Graduate Admissions Wesley Horng UCLA B A Communications

Graduate Admissions Wesley Horng UCLA B. A. Communications and Psychology

Student Life in the US • Probably live in the apartments or residential halls • There will ALWAYS be international student centers where advisors will help you out! • No 7 -11 every 10 steps! (Sorry) Have to take buses to places!

What to expect! • Expect MINIMUM Mandarin at wherever you study! • Remember you still have to TRY in your classes! • Health care – student health care will be available • Transportation – buses to get around everywhere o Contact the international student center to see if they will help

Food • Residential hall cafeteria

Residence Halls

Classroom

Library

Some facts to start • There are over 7, 000 colleges in United States! • You must take the TOEFL and also the GRE! • Apply as international students! • You need to know EXACTLY which major and concentration you are applying to!

University of California • 10 top universities in California • UC application • Different due dates depending on programs

UCLA • Ranked top 25 th overall for in US! • Over 40 graduate school programs in top 10 of their respective fields! o o Need 3 recommendation letters At least 2. 75 GPA to apply for grad school GRE/TOEFL Personal statement

Cal States (CSU) q 23 different CSUs q. All over Northern and Southern California q. No essays needed for application

Private Schools • All over United States • Application varies but same overall process!

How should I prep? • Usnews. com/rankings • Fiske Guide • Prep books (Barron’s TOEFL) • Read books in English! • Practice vocab with freerice. com

What do you need to be competitive? • Grade Point Average – 40% • Extracurricular activities – 10% • Standardized tests (GRE, TOEFL) – 25% • Essay – 25%

GRE Introduced in August 2011 Measure # of Questions Allotted Time Analytical Writing Analyze an issue and Analyze an argument 30 mins each Verbal Reasoning 20 questions per section 30 mins each Quantitative Reasoning 20 questions per section 35 mins per section

Sample • • It is given that RSTU is a parallelogram. Quantity A: x Quantity B: y A. Quantity A is greater. B. Quantity B is greater. C. The two quantities are equal. D. The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.

• Measures your ability to use and understand English at the university level. • Evaluates how well you combine your listening, reading, speaking and writing skills to perform academic tasks. • If school desired is around UC level = 100+ • If school desired is Ivy League = 110+

TOEFL Section Time Limit Questions Tasks Reading 60 -80 mins 36 -56 questions Read 3 or 4 pages of text and answer questions Listening 60 -90 mins 34 -51 questions Listen to lectures and conversation and then answer questions Break 10 mins Speaking 20 mins 6 tasks Express an opinion on a familiar subject Writing 50 mins 2 tasks Write essay responses based on reading and listening tasks

Sample • Man: I'm feeling kind of sick tonight. I don't know if I have a virus, or if it's something I ate for lunch. Maybe we should stay home tonight. • Woman: I think you're right. I feel a little under the weather myself. • • • Question: What does the woman mean? She believes the weather is too bad to go out. She is not feeling well herself. She didn't eat lunch. She disagrees with the man.

Statement of Purpose o It is an essay that demonstrates your qualifications for and your commitment to your chosen academic field. o You do this by discussing the people, events, and experiences that have inspired you to bring you to this junction in your life.

Other essays • Why College o Describe the reason why you want to come to this particular college (need to do research online) • Scholarship o Describe your achievements in the field that you want to study in; publications, related work, organizations

Some tips! Be sure to get… Before… Usage? Unofficial transcript You graduate Application upload Recommendation letters You graduate Application upload GRE and TOEFL test scores Take them around the time you graduate Send to specific graduate program • Schools ask for 2 -3 recommendation letters so plan early!

Classes do matter! • Graduate Schools do look at what kind of classes you are taking! • So take as many core classes and other classes that relate to what you want to do!

NO PLAGIARISM • DO NOT have someone write your essay. • Schools are getting smarter at detecting your level based off your test score (need consistency)

Now it’s up to you! • Good luck and please ask me any questions you may have!