elz
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Posts posted by elz
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Well dear...your GRE score report should tell you what percentile you are in. This has nothing to do with your score as far as getting 75% of the questions right. The percentile represents how you compare with the other testakers, whereas percentage represents how well you come out with you against the exam, does that make sense?
If I could see your score report, I could show you exactly where the percentile information is contained. In general is it written where your scores are. This is the percentile....calculating how many questions you answered correctly does not give you this figure. I think that this is complicated because I do not think that this sort of comparitive result exists here.
Elz
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Do you know that I still have not received a reply to my inquiry? At least not from the proper department that you were applying to. Frankly I am a bit disappointed. On the other hand, have you checked their website to see if they have changed the wording of the requirement?
It can often be difficult to get these answers during the "high recruitment season". I would just send the scores and let the chips fall where they may. I am not sure what the basis for this particular regulation is, but it sounds like one of those negative past experiences
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Well your GRE inquiry confirms the graduate school status. Okay, the percentile in these terms mean that you performed better than 87% of the other people who took the exam.
Schools do not like to use the GRE as a cut off point. I like to say that good GRE scores will not necessarily get you in, but really bad scores can keep you out. Most schools will not commit to a certain score because they like to evaluate the "whole" applicant, but really dismal scores do give any faculty member pause.
Often the admissions process becomes so intense that we try to hard to define it in concrete terms. The admissions process is anything but transparent. In addition, to your own qualifications, you must also consider what I refer to as Department Culture. Are you a good fit for that department and is that department a good fit for you? For example, if you have a great deal of research or specific knowledge in an area of specialization in that department, plus a good GPA, then you may get a pass on GRE scores if they fall in the range of "respectablity". Other departments may use GRE as a strong defining point of elimination from a very large stack of highly qualified applicants.
If the department provides contact information of graduate students that are currently in the program, and you can locate an international student in that program, this can be a good question to ask them...but there will never be a firm response on this. Deparments intentionally leave themselves some leeway in order to diversify their programs with a broad range of talent. You might however, be able to get a general idea from information on the department home pages, how much weight in general the scores are given.
Elz
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Another good question and often a point of confusion - even for me sometimes! Okay, the school will examine your application and of course it is quite obvious that you need funding
Then, the school will determine whether they will provide the funding. If not, then you might be accepted conditionally upon proof of funding, but no I-20 will be issued to you. On the other hand, if you are provided with an assistantship or some other source of university funding depending on whether you are a graduate or undergraduate student, then you will be issued an I-20, which in turn you take the embassy as a key document for issuing your visa.
One word of caution...when it comes to the amount of contribution that you can make toward your education, please do not write zero. First, anyone who writes zero would technically be dead because that means you have no money for food, shelter, or clothing. In addition, it appears to the graduate committee that you are unwilling to make the slightest investment in your education and puts your application in what I refer to as the "Steerage Section" of the application piles. However, even a modest contribution transforms you into an investor.
The good news is that international students from here...do get into universities in California...with FULL FUNDING.....
It is important in advising you that we know whether you are graduate or undergraduate. That can greatly shape your chances and we can also advise you on schools that are financially friendly to undergraduate students on a case by case basis.
As to your comment as to whether it is a coincidence that these are California schools, the answer is that it is no coincidence at all. In fact, the state of California has a very coordinated system of higher education. The rules and regulations tend to be somewhat more centralized from school to school than in other states - New York is also like this. In addition, California is a top choice for international students and most likely the institutions got tired of issuing I-20s to students that were simply refused visas because they had no funds from the univeristy or any other source...the ability to pay for your education, whether through a scholarship, external funds, or personal funds, is a fundamental requirement for the visa interview.
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Well to a great extent you have grasped the process...however, there is one thing that you are overlooking - namely that professors are humans and thus unpredictable. Each professor most likely has his/her own way of handling these inquiries. Thus, there are no hard and fast rules.
