USNEWS:美国大学申请过程中的四个关键点

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By Indira Pranabudi

作为一名未来的国际学生,也许你已经考虑到出国留学一段时间了,但还没有决定去哪个国家。当然,有许多国家都拥有一流的大学。

然而,美国大学与许多其他国家的大学有一些不同之处,尤其是在本科入学过程中。美国没有一个集中的招生程序。正如你可能已经知道的,你可以申请任何你想要的大学;在美国,不像许多国家,美国没有一个集中的招生程序,这可能是好事也可能是坏事。

当然这更可能是一件好事,因为它给了你更多选择学校申请的自由,但它也意味着你要做更多的工作,因为你需要为不同的大学准备不同的申请。

如果你想找一个有更多机会的地方学习,那么美国可能是你的理想选择。你不仅可以认识世界各地的人,而且可以成为一个全面的人。但国际学生应提交不同的入学资料,并权衡美国大学的各种申请选项。国际学生可能会惊讶于美国的大学寻找全面的申请人,并且通常在课程和专业上都很灵活。

可见美国大学申请是一个变幻莫测的过程,你不知道到底会发生什么事情。但USNEWS的专栏作家还是给你总结了一些应该注意的事项。且看原文吧。

As a prospective international student, maybe you’ve been thinking about studying abroad for some time, but haven’t decided yet which country to go to. There are, of course, many countries with top-notch universities.

However, there are some ways that U.S. universities differ from those in many other countries, especially when it comes to the undergraduate admissions process.

1. The U.S. does not have a centralized admissions process. 

As you may already know, you can apply to any university you want, and to as many universities as you want, in the U.S. Unlike many countries, the U.S. does not have a centralized admissions process, which can be both a good and bad thing.

It’s a good thing because it gives you more liberty and freedom in choosing which schools to apply to, but it also means much more work on your part, because you then need to prepare different applications for different universities.

If you are looking to study somewhere with a wider variety of opportunities, then the U.S. could be the right place for you. Not only do you get to meet people from all around the world, but you also can become a well-rounded person.

2. Many colleges give the ability to apply early decision. 

Applying early decision is another concept that is pretty foreign to students outside of the U.S. Basically, if you really like a university and are set on that university as your top choice, early decision gives you the opportunity to apply and be accepted at an earlier date to that university.

However, there are certain restrictions. You can typically only apply early decision to one university, and are required to attend if you are admitted.

The chances of getting accepted through early decision are higher than applying through the normal admissions processes, and getting accepted through early decision helps you avoid a stressful spring waiting for admissions decisions.

3. U.S. colleges employ a holistic admission process.

Unlike that of universities in some other countries, the admissions process for U.S. universities is rather difficult. Students need more than just good grades to get accepted into top-notch universities.

Most U.S. college admissions committees believe that students need to do well academically as well as participate in extracurricular activities. And even if you are a chemistry major, you will still need to take classes in subjects like history and sociology.

This requirement to be well-rounded means that U.S. college admissions offices typically ask students for  a number of things as part of an application, including SAT or ACT scores, TOEFL results, recommendation letters and personal statements and essays.

The personal statement is a type of essay where ​applicants​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ can highlight traits or information​ that might not be​ expressed on​​ a transcript. It’s a chance to show a different side of yourself, and a chance to differentiate yourself from the crowd.

Although this makes the application process somewhat more difficult, it can also make it easier. Maybe you didn’t do as well in terms of academics, but showed passion and dedication through related activities outside of the classroom. There is still a possibility that the university will show interest in you and give you a chance.

4. U.S. colleges offer a variety of majors and don’t require students to declare immediately.

I personally found it very interesting that students at many U.S. colleges can attend university as an “undecided” major – up to the end of their second year, in some cases. In contrast, the education system in my home country asked that applicants most definitely have a concrete idea of what they want to study and what they want to do with their lives by the time they apply.

In fact, applying to universities in my home country means applying to a specific program. However​, in my experience, U.S. universities give students the first two years to experiment with different courses and see what they are most interested in – which means students are less likely to waste money doing things they don’t enjoy.

There is also an incredibly wide range of courses and majors to choose from at U.S. colleges. This can be overwhelming at first, but on the other hand, it lets you explore many more fields. It also gives you the opportunity to learn things you would never have the opportunity to learn outside the U.S., and how to think through different perspectives.

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