【问答汇总】[寄托在线谈]『去美国前你该知道的那些事儿』

EducationUSAUID: 3347764

Hello everyone!

I am available to answer questions about undergraduate studies and student life in the US. I attend the University of Pennsylvania so if you have specific questions about that school I am very happy to respond to them. I will respond to questions in English.

乔安娜 / Joanna Abaroa

有人要出国UID: 3261976

@Ruben Duran

Hi，I am going to pursue a Ph.D. this fall in America at Virginia Tech. I have a question.
Is it easy to find a job in industry as a foreign student with Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering?

Thank you for your time.

EducationUSAUID: 3347764

大家好！我是EducationUSA China高级教育专员吴迪。很高兴今天能够在这里回答大家的问题。希望能够提出更多更好的问题！

EducationUSAUID: 3347764

homuncilus 发表于 2014-3-24 17:22
NO.2 荷马卖豆浆@Ruben Duran

Hey! Mr.Duran

Hello!

1.) Thank you for your interest.  There are many good ways to improve your language skills, but the most important one is to practice it constantly and consistently.  You may, for example, join a club for English-speaking nationalities (Irish Network of China) or attend programs at the Beijing American Center, which are given in English.  These types of events will give you lots of practice.  You can also watch English-language television programs to practice listening.

2.) Americans prepare for the standardized tests in many different ways - the best way is the way that works for you! For example, some students will take a professional classroom course, while others will purchase software and books for individual study.  There are many resources available at the websites of the respective standardized testing services.

3.)  Academic writing is an important part of higher education, but the requirements will vary by your field of study.  Be sure to do your research with the programs to which you are applying.  For example, if you are applying to a math or engineering major, the requirements may be different from an English or Humanities major.  These will vary by school, so be sure to check the requirements on your school's website.

Thanks!

EducationUSAUID: 3347764

homuncilus 发表于 2014-3-24 17:29
NO.4 AvalAnchexe@卫美妍 (a nice Chinese name really ^^

Thanks for your time.

Thank you!

Yes, in my spare time I enjoy leisure reading. It's a good way to distract yourself from the un-pleasantries of life. But, it is important to balance leisure activities with daily necessary activities such as schoolwork, jobs, etc. I easily get lost in reading and spend hours at a time reading one book, so before I begin a novel I make sure that I have completed any homework, projects, or essays that need to be turned in within a couple days. Usually, I save my "binge readings" for the weekends when I have much more free time.

EducationUSAUID: 3347764

有人要出国 发表于 2014-3-25 10:32
@Ruben Duran

Hi，I am going to pursue a Ph.D. this fall in America at Virginia Tech. I have a que ...

Good morning!

Finding a job in the United States after studying as a foreign student can be challenging - work in the United States requires a different visa than you will have as a student.  Virginia Tech will have a career center, which will be able to advise you on which companies may be willing to sponsor a work visa for you.

Thanks for your excellent questions, and good luck with your studies!

EducationUSAUID: 3347764

homuncilus 发表于 2014-3-24 17:22
NO.1 crazyrobin @Joanna

Hi Joanna, my name is Ben. Thank you for your time.

Hi Ben, thanks for your question! I know it is difficult to pack when going abroad especially for long periods of time. Remember you can buy basic things like bedding, dishes, study materials, etc. when you arrive in the US for school. I would make sure you have items that will allow you to feel at home and be able to study to the best of your ability. For example, if you are not familiar with Western food or do not enjoy it, bring some ingredients from home to make your own favorite dishes. You will need to bring converters for any electronics because of the different voltage in the United States. You should also bring any prescriptions you have including glasses so you can get them while in the United States. Other than these things you can obtain any items you need while you are in the US.

My favorite part of new student orientation is probably getting to know the campus with other new students. At Penn we have a party in the Penn Museum, which allows us to see some history while getting to know other students. I think it’s very helpful to have this orientation to have a chance to make connections with students before beginning schoolwork so we have peers to reach out to if we are overwhelmed or homesick in any way. Good luck!