I think the timing is good if you have your application package ready to go. It is also helpful if, at the time of writing, you have taken the necessary admission exams and can report very good scores. This makes you a more realistic candidate and provides the professor with an objective evaluation of your abilities.
You will be surprised at the varietiy of responses that you will most likely receive.
Question 1: But is the professor some significant factor at the admission process? Is he there to lobby for me if he or she is interested?
Answer 1: Remember group advising? The admissions offices organizes your application and then sends your application to the department where it is examined by the committee. In general, the Chair, professors, and other graduate students will sit on that committee. So yes, indeed the professor can play a significant role in committee.
Question 2: My question is what should I ask professor except that I would like to work in his research group? Something about available funding? Assistantships?
Answer 2: In my opinion, the best way to approach the funding issue is to combine the ideas that as an international student you would be interested in working in his/her research group and are there assistantships available.
Issue: I've seen at web pages of college faculty that they don't like to be molested with admission questions, but respond only to research related questions.
Answer: Remember that there are two types of questions, admission questions and departmental questions. However, asking about the availability of research assistantships or teaching assistantships is a departmental question. However, if a professor states that they will only respond to research related questions, then take the hint and ask about the research going on in the department.
You would most likely be surprised at some of the inappropriate questions that students ask. It is ridiculous to ask a professor about admission standards. Also some students try to have the standards of the admissions office changed in order to suit their profiles, which is quite unacceptable. These are not questions that are appropriate to ask a professor. More than anything, students need to use common sense when contacting professors. Be tactful and thoughtful. Show that you are focused on the program.
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hmmm. Well Darko...this is a most unusual question...but I can understand how different and bizarre the system may sound..No there is no difference in the quality or your ranking or anything else that is based on whether you began in the Fall term or the Spring term. I think that maybe the programs here in Serbia are based in some kind of order or something, but that is not generally the case in the United States. (Notice I said generally). You will have a list of certain courses that you must complete in order to receive your degree. As you get into graduate studies, those courses may not be offered as frequently. What I mean by that is that it is pretty easy to get into a US History to 1877 class at anytime, but it may be harder to get into a History of the Russian Revolution course. However, you will have plenty of courses to select from for your first semester so this should not be a problem for you.
Does this answer your question? I am sorry if it seems a bit unclear. This is an interesting question and I can certainly see why you asked it and I am doing my best to say...it does not make a difference.
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Dear Darko,
Grad Schools each set their own admissions standards. What this boils down to is research on a case by case basis. In general, the grad schools that have very specific programs require that you enroll in the Fall semester so that you begin the program and pass through each step in a certain order. Some schools even accept applications throughout the year and then admit you at alsmost any point.
We have had several graduate students that were accepted for the January semester. On the other hand, there have been others who started in August.
Bear in mind that when we say the US education system is diverse and decentralized, we are not a-kidding
Our reference material in the library has a list of each program of graduate studies, which schools have departments in each area of specialization and what the deadlines are, as well as the entry points. I hope this helps somewhat.
Elz
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So remember the agony of the personal statement? In fact, I still have a few copies of personal statements on file at the Center. One of the projects that I would like some assistance on is how you feel about the process looking back on it. I would really like to send some of you copies of your personal statements and see if you would care to edit it now that you are actually in graduate school and in your department.
Do you work with any professors that would be interested in providing any insight into the process of graduate school admissions? We are really working hard to find a way for students here to learn more about graduate departments since they can rarely visit a university and explore for themselves.
Thanks,
Elz
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This forum is for our alumni and other students who are currently studying in the United States. This is a way to keep students connected across the 50 states and also to help students that are still in Serbia but who want to study outside and want to hear about programs and departments from other students. In general, we hope that this forum will become a place for students in the U.S. to organize cooperation and a peer to peer mentoring forum.
For example, by January, IAC will have at least FIVE students in Illinois, several of which will be in the Chicago area. I mean these students should be having coffee together at least once a month ! ! !
One of the first steps is to post your bio on the site. Who you are, where you are, and what you are studying for example.
