elz

Never fear Nik...we are currently getting a program together so that we can help students that are not in Belgrade with editing services. I am sure that we will have something in place when it is time for you. Elz

Okay, this is a tough question. First of all, you have to realize that the US education system is quite different than most. The first two years of study focus on the study and examination of a wide range of subjects to help students develop and refine critical thinking skills. It is mostly about learning "how to" learn and interactive engagement with professors as opposed to just pouring over books. These first two years are generally referred to as the "core" requirements. Most students from Serbia do very well in this system because they have just a broad study program in high school. Then, when they reach the American university, they have an opportunity to concentrate on fewer subjects, but work more in depth. The idea behind this is to prepare students to become scholars. At the same time, you will be able to take a certain number of courses that you choose - these are called electives. Thus, it is possible, at most schools - note that I said MOST - to remain undecided on a major until the end of second or beginning of third year. Then, when you enter the third year, it is like total immersion in your field of study. Now you must remember that schools in the US are diverse and I am speaking in generalties. For example, an engineering student will enter into the engineering program almost immediately. However, the majority of students will spend two years learning the art of being a scholar. It probably sounds strange to you, but it is one of the richest and most life transforming aspect of the US education system. Yes, many schools offer the opportunity for a double major. This is also becoming rather trendy. Probably the best thing to do is to attend an advising session if you have not been yet and to visit our center and spend some time in our library looking at the various schools. It is really important to actually study schools and try to find a place that suits your needs. Elz .

Well also we will organize a way to edit your personal statement after you complete it. More details on that to come. Elz

Well Marko, If I were you, I would try to get a letter from a professor and a letter from a supervisor. That sounds like a good combination in your case. Elz

Dear Rodic, Well I am not going to answer this because we got to talk in person since your post and these questions were answered, so you do not have to worry about this anymore, but I did not want leave a question out - especially three questions - out there as if I did not respond. However, I will say that when schools do not have score reports and you have notification from the testing organization that they have been sent, all you have to do is forward that mail to the school. Generally the schools will then contact the testing organization and you do not have to worry about that. Elz

Dear Marko, That really depends on the program and if the department specifies who they want to hear from. If you have been out of school for a while and if you are working within the field that you are applying to, those references can be fine UNLESS THE SCHOOL SPECIFIES OTHERWISE! It can be good if you can get one professor to write for you and combine that with a work reference. Everything really depends on your personal circumstances. I am afraid that it would be best if you could provide us with a little more background information because this is really a judgement call at this point and we don't have enough info to make a good call. Sorry we could provide more solid info. The main thing is that we do not want the department wondering why you could not get a professor to write a letter for you. On the other hand, if you have been out of school for several years, it really makes sense to have letters from your supervisors. Elz

Dear Nikola, Well, well, you appear to have gotten settled in to life in the USA. For the personal statement, the absolute best book that I know of is the Donald Asher book on Graduate School Admissions Essays. Most of the seminar that we do is based on the principles in that book and it is pretty easy for you to get your hands on a copy. I think that you were absolutely right to take your time and look around at the programs. It is much easier to choose when you are in the USA and have to advantage of shopping around. So now get the Asher book and write a great personal statement. Good to hear from you, Elz

Dear Aleksandar, First let me congratulate on your research - Monterey is a good school. Now in terms of financial aid, about 46.6% of all graduate students receive funding from the school. In fact, last year IAC was able to assist more than 54 students in obtaining financial assistance that exceeded 1.6 million USD. As far as getting on a good timeline, most likely the GRE will be your greatest obtacle. Most students find the verbal section the most troublesome because without a rich vocabulary there will always be a limit as to how many points you can score and what percentile you can reach. The best way to address that problem now is to begin to read a great deal of academic material. I would sugget "Foreign Affairs" and "the New York Times". I have also found the writings of George F. Kennan to be especially rich in GRE vocabulary - in fact, I sometimes wonder is that is where the words come from The next time you here in Belgrade, sign up for the advising - it will give you a complete picture. If you are going to be here over the summer, you might want to consider one of our GRE courses. Also I would encourage you to try to find the time to use our reference library, we have books to help with strategy. This can help you map out a plan for your personal statement. Unless you had this post professionally translated, I doubt it TOEFL will be an obstacle. Most likely you might want to do a couple of simulations just for practice and to get a feel for the exam so that you can do your best. Advance planning is always good and 18 months is actually considered ideal. Best regards, Elz