EducationUSAUID: 3347764

homuncilus 发表于 2014-3-24 17:30
NO.5 wang_come_on

Q1: @三位美国嘉宾

That is a great question! Every student has a different experience in college, and it depends on their individual situation, interests, and preferences.  For me, the most memorable aspect was the lifetime friendships, made possible by meeting people who are very different from me.  Many of my closest friends became colleagues, co-workers, advisors, and clients over time.

At my university, many foreign students were involved only in student groups from their home countries, rarely engaging with people outside their circle.  I would encourage all students, regardless of where they are from, to meet as many people from as many different countries, states, cultures and ethnicities as possible.  

EducationUSAUID: 3347764

homuncilus 发表于 2014-3-25 09:39
NO.11 debilitate@Ruben Duran

I am an applicant for CS MS.

Congratulations on your offer! I cannot advise you on your personal situation, except to say that you should make the best decision for your own career goals.

EducationUSAUID: 3347764

homuncilus 发表于 2014-3-24 17:32
NO.10 丸子在路上@卫美妍

Hello 卫美妍

That's really exciting that you're going out to LA this year! I wish you luck in your new life there. Well, you should make sure that you have a housing option, you need a place to live and also some sort of financial support. If you're going for school, will you have a scholarship or will you pay for it from your savings or will someone support you? If you are going to work, do you have enough savings to pay for daily necessities and rent before your first paycheck? These are questions that you need to thing about before you head over.

Big cities in the US, definitely LA have bus systems that you can use to get around the town. However, traffic is usually bad on the streets, so these may be delayed some. If you can afford the car (you need car insurance also in the US) then it might be an option for you to get around. You will have to take a driving test once in LA to get a California license. There are different requirements here for driving than in China. You should check the DMV of California's website to look up the requirements for foreigners to get a driving license here: http://www.dmv.ca.gov/dl/dl_info.htm

You need health insurance in the U.S. Health care costs in the United States are very high, especially without health insurance. There are many different companies that offer health insurance, so you can shop around for a good and relatively cheap health insurance.  Depending on how long you will stay here there may be other options rather than finding an American health insurance, maybe you could use a travel insurance that covers you in the United States, if you will not be there very long. Otherwise, you should look into American health insurances. You can get it in LA, but if you wait until you arrive then you should get health insurance within the first month of arriving.

homuncilusUID: 3505258

@Joanna

Hi Joanna, I am a Chinese student who will study in the U.S. in the coming fall. I am worried if I could adapt the U.S. college life well. My oral English skill is not good and I am the person who is not good at communication and socializing as well.

May I have your suggestions on how could I prepare for adapting the U.S. campus life? Do you know someone from China in your university who can immerge him/her into the U.S. college life very well? And how did they achieve it?

EducationUSAUID: 3347764

homuncilus 发表于 2014-3-24 17:31
NO.9 phoebeho@Joanna Abaroa

Hello Joanna,

Hello, I’m glad to see you have set your sights high! Northwestern is a great school. I think the best way to improve your writing skills is to write. In America we say that practice makes perfect, and it is true. I would suggest communicating with your American friends in Chicago a lot in English. You can also find essay prompts and practice on your own, maybe your friends will review your work and give you pointers! The best way to improve is to do. There are several textbooks or online programs to help you study for the SAT or similar tests in which you need to provide a sample of writing and these can be great resources for improvement. Best of luck!

EnolateUID: 3283311

@Duran, 美妍，Joanna, 吴迪， Thank you for coming here! I am going to pursue chemistry PhD in US this summer. I wonder what common disvantages or defects Chinese students (major in science and engineering) share impede them getting a good job offer after graduate; and how to improve ourselves to overcome the disadvantages in graduate school. Thank you so much!

homuncilusUID: 3505258

@吴迪

我目前是一名中国的大学在读生，然后想申请15年的美国研究生院。但是现在除了准备TOEFL和GRE考试之外，对于申请方面的知识了解的却非常少。您能介绍一下美国研究生的申请流程吗？还有我在哪里能够找到关于申请的大学是否是正规的信息呢？

有些学校官方网站的信息量偏少，有时也缺乏客观，网上的信息又过于杂乱。

homuncilusUID: 3505258

@吴迪

I want to apply for the Master of Science in Finance. Would you please suggest me some good MS Finance programs?