高考不如意，下一步路要如何去走？去年高考结束后，一些考生放弃复读、毅然选择留学。启德留学北京办公室负责人、资深海外留学专家李冠军提醒，现在留学的途径越来越广，不管是谁，只要你希望留学，具备留学的素质，都可设计一个行之有效的留学方案。
据悉，6月30日，北京港澳中心将举办2007国际教育联展。届时，包括英国、美国、澳大利亚、加拿大、法国等国家60多所名校现场进行录取，同时12场有关海外留学的最新知识讲座，将给学生和家长最实用的留学资讯。

高考成绩在重点线以上
推荐国家：美国、英国、澳大利亚、加拿大

按理说这个群体的成绩相当优秀，其中不乏考中国家211工程高校的人。从实际来看，最近这一两年，一些国内重点院校的学生因为对自己所学的专业没兴趣，便借助留学的工具转换专业。其中不乏清华大学、中央财经大学这些名牌院校。例如去年一个清华大学在读的物理学专业的学生，就成功转到了美国高校去读书。

英国伦敦大学亚非学院预科项目负责人介绍，那些参加了高考并被211院校所录取的人，若雅思成绩有5.5分，高中成绩平均在80分以上，通过亚非学院的面试，就有机会获得到牛津、剑桥读本科生。他提醒，如果现在要申请9月入学机会还可以。

这个层次的人留学美国，能申请到全美前100名大学，如果托福550分以上，加上高中阶段成绩和SAT成绩，可以直接申请。高中成绩平均80分以上，托福600分以上，没有SAT成绩也能申请成功弗吉尼亚联邦大学、伯克利大学分校、俄亥俄大学等。但因美国高校申请时间已接近尾声，如要留学，只能申请明年秋季入学机会了。

留学澳大利亚也是好选择。像墨尔本大学、悉尼大学、新南威尔士大学等名校都让学生加读预科以巩固基础。若学生想直入大一，则可考虑麦考瑞大学。目前澳大利亚就业形势很好，留学生想获得居留权也有许多机会。

高考成绩在重点线附近
推荐国家：美国、英国、澳大利亚、加拿大

这部分人留学英国有两种选择。一是直接申请到全英前30名的大学，如爱丁堡大学、华威大学、谢菲尔德大学等大学预科就读。二是申请布鲁奈尔大学、赫特福德大学等个别学校的文凭课程相当于本科一年级。

留学澳大利亚，可直读澳大利亚麦考瑞大学、邦德大学、科廷理工大学、卧龙岗大学、悉尼科技大学等。这些大学基本允许中国优秀高中毕业生直读大一。其中，麦考瑞大学率先将中国学生高考成绩列为评估学生入学的参考标准，那些高考成绩高于当年第二本科录取线，雅思要求最低为6.5分都可以接收。

打算去加拿大留学，现在可申请明年1月份入学的高校。西蒙弗雷泽大学招生代表介绍，只要提供最少450分的高考成绩单和高中三年的成绩单，就有机会上该校的大一桥梁课程，帮助学生适应加拿大高校，课程结束后，合格的直读大二。

若打算去美国留学，这部分人能申请到美国排名前200的高校。但希望以全额奖学金学生的身份到美国高校读书，语言必须很好，并有托福成绩。尽管一些美国学校承认雅思成绩，但因承认的学校太少，很多学生被拒之门外。

高考成绩在一本、三本之间
推荐国家：美国、英国、澳大利亚、加拿大、法国

这类同学如选择澳大利亚留学，选择面也很广。澳大利亚的高校共有40多所，有小部分可直接接收高中毕业的海外留学生入读，如查尔斯铎德大学等，且对高中毕业成绩没有很高要求。同时澳大利亚许多学院、大学提供很特别的通往本科的捷径课程，时间长度一般8个月到1年，学生完成捷径课程后可通过考试直接读大二。捷径课程入学门槛低、节省时间和学费等。但捷径课程要求雅思5.5分才可以申请。

