評論
打印
Part 1 Helpful Tips for Choosing a US School 如何選擇學校
For most Chinese university students, the US is a favorite destination for further education. But apart from obstacles such as the GRE and TOFEL exams, choosing a good graduate school is no easy take. Admission is very competitive for international students, so it's important to apply to a number of institutions to have a reasonable chance of acceptance. Since the application to most universities requires a certain fee, Chinese students usually choose 7 to 15 universities according to their financial circumstances.
To broaden one's chances, at least one third of the applications should be to less selective schools. Applicants shouldn't limit their choices to the most renowned institutions. Furthermore, one shouldn't rely too much on college rankings. The right school is the one that best meets your own personal needs and interests, rather than someone else's assessment of an institution's prestige.
Usually choices are based on one's personal interests and academic background, but it's important to make sure that one's chosen subject it catered for. Those who want to transfer to a new field must pass certain exams on the subject first.
It is important to make sure that the department has at least some recognition, in the specific field. a well-known professor will be helpful to one's study as well as personal development.
Sometimes it helps to limit the search to one region of the US, such as the east or the west coast, before looking for schools that match other requirements. The most important factors in choosing a location are climate and living costs.
Costs are higher in large cities like New York and Boston. In contrast, they are much lower in the south and in cities like Pittsburgh and Seattle.
The most popular states for international students are New York, California, Massachusetts, Ohio, Florida, Michigan, New Jersey, and Texas.
選擇學校可以說是申請出國留學這萬里長征的第一步，是否走對這第一步直接關系到整個申請過程是否順利，選擇學校的失誤可能會使有著很強的Qualification的人申請幾年仍舊滯留國內，相反條件并不優越的人卻所向披靡。下面所提的建議也許會對你有所幫助：
a.首先要正確估計自己的英語水平，根據自己的英語情況選擇合適的學校。
b.了解所選學校的教學、科研水平及專業設置情況是否與自己所學專業和所從事的研究相近，從而避免因專業不對口所帶來的諸多麻煩。
c.了解學校的入學要求、錄取標準、競爭情況及申請的截止日期等，客觀地估計自己是否符合該校的錄取標準及條件，有無較強的競爭力等。美國的許多大學對外國學生入學都有具體的要求，要注意各校的不同要求。
d.了解學校的各種費用及經濟資助情況，即你的經濟情況是否能夠支付你在該校的學習、生活費用。同時，還要注意申請經濟資助的條件和要求，以衡量自己的實力。e.還要注意學校所在地的氣候、風俗習慣等自己能否適應。
要想到美國留學，第一步自然是要找到美國大學和研究院所的基本信息和有關資料，否則申請留學的一切事宜均無從談起；第二步則是在眾多的美國學校和研究院所中，選擇自己比較喜歡并且條件也較合適的進行申請。所以，要到美國留學，首先要做的工作，一是“找”、二是“選”。比起以前，現代信息社會使找選美國大學和研究院所的工作容易得多、快速得多。
不過，最現代、最快捷的途徑，是到電腦網站去查找。美國的許多電腦網站都提供美國大學和研究院所的資料，查找起來非常快速方便，而且分類科學、資料詳盡，很受人們歡迎。我們在網站上為大家列出了一些較為著名的美國院校資料網站，有這方面需要的朋友們可以到上面查詢。
美國院校資料網站：
（1） Yahoo.com(http://www.yahoo.com/edu)網站有大量美國大學和研究院所的資料。到該網站上查詢，幾乎美國所有的高等院校和研究院所都可查到。不過，在該網站搜索引擎進行查找，必須逐級搜索，比較繁瑣，以下電腦網站更專業化，查找效率更高，不妨一試。
（2） U.S.NewsOnline(http://www.usnews.com/edu)網站提供有非常詳盡的美國大學資料，包括全美大學的最新排名，各個大學的鏈接網址，從中可以查到各學校的專業介紹、入學日期、獎助學金提供情況，以及與校方取得聯系的方法等。同時，該網站還提供美國大學生學習與生活的介紹。申請者可以根據學校名稱、專業或希望就讀的州展開搜索。
（3）Gradschools.com（http://www.gradschools.com）網站是專門用來查找美國大學研究生院的。它按具體的研究專業、學科類別和專業目錄三種分類方式進行搜索。對想去美國讀研究生的申請者來說，該站點可以幫助找到希望的留學院校。
（4）Collegeboard.com（http://www.collegeboard.com）網站資料豐富，無論想去讀哪類大學，該網站都能給於滿意的結果。查找者可根據希望攻讀的學位、專業、學校所在地，選擇所要就讀的學校，并可以在網上索取與填寫申請資料表格。