Also for those of you who have financial aid packages, it would be great if you could drop us a line via e-mail and let us know the exact amount of your financial aid package because the educational advising centers in Africa have been tracking financial aid packages from universities based on the amount of the award. We have now started a little friendly competition to see who can get more. This information is also important to students as they select schools because I see no reason for students here to waste time and energy applying to schools that are unwilling to provide the necessary financial assistance.
So, please post some bios and get some info set up here. I will try to add a couple more topics and would encouarge each of you to freely add topics. Here's to a great alumni network.....
Elz
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Dear Nik,
You have really good possibilities as a eligible resident. Basically what you need to do is not drastically different than what a student would do from here. The main difference is that for you it will be easier. Also you will have the opportunity to visit universities and speak with graduate admissions officers and visit the departments.
One of the first things that I would recommend to you is to get Donald Asher's book on Graduate Admissions. It has a great deal of very good information that you can read and study to get you focused in the right direction. Research is going to be the first step that you need to take and this book has a wealth of info to help you get a really good overview of the process.
It is really much easier for you to get information when you are in the United States than when you are working abroad. I think that after you read the Asher book, you will start to feel more focused.
Once you have determined what schools you want to apply to, then you can begin to fill out applications and apply for financial assistance. Most likely you will need to take the GRE or GMAT, so you should also begin to prepare for those exams. You will need books for these exams as well.
Most likely you can get your hands on a great deal of informative material at a large bookstore such as Barnes Noble, Borders, and so on. I really think that you should visit one of these stores and begin to browse through the books on education and see what you can find. Also a nearby university library will also have some of these books.
After you go through the Asher book, let me know about any other questions that you might have.
Best regards,
Elz
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Well I do not think that this information is exactly what they mean by this. I would like to see the entire text to understand exactly what the point was. I have never heard of this. Can you scan what they wrote, the entire document and send it to me. I would like to see this whole thing in context and then decide what their point is.
In any case, we can write to them and ask them about this unusual requirement.
Best,
Elz
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Dear Dimitrix,
Yes, indeed admissions questions are inappropriate for professors. However, most hard working professors that are engaged in research are quite happy to hear from students that are interested in the research being conducted. When you express your interest in that way, it places you in the position of being suitable for a research assistantship or a teaching assistantship. That is where the influence really is. The admissions office does not award money.
Admissions officers protect the integrity of the school and guard the value of the diploma by making sure that no rascals get in so to speak. The professors, along with the graduate admissions committee, work together to determine which students to fund.
I want to emphasize that you need to thoroughly research that department, what they are working on in that department, and make sure that it is something that is of great interest to you. Under those circumstances, the letter writing to the professor should come quite easily to you.
We also provide a seminar on how to do these things. On the other hand, you sound like quite a self-starter. Just think very carefully about what you say and you may want to write an initial letter and then re-read it.
Best,
Elz
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Dear Marko,
Sorry for the slow reply, we moved to Majke Jevrosime 18/II sprat so we have been a bit behind. Now about Berea College.
Yes, it is indeed religiously affiliated, but bear in mind that many schools in America were started by religious organizations. For example, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and many other colleges were founded by religious communities, but have now "secularized".
Berea was founded by abolitistionists - people who were actively protesting against and working to end slavery in the United States. I checked the Princeton Review on-line guide and found this quote:
In their free time, students like to "think about life, society, classes, work, the world, food, contra dance, swing dance, Bible study, partying, sex, drugs, and Christian rock. We also like to knit and hike."
It does seem that some of these things are against the general rules at Berea, but it also seems that you could recieve a great education there. I am currently unpacking some of my statistics and I would like to look and see if there are any students from Serbia studying there. Does your friend have first hand experience about this school or does your friend know someone who has attended the school.