Dear Marija, First I would like to apologize for taking some long to respond - I have had a laptop crash and it has taken me awhile to get back in the loop. I remember meeting you. Okay Juilliard - it is indeed a wonderful school for the arts and I believe that most students of the performing arts would seriously consider having Julliard on their list of schools. It is important that students in need of financial aid apply to several schools and to be absolutely certain that each of these schools offer financial aid to international students. Also while Juilliard is really well know - there are other schools that are extraordinary, but not quite so name brand to the general public as Juilliard. One example is the music conservatory at Oberlin. This conservatory has one of the largest collections of Steinway pianos in the world. Lynn University also has a great music program. All of these schools offer financial assistance to international students. There are most likely so many more conservatories out there for consideration. Also 15 is certainly not too early to start the process - in fact, this is exactly the time that many people in the USA begin bringing their children into the process. For students that need a generous financial aid package, the earlier the better - it provides enough time for test preparation and also for strategic planning. What I would recommend is that the young lady attend an undergraduate advising session at our center. There is no huge rush to do this and it can even be done in the summer. This gives a detailed overview of the process and introduces students to a wide range of resources that can be of great help. The session is free and students only need to call our office at 334 5227, learn the date of the next session, and sign up to attend. Also we have an IAC friend who attended undergraduate studies in piano at Oberlin and graduate studies at Juilliard. We may have the opportunity to host a talk on music education in the USA and this sounds like something that this young lady would benefit from. In the meantime, you can explore information on Oberlin and Lynn and start to get a feel for the various music programs and what they have to offer. Best regards, Elz

Congratulations! This is great news and please send the acceptance and info to us so we can add it to success stories. Sharing a success story us provides us with an opportunity to show that Serbian students can succeed. Believe it or not, each record that we have for students that go to the USA serves to encourage US institutions to provide more and more opportunities for students from Serbia. We need quantative figures to make a case for Serbian students. Also we are working hard on developing an alum association so that students studying in the USA know one another and hopefully can form professional links for life. Now for the visa. Although there are no guarantees just as the consular information states, there are some general guidelines that tend to make a reasonable case for a visa. One of the more common problems with student visas concerns the ability to cover the costs of the education. Now it sounds as if in your case your education is funded by the university - this is the most common combination here and there are usually no problems in this case. For example, of the students that we have worked with at IAC, we have never had a visa refusal - this is because the students have everything that they need - either their education is fully covered by the college or university that they are attending or in the event that there is an amount that the student needs to cover, then the student has that amount available. For example, (since I have permission to use this example from the student) we have an undergraduate that has just been accepted into Kenyon College (wonderful private liberal arts college for undergraduate programs). The yearly cost of his education is $50,270.00. His financial aid package is $47,270.00. He has documentation to show that he has the remaining $3,000.00 to cover the outstanding amount. Also he has never violated a visa agreement. When he goes to the embassy for a visa interview, it will be obvious that his TOEFL scores reflect his English language ability, and so on. This is most likely the case with you. Also since I do not know always recognize forum members by their nicks. I assume that you are on our mailing and notification list because every year we have a free pre-departure orientation for students that have been accepted to US colleges and universities. This is provided by our staff and consular officers. It will give you a chance to learn about the visa process before the interview. Hope this helps and try not to worry yourself to death. It sounds like you are a committed and solid student! Elz