（5）Study in theUSA（http://www.studyusa.com）網站是專為留學生提供服務的站點，可以按字母的種類或地理位置兩種分類方法對學校進行搜索。同時，該網站還有美國大學的專題報道，介紹各大學的情況，對選擇學校很有幫助。
（6）American Education Magazine（http://www.iesed.com）網站的內容相當豐富，主要提供留學輔助性知識，如怎樣選擇大學、獎學金申請辦法、住宿情況、醫療保險等，非常有助於事先了解美國大學的學習與生活狀況。
（7）Student.com（http://www.student.com）網站主要介紹美國大學生的學習與生活，發布美國大學校園的最新消息、美國政府的教育政策，以及美國教育人士的觀點等。
（8）Peterson's Guide（http://www.petersons.com）教育服務公司網站，主要內容包括美國大學的清單、校園新聞、專題討論、條件查詢等。
（9）Colleges and Universities（http://www.mit.edu）網站提供全球八十多個國家的三千多所大學信息。該網站按地理分類，詳列各國大學名單，并以鏈接到各校主頁的方式，提供查找各大學的信息服務。在實際操作中，只要選擇國家，如美國，便可查詢到全美大學的網址。
Part 2 Visa 留學簽證
Almost every Chinese applicant ahs experienced “standing kungfu”, that is to say, having to stand in the visa hall for two hours while waiting to be interviewed. Although there are some chairs and a water cooler, most applicants have to stand in line with a certain color card in front of a certain window. Why not provide chairs for all, or at least benches? When queried, an American embassy official pointed out that at that very moment some 200 applicants were waiting to be interviewed. If people were seated, they would move slowly. Besides, there is not enough room for a lot of furniture. “Nonetheless, you will notice that people here are well behaved. It’s not as crowded as a typical train station. Of course, we have two staff members to keep order,” he said. Even the rudest people pull in their horns under the strain of uncertainty. Those who get visas seem instantly to forget their exhaustion, whereas those who are rejected succumb to it completely.
The visa officers are frequently criticized for not explaining why applications are rejected. To this the American embassy official replies: “We actually do tell applicants why they don’t qualify for a visa. In order to help them we also have written explanations. Sometimes they want to know more, particularly about what they can do, what documents they can show to qualify for a visa. But it’s not our policy to make suggestions. Our rule is that the applicants themselves must persuade us that they have a situation here in China which would lead them to return.”
Some Americans feel that their Chinese friends have been refused without good reason and want to come to the embassy to complain. Is this useful? “Since most American citizens are not familiar with US visa laws, their coming here is useful in the sense that we can take the opportunity to explain the law” said the embassy official.
說起辦理赴美簽證，不少人都會搖頭說難，赴美簽證難辦已經成為人們的共識。有人開玩笑說現在拿到赴美簽證比登月還難。那么到底辦理赴美簽證難在哪兒？如何才能順利獲得簽證？ 首先，接受面談很重要。中國是赴美留學的第三大國。中國人去美國留學必須辦理赴美非移民簽證，簽證程序中的面談是所有申請人最為關注的一個環節，面談不通過就無法前往美國。幾乎每個申請赴美簽證的中國人都體驗過“站功”，就是在簽證大廳里站上兩個小時面談。
有些人認為美國的簽證面談很嚴，要從簽證官手上拿到簽證不是一件容易的事。有的人覺得很容易，而且現在通過簽證面談之后，立刻就能夠拿到簽證了。 不少人認為，拿到美國大學簽發的I-20入學證就表示可以進入美國大學了。但美國大學并不能決定你是否符合到美國的條件。I-20入學證只是表示美國大學邀請你去念書。并非所有來申請的人都能獲得簽證，大概有將近70%的人都能得到學生簽證。
美國的研究顯示，到美的中國留學生有85%到90%的人最后留在美國找工作。如果在面試時，他們被發現、認為有這個意圖，就一定會被拒簽。根據美國移民和國籍法規定，留學簽證申請人必須證明他在美國完成學業后會離開美國。如果簽證官相信他們留美的目的是念完書就回中國的話，那就會批準簽證。
申請簽證時千萬不要編造文件和理由。否則可能會讓你永遠喪失拿到簽證的資格。如果你的真正目的就是去迪斯尼樂園玩一趟或探望親戚，那就不要編造什么商業理由去美國。按照規定，每位外國人在申請入境時，必須能使領事官員確信申請人有非移民的資格，否則將視為移民。
下面我們給大家總結了一些簽證常見術語：
surname 姓，也就是last name；
first (given) name 名；
sex 性別；
birth date 出生日期；
nationality 國籍；
expiry date ( 或 before) 失效日期(或必須在...日之前入境)；
for stays of 停留期為......