Because of their abolitionist affiliation, the school is very liberal in many ways, which means that they are tolerant and the student body is quite diverse. Therefore I would be quite surprised if they would try to convert you and it is certainly not what people here refer to as a "sect". On the other hand, they have some ground rules, such as you will be living in a county...a district larger than a city, in which there is no alcohol for sale. Thus, if you want to have some evening out with some friends, you will have to travel to another country in order to have a drink. (Frankly this has never seemed to hold college students back in the past, however, you will want to be sure that you either stay overnight in that place or have someone drive that has not been drinking!!!!! LISTEN TO TETKA Elizabeth ! ! ! )
The students at the school seem very happy with their education, they work quite hard, and seem to feel that they are getting a great value in terms of education.
Now that we are settled into our new offices, I will make a point to call Berea and speak with them. Is there anything in particular that you would like for me to ask them about their campus life and so on?
Elz
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Dear Dimitrije,
The correction stubs are just for corrections...for mistakes you may have made on your original registration. You chose not to assign tje score recipients at that time. Thus, this is not a correction, not a mistake. The correction stubs to are to correct the specific areas that are most likely explained in the materials that you received. In other words, since I am not looking at your material, I can only guess that what you have in your hands states that you will use the correction stubs to correct the items that ETS states you should correct if they are wrong.
As to the subject test question, it sounds to me as if the subject test ticket has a place for you to write in where you want the results sent. This sounds to me like something on the admission ticket, not on the correction stub that accompanied to admission ticket.
The good news is that you can assign score recipients at the testing center on the day you take the test - so this is a moot point.
You may sent four reports of the GRE general to the schools of yous choice and you may send four GRE subject tests to the schools of your choice. The General Test reports will be sent to the schools indicated to them and the Subject Tests will be sent to the schools indicated for those tests.
For further details on this, you can download the GRE bulletin at the following link:
http://www.ets.org/Media/Tests/GRE/pdf/0607_gre_bulletin.pdf
I would suggest that you do this and study the bulletin thoroughly to make sure that you completely understand the process.
Best regards,
Elz
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Dear Marko,
We are moving right now and my books are packed. I really really hope that you will come and do some research prior to deciding what constitutes a selective and non-selective school.
I will try to look at these schools when my books are available, but please as I keep begging all students, think carefully about your choices. It is so important that you think about the different types of schools, what you want from an education. There are currently some very good articles that I will try to get to for you and to share with other students about schools.
It is really important that you try to visit us and use our research library to educate yourself about your educational choices.
Elz
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Dear Marko,
Yes, the university will want to see the transcripts of each year of high school. I guess this is something rather different because in the American system, even ifyou change schools, your grades are sent to the new school so that every school has a permanent record of your education from start to finish. In other words, if you had changed schools in the states, the school that you are in right now, would have the complete record of your education and just send that to the university. Are you asking me this because you attended school in the United States for the first two years? If this is the case, you can contact that school and they will forward their records on you directly to the universities that you apply to.
I hope that this answers your question.
Best regards,
Elizabeth Ann
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Dear Masha,
I tried to answer your question this morning, but darn it was in Serbian and I could not get the details down. However, now thanks to some expertise in translation I have an answer for you. I also have some questions. Do you have a financial aid package in California? If so, please send me the details on my e-mail.
Now for the transfer problem. This is something that you will need to contact ASU about, just as they asked you to do. You are in good shape because you are thinking about January. Getting funding as a transfer student is not always easy, but you can prepare a CV of your accomplishments and speak with Ms. Parkisons and see where you stand in this situation.
You should probably re-evaluate your situation. However, if you really want to change schools, you are going to have to find a school that offers financial aid to international transfer students. First of all, you need to contact ASU and see exactly what their policy is. If they do not offer financial aid packages, then you will have to try to find a school that does.
I know this raises more questions than answers, but transfer issues with financial aid packages can be tough.
Elz
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My Dear,
I just learned that there is some question floating around on this forum that I forgot to answer. Could this question belong to you?
It is not important that you have completed your studies by the application deadline. You will be granted admission based on the fact that you have to send them updated information which shows that you completed your studies.