若要留学加拿大，就须具备托福550分以上、高中三年平均分80分以上的条件，但目前只能申请明年1月的入学。

留学英国，若不赶时间，可在语言等各方面做充分的准备。若想9月开学就走，像埃克塞特、东安格里亚、纽卡斯尔等大学提供预科课程，虽然高中或高二的学生都可申请，但须通过学校的入学语言测试。

来自美国教育学会的消息表示，美国院校排名前300名是这部分人的理想选择，其中旧金山大学、俄亥俄、纽约州立等还设有条件录取。其中位于美国硅谷的圣荷西大学因特殊地理环境，其计算机、IT专业就业前景较好。

如果没考好，又不想复读，那就先读国内大学，可利用读大一的机会，学习德语或法语，然后申请到法国、德国等大学转专业继续读书，如果你能被国家211工程高校录取，就可以申请到巴黎5大，巴黎11大，巴黎13大等这些顶级大学读书。小语种人才目前国内最短缺。

高考成绩在本科线下专科线上
推荐国家：澳大利亚、法国、美国

这类同学选择澳大利亚的TAFE课程。TAFE是澳职业技术教育类课程的俗称，一般为两年，一年学费约为1万澳元，完成TAFE课程的学生可取得文凭，相当于中国的大专文凭。TAFE课程的优势很明显，低学费时间短，易就业易申请居留，也减免学分晋升到本科学习。提供较好的TAFE课程的学院有霍姆斯格兰学院、博士山高等技术学院、AIT信息技术学院等。

法国的公立综合大学无需入学考试，只要有相当于高中毕业文凭学历就可进入。学生可选择两种方案：一是直通车预科课程＋大学本科专业课程。学生在预科学习期间，就是大学在册学生，其领取的是大学的学生证。考试合格者，不仅可以拿到法语语言与文化大学文凭(D.U)，而且可直接进入本大学的专业学习。二是语言预备课程＋预录取大学本科专业课程。学生到法国第一年后参加大学语言中心的语言学习，完成课程后通过统一法语考试就可进入原来已预录取的大学本科学习。

高考成绩在专科线下
推荐国家：英国、加拿大、澳大利亚

这部分人可申请中等偏上的英国院校，比如东安格里亚大学、牛津布鲁克斯大学、诺丁汉特伦特大学、谢菲尔德大学、蓝本斯特大学、纽卡斯尔大学等。学生可以凭借高中三年成绩进行申请，雅思要求4.5-5.5分。无雅思成绩可参加学校的语言测试。

如果希望去加拿大读书的话，可通过预科学院的方式。例如安省省立莱姆顿学院多伦多分校、多伦多英比利学院和达英文理商学院不要求提供托福成绩，大学预科需8个月-12个月时间，学完被大学录取不需要入学考试，但要求托福或雅思成绩，录取准则以大学预科六门科目的总平均分数为主。另外，有不少学院还提供优秀大学“双录取”项目而免托福或雅思。或是选择入读公立社区学院，修读大学一、二年级课程，再转到承认学分的加拿大大学。可选择的学校：北阿尔伯塔理工学院、乔治亚学院、圣劳伦斯学院、莱姆顿学院、爱德华王子岛大学分校。

此类学生还可选择澳大利亚的捷径课程和TAFE类课程。但请谨记雅思5.0分仍是获取签证的基本条件。

一是早出门。留出充裕的时间到机场办理登机手续和各类出境检查手续十分必要。

二是出行前要仔细检查护照、签证等证件是否带齐。9月份以来，多次出现因仅持新护照未带注有签证的老护照而被阻留的情况。因此不要光带新护照，还要带上旧护照，以免耽误出境。