passport No. 護照號；
control No. 編號；
Issue At 簽發地；
Issue Date (或On) 簽發日期；
visa type(class) 簽證種類。
拿到簽證以后可別光顧著高興，別忘了一定要核對上面所說的簽證內容，發現問題及時解決。
Part 3 Guide to Studying Abroad 留學指南
Dialogue Script 1 對話原文 1
Brown: Hello, there. You must be Li Ming. Please come in.
Li: Hi, Mrs. Brown, nice to meet you.
Brown: All right now... Let's see. Now, you're interested in attending university in the USA, is that right?
Li: Yes, and I have a lot of questions to ask you.
Brown: Okay, but before I begin to answer your questions, I need to ask you a few questions first. Hmm...now, your major is...
Li: Engineering, Mechanical Engineering.
Brown: OK, I see. And, where did you graduate?
Li: I graduated from Xi'an Jiao Tong University in July 2000. I completed my bachelor's degree. And I got my certificate of CET-4.
Brown: Alright. Now, I'm assuming you want to continue studying in your major. Am I right?
Li: Actually. I'd prefer to do an MBA if possible. But if I have no other choice, I'll go on with my major.
Brown: Okay. Now, are you familiar with the requirements for an MBA degree?
Li: Yes, I'll have to do well on the GMAT, and I'll definitely need to take TOEFL or IELTS, right?
Brown: You're right. You'll need at least 600 on the TOFEL or 6.5 on IELTS. In addition, you need to have completed a bachelor's degree, too. Have you taken the GMAT yet?
Li: Not yet, but I plan to do it in August.
Brown: The requirements for a Master's degree in Engineering are a little different. You'll need to take GRE and of course the TOFEL or IELTS.
Li: I see. When do I start to apply?
Brown: The best time to start the application process is in November or December of the year prior to your intended year of study. Application forms are available in September and October.
Li: Which schools in Canada offer the MBA degree?
Brown: About twenty. Here's a small booklet summarizing Canadian university programs. You'll find the information you need on page 22.
Li: Great! Thanks a lot. By the way, how about the tuition and scholarships?
Brown: Tuition for MBA programs has been steadily increasing. Some of the universities now charge the full tuition, which means there is no government subsidy. Those universities cost about $10,000 per year-and it's a two-year program. Other universities are still government subsidized, so the tuition is $4,500 per year. In terms of scholarships, usually the top 5 students entering the MBA program are given a generous scholarship. All other students have to pay the full fees. International students have to pay the full tuition-that's $10,000 per year.
Li: Oh. Is it very difficult to get into an MBA program?
Brown: Yes, actually the competition is very tough. MBA students have a pretty easy time finding a good job. So , many students are eager to do the program thinking it will guarantee them success in their careers.
Li: Well, it sure does sound like an excellent way to start a promising future. Um..What is the school year like?
Brown: Classes begin in September each year and finish before Christmas. They resume after New Year and finish at the end of April.
Li: And after April?
Brown: Why, that's your summer holiday.
Li: Sounds great! Thank you very much. I really appreciate for your help.
Brown: You'e welcome. And, if you have any other questions, please feel free to contact me. You know my number, right?
Li: I sure do. Thanks a lot.
Brown: You'e welcome, bye.