LLM is one of the toughest programs to get funding for. That will probably help you narrow down your choices. You can research the departments and when you are very well informed about the professors and the work they are engaged in, you can begin to contact them and see if they are open to student contact. This is a delicate operation because often students do not understand how important it is to be VERY familiar with that professor's work. You need to show that you have really done your homework on that. Also as you do the research, you will get a feel for the kind of opportunities that might be available. You can discuss this work and see if they have any research funding and so on. This is a good way to get the ball rolling, but for the LLM, you need to really be focused.
One reason that funding is so scarce is because the average first year salary for a student holding an LLM is $60,000 a year.
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Dear Marko,
These are very good questions and thank you for sharing them. Standardized test-taking procedure for university admission in the USA can be very confusing and I will try to explain these things to you.
First of all, the question about different test centers. Test centers are not very well understood in this part of the world. A testing center is just a place that is authorized to administer the exam. This does not include the reporting. The tests are given, collected, and then sent away to the testing center in the United States. Thus, where you take the exam has no impact whatsoever on your scores or the processing of your scores.
When applying for colleges, many schools do offer the option of applying online. Online applications are the same as the traditional method, although you will have to send your transcripts and other materials to the university. For this, we reccommend that you use the Federal Express Service which is available in our Center.
As far as universities go, they know when they receive the score reports what is up. They will keep those reports and quite frankly, I believe the access is electronic. In other words, I think that they can get to the scores as needed once you have authorized them to receive it. I know it seems strange, but it is all well organized...although there can always be mistakes - the number of mistakes that are made with student documentation is almost miraculous.
I hope that this answers your questions.
Elizabeth
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Well, first of all when applying to universities, it is important to look at the Department - the Department is more critical for graduate studies than for undergraduate studies. In other words, the reputation of the department becomes of crucial importance. You might want to look at the following website in order to get an overview of the ranking systems for law schools:
Now as to the top 20 or so universities and the money that they have - well that can be a mixed bag, because sometimes since they are "top", they may also have very high fees. I can tell you that the LLM degree is in high demand - in addition, the first year of earnings after obtaining the diploma averages about $60,000 USD. This can make it challenging to find and qualify for financial assistance.
Programs through the United States Government are usually organized at different times. You can look under the educational exchanges in the Public Diplomacy Section of the United States Embassy website:
http://belgrade.usembassy.gov/embassy/pa/e.../exchanges.html
Some of the programs have closed for the academic year, but you can still do a general google search and see what the program traditionally entails and see if an LLM degree is offered through any of these programs. I know that it used to be offered through some of them. You might check the current trends.
In general, it would be good if you could call our office and see when the next graduate advising session will be held and put your name on the list to attend - it is free and in the session you will get an overview of the various ways that you can finance your education in the United States.
Honestly, if I were you, I would never limit myself to the top twenty universities. I would look at which Law Schools have a program that I would be an asset to in terms of my background and think about what I could contribute to the program that would make me an attractive candidate for financial assistance. Remember, when all is said and done with graduate studies, a student who finished the greatest law school in the world, is not necessary considered a better candidate than a student who finished a second tier school but has a CV packed full of publications and activities. A great deal of where you want to target your interest is going to depend upon your personal assessment of your qualities and what you learn about different departments as you research the various LLM programs throughout the United States.
Whew! Did that you answer your question?
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Well of course it will look good on your credentials when you apply. To understand the process for getting financial assistance, it would be good if you could attend a graduate advising session. Unfortunately I will be out of the country next Wednesday, but in general, we have graduate advising on Wednesdays at 3.00 p.m. We encourage you to call our office and ask to be put on the list, just to confirm that it will be held because sometimes we have obligations. However, we have missed very few Wednesday advising sessions.
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First of all, it might be a good idea for you to attend a group advising session. Your questions lead me to believe that you are seeking graduate studies and we have group advising for graduate students on Wednesdays at 3.00 p.m.
You can call to reserve your place. Now to answer your questions.
1. In most cases it is appropriate to initiate contact with a professor when a student has extensively researched the work of the professor. Writing to a professor to inquire about the work of that professor and the type of research and learning experiences that occur within that particular department is perfectly acceptable. However, students need to really "do their homework" before initiating contact.
