How not to go to college USA Bashny.Net

Hello! In view of growing up in recent interest in education abroad, particularly to higher education in the US, I would like to share their experiences in entering the Bachelor of several American universities. Since the set yourself goals I have not reached, then I will talk with the dark side of the issue - the analysis of errors that may prevent an applicant and how to avoid them. I will not go into the details of the admission, since this material is more than enough on the same Habre. I ask all concerned under the cut.

Requirements h4> Before we start talking about mistakes, is to say a little about the procedure of admission. It is slightly more dreary than, for example, the universities of Ukraine. The application generally consists of:

• Document rated
• The results of the exams (SAT / ACT and TOEFL / IELTS)
• Essays
• Recommendations
• The fee for filing
  

  Start h4> Well, for the sake of completeness, back in April 2013.
  My name is Ilya, I am 16 years old. I'm in one of the Ukrainian high schools in physical and mathematical class and decided to enroll in bachelor's degree in the states.
  
  So advice №1:
  
  

  plan to enroll at least one year before the filing h5> In American universities submission of documents for the fall semester begins in the fall and ends in the spring or summer. Time of delivery is directly correlated with your opportunity to do, especially for the top universities. This is primarily due to the fact that there are 2 deadline, and thus the 2 temporal categories of applications: Early Decision / Action and Regular Decision. The formal difference is that Early Decision is created to supply the highest priority in the university, so the contract is signed, which you can not apply elsewhere for Early Decision. Статистика argues that the chances for admission in the ED, with the participation of almost 2 times more. My adviser explained this by the fact that the university vacancies and more money for scholarships, and what motivated me to be supplied to the ED / EA.
  Thus, to improve their chances of admission, it is very desirable to go in the fall.
  
  Since I decided to enroll immediately in several universities (in the end they turned 7), the list of exams that had to pass was a bit wider than usual:
  

  • SAT Reasoning Test
  • SAT Subject Tests (Physics & Math)
  • TOEFL iBT

    A little about exams h4 >
    
    Both the SAT can be taken in Kiev, once a month from September to June. During one attempt, you will have the opportunity to take only one test - either SAT Reasoning test, or SAT Subject Tests (you can take the 3 items at a time). They cost about $ 49 each, the second depends on the number of items that you are going to donate / eventually surrendered. The more time you passed it, the respectively more likely to get a good result. TOEFL likely you can take in your city , it costs about $ 200 and spend a little more often.
    
    So I, like many entrants top American universities require at least two attempts to pass the SAT Reasoning Test & SAT Subject Test. So in April, when I had about 6 more attempts, I decided to take the time and missed the session in May, registering for the June.
    
    Hence the advice №2:
    
    

    Use all attempts to pass the SAT h5> I personally know people who are on the TOEFL 115+ 120, Subject Tests under 800 out of 800, and Reasoning about 2,000 of the 2,400 (the sum of the three sections of 800). And basically there are problems with one section: Critical Reading. In short - it's a job to the proper use of words in context and critical analysis of the text. Basically, all the foreigners were falling exactly on it. One of my friends rented SAT 5 times due to the fact that I could not write it normally Critical Reading. Personally, I am a second time so all scored at least 30 points, although retake it in order to increase the result for this section.
    So do not waste a single attempt and try to clear the maximum - it will play a role in the best universities by type Cornell and Princeton.
    
    

    Summer h4> More practically all summer I was preparing for the TOEFL with one of my native city. I really raised my level of English, especially oral and aural part of it. And I advise you to purposefully prepare for TOEFL, as this though and very competent (in my view), but nevertheless specific exam.
    
    

    Autumn h4> autumn came, and with it a more active phase of admission. At the same time I applied for the program Opportunity , which is very well helped me cope with the costs in the process of filing. I began to prepare for the SAT Reasoning Test and takes almost no remaining chores, including their studies (and after evaluation of the semester also had to send), recommendations, essays. Then I just oblivious prepared in late November and passed TOEFL. As a result, by the end of autumn, I was not ready for anything other than the results of the exams (not the most, by the way, extravaganza):
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    So advice №3:
    
    

    Prepare your teachers h5> Sounds a bit daunting, but the point is to let your teacher know in advance what you are doing in the United States. Application process involves filling out a sufficiently detailed biographical profiles and writing letters recommender. In American schools for this purpose is post counselor - a person who supervises the student during the school years and in the process of admission. It may seem that this is an analogue of the post-Soviet classroom teacher, counselor but not teaching any subjects. Therefore, he has more time and opportunity to do all the work. As for the teachers, then, unfortunately, they often do not want to do anything at all was beyond the scope of their duties (in the US requires the teacher to write you a recommendation). Therefore it is better to agree about everything in advance.
    
    

    Winter h4> To top universities of my results were not enough, so I checked in to the December and the January session of the SAT. It was then that I realized the above error and a little sad. However, in physics now, I was sure, so December 7, 2013 I was in the center of Kiev is well acquainted surrender. The problem was that I was completely broken state.
    
    So advice №4:
    
    

    Be in putting at least one day before the exam h5> If you live in a city where you can take the SAT - it's fine. However, in my case was a variant of the night train, arriving 40 minutes before the start of registration for the exam. Since I'm a very pragmatic person from the perspective of time, I chose 3 times this train. And all 3 times in the night before the exam, I was able to sleep for about an hour. Therefore, I strongly do not recommend you to save time as I - the consequences could be really bad.
    
    Then came the stage of writing an essay. And then I also made the classic mistake of many students of American universities.
    
    Council №5:
    
    

    Write an essay as soon as possible h5> There seems to paint and especially not worth it - worth writing well before the deadline. The biggest challenge and a trap for me disappeared into topics for essays - they seem very simple and straightforward to write an essay on them for 650 words (maximum volume of essays in CommonApp , which is used by most universities) is very simple and does not take much time. However, in this essay you should reveal itself.
    Here, we take, for example, Princeton: there is given a couple of small issues at ~ 150 words and essays on the 650. Plus - total essay CommonApp, which is sent to all the universities where you are filing through it. That is, it's all your golf expressions and explanations universities that you still for a person. Frivolity and then played a cruel joke with me.
    
    January 25 the second time I passed the SAT, and there was a long waiting period for answers from the universities.
    
    

    Spring h4> In March and early April had come to the decision of universities about my applications. For completeness, I present to you my list of high schools in which I filed:
    

    • Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    • Princeton University
    • Cornell University
    • Colby College
    • Macalester College
    • Arizona State University
    • Western Kentucky University
      So advice №6:
      
      

      carefully considered additions to their safety schools h5> We all want to study at MIT, Caltech, Stanford, etc. However, if you have already submitted to the universities to which you just did, you have to take a scholarship, moreover desirable to beat her for several years ahead. Number of applications from foreign students from the best universities rarely goes beyond 5%. It should be clearly understood and not focus only on the top 5 universities.
      
      

      Conclusion h4> In this article I have tried to present their major mistakes and build on the basis of their advice to future applicants. They get 6 pieces, but in fact a list of my flaws and I know a lot more. Hopefully, this article every man for himself finds some useful rake and replenish its treasury ways to get around them.
      
      If you are going to do, then I wish you good luck and success - it really is the goal toward which to strive.
      
      Source: habrahabr.ru/post/230789/