Dear Natalija, First of all, in the past there have been quite a few programs that allow students to go from a Bachelors program directly into PhD. studies. These decisions are generally made by the departments and are rather common in many social science areas. On the other hand, the Bologna Process has put events into transition. US colleges and universities are watching the process develop and constantly assessing and re-assessing the situation. It is my understanding that there have been some far-reaching changes in architecture studies here in Serbia, so we are really looking at a new and fluid situation. My personal opinion is that a completed masters degree is probably going to provide a more solid foundation to a grad studies application. However, you do not have to have it "in hand" to apply. However, the school will admit you with the understanding that you will have completed the masters program prior to entry to your studies in the United States. Hopefully as more and more US Schools see the new Serbian education credentials through Bologna, the process will become clearer. At this time, we are looking at case by case situations with each archictecture department evaluating the course of study for a bachelors degree, which is why I stated that the masters program is most certainly going to cover the required areas for graduate studies at this time. Elz

First of all, before we go one step further, I need you to answer the very first question that I asked you. Are you applying as a graduate student or as a transfer student? Next, I need to see the link where you are looking. If you are applying as a graduate student I will need both the link to the general information and the link where I can find the departmental information as well. Elz

The website that you are looking for is www.phds.org. However, I would not really call it a financial aid website. Instead it is possible to see what percentage of graduate students in a certain department at the university were supported with assistantships. This is a bit different than classic financial aid. An assistantship is work within the department that graduate students are paid for. This is important because it means that you will have some working experience when you complete your education. However, there are some things to bear in mind when using any website for general information - it is important to try to confirm that information through the current info provided by the department itself. Using these sites can provide a good overall picture and direct students in where to begin their search, but policies can change. For the most current information, go directly to the department pages and see what the current information is. Elz

Now remember, you are not completely on your own, but we want you to browse the requirements so that you will get an overview of the process and then be sure and post all questions that you have. It is just SO IMPORTANT that you become a part of the process and start to understand the process -we are always here to fill in those pesky details. Elz

Are you considering graduate school there or as a transfer student? I can advise you right off that scholarships for transfer students are more difficult to get than funding for graduate studies. We are hoping to make a trip to Montenegro in February and at that time we will do a presentation on study in the USA to explain the way things work in detail. However one of the first things that you need to know is that each university sets its own requirements, although requirements from university to university are rarely wildly different. Thus, it is important that in your research you read the instructions very carefully. If you are planning to apply to more than one school, you should probably open an excel sheet so that you can organize a chart with deadlines and other requirements. Now this is that part that you are probably not going to like I am not going to go and study the website for you and then give you the instructions. This is something that you need to learn how to do for yourself. However, I will guide you though the links and teach you about the process. I realize that this is time consuming and perhaps you are thinking - why not you just go and do this research and tell me everything - well because our students that are most successful in getting scholarships are students that we assist in becoming engaged in the process. This will come across to the admissions committee in your application and you will be a winner! Also if you read something that you do not understand, please provide the link and cut and paste what you do not understand and let us explain it to you. Americans are big on reading instructions. We tend to provide step by step guidelines and use those guidelines - we encourage students to get used to this and become skilled at it, because it is what will be expected of you in the USA. First of all, visit the link at: http://graduatecollege.unlv.edu/admissions/ Now the first and most important thing on this page is in bold type: Please note that to be considered for admission, prospective students must complete two simultaneous application processes: one in the Graduate College and the other in the department that offers your program of study. This means that you have two different places to send information. You need to note that on your excel chart. Then you need to select a program and they are very detailed. I will guess that you want a diploma, so you are a degree seeking student. You will select the program for International Students. So click there and let's see what is next. The next page is very clear. First they once again bold the information that you need to be sure to fulfill both department obligations and general admissions obligations. Then they provide step by step information for you. In the event that you do not have a good internet connection for this process, you can visit the American Corner and use their public computers. As you go through these steps, if there is anything that you do not understand, be sure, as I said, to provide me with the link and the phrase that is confusing and I will explain it to you. Now for the funding question. Ideally a graduate student will receive a tuition waiver, which means you are not charged for your classes, and an assistantship, which is a paid position at the university. Generally students that receive these benefits fit the following profile: 1. Good grades - the higher your grades, the better 2. Good TOEFL iBT scores - this reflects your ability to communicate in English, especially in terms of a teaching assistantship. 3. Grad School Exams GRE/GMAT results - Although most schools will give a minimum TOEFL score, few schools will express the GRE requirements in such quantitative terms. They tend to look at percentiles, in other words how well your scores compare with other test takers. A guideline for this is that if you are going into the social sciences, more is expected from you on the verbal section, but if you are into science, math, or engineering, the math section is what will be examined most closely. However, anything below the 50th percentile in either area is usually not a good sign. GMAT is the exam for most MBA/Business Programs. Once again, you need a good overall score on the GMAT - the average score is 550, and of course "average" students do not usually qualify for large amounts of funding. 4. A well thought-out statement of purpose. The most successful ones reflect that you have done a great deal of research about the particular department that you are applying to. This consists of reading departmental news, research papers, course descriptions, professors' work.etc. This indicates that you are ready to make a strong commitment to the department and their work. 5. Strong Letters of Recommendation. It is important that these letters speak about your abilities and give examples of those abilities as observed by those writing the letters. Although there are other requirements, these are primary in terms of funding. Any research or teaching experience is also a plus. I hope this answers your questions. Elz