2. All previous post secondary education generally means the academic studies that students have engaged in since completing high school.
3. Transcripts are the lists of the courses and the marks that received for each of those courses.
4. Academic credentials in most contexts means academic qualifications, the level of education that a person has. One example of this is to look at the academic credentials of professors in a particular department. There is usually a brief bio that covers academic credentials.
5. There are several books at the Center on these subjects. In addition, we are planning a two day seminar, most likely 12 and 13 May on ways to find a good department and how to write a personal statement. As for letters of recommendation, we have information that we can provide to students or professors about this.
The test scores need not be submitted at the same time of the application. However, bear in mind that most universities will not formally admit students until the application package is complete. Thus, nothing is secured until those test scores are submitted.
7. This policy varies from university to university. There are some general ground rules on this. Ideally, during the course of researching universities, students develop a picture of how each insitution handles this and then students frame a strategy based on university and department policy.
8. In general, credit cards are the easiest method of payment. Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and often Diner's Club are accepted. The real problem here is what restrictions the bank that issues the credit card has placed on the card. Some cards work only through the internet at "point of transaction" and other cards allow payment to be submitted off line. This is one of the most problematic issues for students.
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Dear Boris,
As far as I know, there are currently no "exchange programs" such as this. However, this has been burning in my mind for quite some time and I have some idea as how to put something like this into operation. In fact, I have about three or four very interesting educational projects involving exchanges that I plan to work on over the next year. To put a program like this into place requires extensive planning or otherwise it comes out sloppy and does not benefit anyone.
Since you are starting early, my guess is that we could help you find a situation that would be very beneficial to you. I think that you have a great idea. It really delights me to hear that you are interested in doing this. Not only would you improve your language skills, but you would also get to see a great deal of Europe. It would be an excellent educational experience all the way around. In addition, it would look great on your university application after you graduate.
Give me some time to work on this project. I was planning to do a "major offensive" in this area for 2006. I have some meetings scheduled after the holidays and I plan to raise this issue. I had already through extensively about this idea in terms of a summer program, but had not considered an entire academic year for a high school student. How does your family feel about this idea? I had considered some sort of exchange between families. I could certainly find a high school student here, we see some excellent young people in our center and the two of you might be able to "trade families" for an academic year. In fact, I had planned to reach out to Serbian families living in the USA and see if they would be willing to reach out to students here and host a student for a year.
Why dont' you contact me via our e-mail and give me some more background on your idea. I want to know where you live, what your GPA is, what your parents think about this idea, and what your expectations are. Also if you think that your family would be willing to trade you for a year, I really want to know details about your high school. In terms of trading you for a motivated student here, many of these candidates would be students with very good GPAs here, possibly hoping to play on a school sports team and get seriously scouted for an athletic scholarship at a university. Other students that we work with are math and science superstars.
I think this could really work, primarily because I know such good quality people here. I think that we could find you an excellent situation and I could even introduce you to some wonderful young people here. You would not lack for friends. Please e-mail me at elizabeth@iacbg.org and let me know more about what you have in mind.
Best regards,
Elizabeth
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This program is offered here in Belgrade. There is an opportunity for students to prepare for the USMLE through an organization. I am currently looking for information on the organization and will try to provide more information as it I learn more. I do not have any information on the residency or the payment for the residency. I just know that a program has recently started to assist students with preparation for the USMLE exams. I am currently trying to locate this organization and check the credentials and so on. We are provided with various lists of organizations that are approved for certain programs, so once I have the name of the organization, I can provide more information.
Score percentile vs. points
in Archive 2006
Posted
Good. It is not so easy to explain some of these things across educational cultures. These are good questions and these questions are important for other students. I do not mind going through these situations to clarify information when someone is as engaged in research as you are. It is evident that you are reading as much as you can, as well as thinking in terms of organization and strategy. This is usually key to getting into graduate school with FUNDING....this is the profile that gets a graduate committee to SHOW YOU THE MONEY
Elz