You can attract the professor before and after the application. A school chooses two or three professors or associate professors. The school will also arrange relevant telephone interviews. You can make full use of written materials during the interview.
Time of magnetic trap. When is the right time? You have to obey the professor's arrangement. You can go to official website to see how the professor's schedule is, and try to avoid the beginning and end of the semester (note that the semester settings of different schools vary greatly) and holidays (Thanksgiving and Christmas). Generally speaking, if it is set early, it can start in June, but there are advantages and disadvantages. People often set magnets at 10, 1 1, but it's not too late until February after Christmas.
Four. Waiting for the application result (20181-April)
At this time, you should pay attention to check the application status at any time. If there are missing materials that have not been sent, you should make up them at any time. If you can, just wait for the quotation ~
Verb (abbreviation of verb) determines the school and major after receiving the offer (February-April 2065438+2008)
Students who receive admission permits and scholarships will immediately receive the I-20 form from the school. The full name of the I-20 form is the qualification certificate for non-immigrant students (F-1)-applicable to academic and language students. Insform I 20a/B. DSO (Director of Student Affairs Office) is the only official in the school who has the right to issue I-20 forms. It's best to wait until all the school grades have arrived before making a choice.
About the application deadline
The deadline for admission in autumn is from February 65438 to May of that year, and the deadline for admission in spring is from May to August of the previous year. Generally speaking, the more competitive the school, the earlier the deadline. Refer to different school settings.
On circular admission system
Schools that have no deadline for admission will apply for admission in an open way, and there is no certain deadline. The school will consider the application for admission before the admission quota is full. Applicants who intend to study in this school do not have to pay the application fee. After sending the necessary application documents, you should keep in touch with the school to ensure that the other party receives all the information. Usually a few weeks after sending the form, you will receive a notice from the school that you have received the application documents.
Priority application
Priority application or early application is a feature of American graduate school application. Students who choose a school as their first choice can apply in the form of priority application. Because the school gives priority to students who apply first, students who apply first have a greater chance of being admitted. Once you are admitted, you must go to school.
Deciding whether to enter school early is like signing a contract with a school. You can't wait to inform all the applicants before deciding to choose the school you want to enter most. The deadline for priority application is relatively early, generally 65438+February 3 1 every year, and notice will be given within one or two months. If the early application is not passed, the school will transfer the application documents to the general application documents for review.
Alternate admission
In April and May, American universities will send notices to applicants one after another, informing them that they are accepted, rejected or on the waiting list. If the applicant is on the waiting list, it means that the school has not decided whether to accept or reject it. The school will wait until it receives the replies from all the admitted students and know how many people have decided to come to the school, and then wait for the remaining places.
If an applicant is put on the waiting list by a school that really wants to study, he should try his best to win opportunities for himself and keep in touch with the school to deepen the impression of the school on the applicant. During this period, if the applicant has any outstanding performance, it is necessary to supplement the information to the school in time to improve the admission opportunities.
Students who get the offer should not think that things are over, you should be prepared for admission:
1) apply for a passport
Once you receive the admission notice from the school, you can apply for a passport and exit card for personal reasons with the admission notice, household registration book or ID card. At the same time, you can start to prepare all kinds of materials needed for foreign entry visas, including personal education, transcripts, work experience certificates, etc. Personal and family income, funds and property certificates; Proof of family members' relationship, etc.
2) notarization
China citizens applying for studying abroad at their own expense must be notarized. This kind of notarization belongs to the category of foreign notarization. The documents you need to notarize are: birth certificate, education, degree and achievement notarization, experience certificate, kinship notarization and economic guarantee notarization.
3) Visa application
After obtaining a passport, you can immediately apply for an entry visa to the embassy (consulate) of that country to study in China. When applying, you need to fill in the relevant forms, submit the necessary supporting materials and pay the visa fee.
There are generally three ways to pay fees to the school: go to the bank to mail a foreign currency check or bank draft, and remember to leave a copy for yourself; Bank transfer, if the school provides the account number, address and account number of the transfer bank, you may wish to use this method and remember to keep the receipt; Credit card, some schools can accept Visa, Master, AE card, etc. Pay by credit card, don't forget to keep the receipt.
4) Physical examination, booking air tickets and preparing for packing.
Physical examination: before studying abroad, physical examination, immune examination and vaccination against infectious diseases shall be carried out in accordance with relevant state regulations to protect citizens' personal health. In addition, some countries also require applicants to go to designated hospitals for physical examination.
Booking air tickets: when booking air tickets, you should pay attention to the fact that individual countries and cities may need to transfer. Make it clear with the airlines concerned before booking tickets, and determine the time, flight and connecting place.
Packing: In fact, you don't need to bring too many items or clothes to go abroad. Usually foreign daily necessities are also very cheap. Before going abroad, you should leave a copy of your school, accommodation address and contact information for your family to contact.
From applying to preparing for studying abroad, many things are trivial but actually not difficult. The test is the rationality and execution of the application arrangement. If you are looking for an agency to help you, you need to play a supervisory role and keep up with the progress at any time. After all, studying abroad is a matter that consumes brains, money and energy, so we must attach importance to it.