Dear Milena, I know I covered this with you, but just so everyone can see one of the ways to solve this problem - if you do not have a close friend who is in the USA that can do this for you, try to find some other good friend of yours that knows someone. It is not the best way, but whenever you are in a time crunch it is often the best way to get it done. Personally I am constantly having to do this. I give someone here the cash and their friend in the USA goes and buys the money order and it sends it for me. It may not be ideal, but of course ideally we would be able to conduct normal financial transactions here just like other places. Elz

Okay, the rank can be marked N/A for not applicable. Also there are places on the common application where you can add additional information such as that your high school is for math and science talents and the courses are quite advanced. Bear in mind that your SAT II scores also back up the fact that you are good at math. Also remember that you are taking 13 to 16 subjects each semester, so that also says something about the rigor of the program. Most of this is pretty obvious to any international admission officer, so don't get too worried. Also we are going to spend the next few Wednesdays - starting with this one - at 3.00 p.m. assisting with applications. So that is a good time to come in with questions. Elz

Well you just have to weigh these factors out and then make your own decision - like I said - a wing and a prayer. Elz

In terms of teacher evaluations, they are evaluating you as a student, not the level of English Remember, they want to hear about what kind of a student you, how hard you work, how well you get along with your peers, and so on. Also I keep encouraging students to let their teachers write up what they want to say about you in Serbian - and you can get a translation of that for them to sign. There are many ways around the language barrier. However, an assessment by the English teacher is just fine. Elz

Dear Mina, This is a new rule from the game and this is a part of the game that the professor is not that familiar with. There is no need, just as Dule said, and I concurred, for you to have this attest to the 50,000 USD. The entire amount must be covered prior to issuing in the I-20. The I-20 is not issued until you are admitted to the school and when you are admitted to the school, the funding that you receive from the department will be included. It works just like Dule says. Notice they want to receive the papers - read exactly what they said...you just need to complete the certification of finances with what funds you have...and not to account for where you are going to get 50,000. This is what you need to do - exactly what we said, do not stress about that point anymore and move on to other things and get stress about those instead Elz