講解：
1.對話中，李明在跟Mrs. Brown咨詢到美國留學會面臨的各種問題。attend university, 上大學，我們也學過go to college這個說法，也是可以的。college一般指專科學院或綜合性大學中的一個學院，在美語中college也用來指大學，而univer sity一般是指綜合性的大學。
2.下面再來說說attend這個詞，這里表示“參加；出席，到場”，例如：attend chool 上學；attend a lecture 聽講課；attend church 去教堂attend (at) a wedding 出席婚禮；attend a meeting出席會議，等等。還可以表示“關注，注意”，常和介詞to聯用。例如：We'll attend to that problem later. 稍后我們將關注那個問題。
3. 李明 2000年畢業于西安交通大學的機械工程系，獲得了學士學位，并且通過了國家英語四級考試，看來他還是有一定英語基礎的。CET就是我們平常所說的大學英語等級考試，是College English Test的開頭大學字母縮寫。CET是針對非英語專業考生的一種考試，而針對英語專業考生的考試是TEM，也就是Test for English Majors的開頭大寫字母的縮寫。
4. 李明想到美國讀MBA課程，他說I'd prefer to do an MBA if possible. do an MBA，是指“讀MBA課程，碰巧的是，這里的動詞do跟漢語的動詞“讀”發音一樣，這樣大家就好記了。if possible，如果可能的話，是一個固定短語，大家可以拿過來直接用。
5. go on with something，繼續做某事，如果讀不了MBA，那就繼續讀本專業的研究生。Mrs. Brown問李明對MBA課程的要求熟不熟悉呢？be familiar with something，熟悉某事，那么我們在familiar前面加一個前綴，就變成be unfamiliar with something，不熟悉某事，例如：I'm unfamiliar with the roads here. 這的路我不熟。
6. 李明對就讀MBA課程的要求很熟悉，首先要靠好GMAT，并且一定要通過托福或雅思考試。GMAT是Graduate Management Admissions Test的開頭大寫字母縮寫，就是研究生管理學入學考試，美國、英國、澳大利亞等國家的高校都采用GMAT考試的成績來評估申請入學者是否適合于在商業、經濟和管理等專業的研究生階段學習。托福考試大家都很熟悉了，是Test of English as a Foreign Language，是為赴美國、加拿大等國學習的非英語國家學生提供的英語能力考試。
7. GRE是Graduate Record Examination的開頭大寫字母縮寫，就是美國研究生入學考試，它適用于除了法律與商業以外的各種學科與專業的研究生考試。IELTS，全稱International English Language Testing System，國際英語水平測試系統，是為到英語主導教學語言國家的高等教育機構就讀而設的語言測試制度，也用于測試赴英語母語國家（主要指英聯邦國家）定居人士的英語水平。
8. 不僅僅要通過托福或雅思的考試，還要達到一定的分數線，You'll need at least 600 on the TOFEL or 6.5 on IELTS. 就是你的托福考試成績至少要考到600分以上，雅思最低要考到6.5分。某種考試得了多少分，這里用的是介詞on。complete a certain degree，獲得了某種學位。
9. 李明打算8月份去考GMAT，這里用的也是動詞do，表示“參加某種考試”，看來這個do真是萬能動詞阿。大家在平常的學習中一定要注意積累。參加考試也可以用動詞take。
10.那么什么時候開始申請學校呢？Mrs. Brown的建議是The best time to start the application process is in November or December of the year prior to your intended year of study. 開始申請程序的最好時間是你計劃出去學習前一年的11月或者12月。prior to是一個介詞詞組，表示在...之前。
11.李明又問道加拿大有哪些大學提供MBA課程呢？Mrs. Brown給了他一本小冊子，囊括了加拿大大學的課程設置。還有就是關于學費和獎學金的問題，這可能是出國留學的人最關心的問題之一了。
12.讀MBA的學費呢一直在漲價。甚至有些大學現在收全額學費，也就是說沒有任何政府補助。這樣的大學每年收費大約1萬美元，而這些大學的學制是兩年。Those universities cost about $10,000 per year-and it's a two-year program.
13.至于其他的大學呢仍由政府來資助，所以他們的學費就要少很多，大約每年是4500美元左右。subsidize，指“資助，給予津貼”，名詞是subsidy. scholarship是獎學金，那這些大學都對獎學金有什么規定呢？通常是申請讀MBA課程的學生中的前5名獲得一大筆獎學金，其他的學生得付全額學費，國際學生也得支付全額學費，大概每年要1萬美金。in terms of 這個習慣用語表示“在…方面，就…而言”。
14.那申請就讀MBA課程很困難嗎？Is it very difficult to get into an MBA program? get into a program，就讀某個課程，參與某個計劃。實際上申請就讀MBA課程的競爭很激烈，因為拿到MBA學位的學生找工作非常容易，所以很多學生都渴望能得到這種學習的機會，他們認為這種學習會保證自己將來在事業上的成功。guarantee 這個詞是“保證, 擔保”的意思。例如：The rain guarantees a good crop this year. 這場雨保證了今年有好收成。I can't guarantee you anything for now.現在我還不能跟你承諾任何事情。
15.那么學年是怎么劃分的呢？上課時間是每年從9月份開始，圣誕節前結束。新年之后繼續上課，四月底結束課程。resume，做名詞是“簡歷”的意思，作動詞，表示“再繼續, 重新開始, 恢復”，例如：We resumed our work after a rest. 休息之后我們重新開始工作。一般美國的大學在四月底結束課程后，會開始一個summer term，也就是夏季學期，學生們也可以在這個期間選課進行學習。