The lists reporting financial aid are not without flaws - there is always going to be a margin of error. There are no guarantees. In general, the better you are, the greater your chances of the school trying to find enough money to cover the costs of your education. The good news is that there is a great deal more funding at the grad school level Of course this is not of great interest to you at this moment. Of course you want to be aware of the general track record of schools in terms of financial aid for international applicants, but there is a moment when you financial aid application rides on a wing and a prayer so to speak. It is not an exact science and it has no guarantees. You just have to work as strategically as possible and at the same time recognize there is an element of chance. Elz

Dimitrije - on another topic - will you be here for the holidays? We are planning a reception to honor Serbian students that are currently studying in the US - any student studying in the US is eligible and we hope to continue to create a network of Serbian students that share the common factor of their US educational experience. If you are going to be home for the holidays or you have any Serbian friends studying in the US who will be home, all we ask is for an e-mail to: office@iacbg.org Subject: Reception Text: The dates the student will be in Serbia We are trying to find a date that is best for the largest number of students. Also we will be holding the yearly round table discussion where students already studying in the USA share their experiences with this year's propective applicants. Naturally we are recruiting for that as well However, if you are going to be here, we would be delighted to have you on our guest list for the reception and feel free to pass this on to other Serbian students of US colleges and universities. Elz

BUT FORTUNATELY, you have human readers and they can figure out what you have done! The most important thing is to approach this problem with logic so that the reader can understand. I believe that I would very neatly and precisely draw a line through the headers that state semester/trimeseter etc. Then I would also very neatly make a new label that says: Courses for Academic Year* Then I would proceed to impress them by listing all 15 of my courses for the school year - however, I would only write on the first 7 lines. Then on the 8th line I would note: *All courses in Serbia last throughout the school year. You may have seen some references to AP courses - in fact I am sure that you have. This stands for advanced placement. These are harder courses that students can take. For American students, this is the challenge because an American History - AP course is much more demanding that the regular course. Also there is a special exam brought to you by College Board that shows how well the student has mastered the material. An admission officer tends to conclude that a student enrolled in a large number of AP classes who is doing well (bear in mind performance need not be perfect) is really focused on learning. Of course, admission officers also know that when a student is taking 15 subjects, every subject becomes an advanced placement

Okay, here is the deal...College Board will send records of all the SAT exams that you have taken. See here is a note direct from the College Board website: "We send a cumulative report of all scores that are available and reportable at the time your request is received. You cannot send only your latest or highest SAT scores, or separate scores for critical reading, mathematics, or writing sections, or only SAT, or only Subject Test scores. " http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testin...es/sending.html Now before you or anyone else reading this goes into a complete panic - there are several ways that schools handle multiple score reports and for the most part it does not hurt internationals. Some schools may not even look at the old scores. Also when internationals sit more than once and improve their scores, most schools realize that you were caught off guard on the first round or two and that is to be expected. Also the SAT is only one part of the picture...for example, if you had a really dismal performance on the first SAT you took, but a really good school record, then retook the test and improved - most admission officers are going to say..ah the student has gotten the hang of it. About the only way that retakes could damage international students would be in the case of taking the exam over and over again with no noticeable improvement - then the school will tend to look at other areas such as your GPA, any competitions, other factors to indicate your ability. If you are really good at other things...and yet just keep hitting the wall on the SAT, the school will probaby conclude that you have a problem with standardized tests. Once again, we go into this whole American educational culture - retakes with substantial improvement show that a student has determination - that you are not a quitter. As probably most people on this forum know, we offer seminars to prepare for both undergraduate and graduate exams - students here seem to underestimate the SAT and often feel that they do not need preparation. In most cases this is probably a mistake. The majority of American students who are competitive take preparation courses. Also most American students start this no later than the third year of high school. Sorry, but since other people will read this and since we start our outreach to third year high school students just as the admission seasons start to close (around mid January), I had to mention that. The earlier academically talented students to prepare for the admission process - the easier it is for us! Never ceases to amaze me that people who cannot speak English manage to register for these tests... Running a continous thread...like a series, "Admission of Randomnbgd" is a great idea...maybe you can develop a following who wants to see how it all turns out!