三是在机场与亲友话别时要把握好时间。话别时间过长，没有足够的时间办理出境手续，很容易耽误乘机。

四是不要携带过多现金。按照规定，每个人只能携带5000美元出国，留学生可以放宽一些，但也非常有限，如果携带过多，将会在现场被依法没收，造成不必要的损失。

五是行李不要超重。按照规定，一个人的行李不能超过20公斤。过关时行李超重，交纳的罚金比买超重物品的钱还多。

六是转机国手续需提前办理。有些留学生前往的目的地没有直飞航班，需要中途转机，因此出境前一定要打听清楚过境国要不要办理签证，否则有可能被拒绝过关。

边检站的同志还介绍，由于不少国家在携带物品的品种、数量上均有诸多限制，出境留学生一定要格外注意。除新西兰出产的奶制品外，澳大利亚海关禁止游客携带任何乳制品、蛋制品、肉类制品入境。在中国很普通的食品，比如蛋黄派，因为含有蛋黄，也常被查扣。月饼馅料里也不能含有蛋类馅料。据介绍，澳大利亚、新西兰对入境物品检查尤为严格，在澳大利亚，携带水果，不仅会被予以没收，而且根据重量来罚款，最高处罚为3000澳元。如果有些人喜欢在旅行袋里放个桔子或苹果寓意“吉利”“平安”，就要对这些规定多加注意。

还有，随身携带的药品要适量。考虑到国外购买药品不方便等因素，许多留学生在出国时多多少少会携带些药品，但很多国家对药品都有严格规定。比如，澳大利亚、新西兰不允许游客携中药材，西药也要根据逗留时间，计算好剂量，确实需多带的，必须出具医生处方。

“我们没有数量目标；我们没有招收学生的数量计划。”美国塔芙茨大学（Tufts University）教务长和资深副校长詹伯儒(JamshedBharucha)，在面对提出入学申请的北京高中生的提问时，一再这样强调。日前，在北京王府饭店二楼的小会议室里，他用纯粹美国式的面谈高中生的方法，与5位优秀的北京学生进行了交流。而两天前，他刚与15位上海高中生进行过类似谈话。这是美国大学在进入中国高等教育市场时，开始出现的新的形态。

这种与申请入学高中生面谈的方式，是美国高校在其本土招收高中毕业生的传统做法。塔芙茨大学把这种方式用来招收部分中国学生，的确是新的尝试。而拥有美国历史最悠久的国际关系学院、北美唯一独立营养学学院和著名牙医学院的塔芙茨大学，把与中国高校的高起点项目合作放在重要位置。它启动了两国学生为期两个月的固定结对互访的交流模式，目前，它又与复旦大学签约进行包括最新牙种植技术在内的高起点牙医教育科研合作、与中国疾病预防控制中心合作儿童和老年人营养研究、与中国外交学院和中欧国际工商学院合作交流，与浙江大学开展的学生交流计划也进入深化阶段。中央教科所研究员储朝晖认为，包括美国高校在内的海外高校，面对日益重要的中国高等教育市场，在表现出来合作热情的同时，已开始以高质量的合作内容和丰富的合作形态进入其中。对于中国高等教育的发展，这是一个积极的发展动向。

以下选自OK网：中国初、高中生进入美国读书有哪几种途径？

寄宿学校或日制学校读高中

初中生可以到美国的寄宿学校或日制学校读高中，这样的好处是：

• 教学质量高，升入美国名校读书的机会更大；
• 专业课程选择面广，为学生进入大学提供更多的选择性；
• 设施、设备大大优于公立高中，小班、个性化授课照顾到所有学生的兴趣；
• 课外活动、社交活动丰富多彩，让学生在学习期间最大限度的融入美国社会和文化；
• 优秀的高中还有很多AP (Advanced Placement) 课程，高中生修这些课程可以替代本科的学分，不仅是学生进入名校的必备条件，还可以节省本科学习时间及节省本科学费；
• 可以在美国直接参加SAT或ACT考试，拥有SAT或ACT成绩才有资格直接申请美国名校并有机会获得奖学金；
• 寄宿制学校施行全天24小时住校管理，统一安排学生的食、宿、课外活动，非常安全，生活方面有专门的住校老师照顾学生的生活；

这些学校都是签发学生签证：F-1类

成为交换学生

交换学生（Exchange Student）就是根据两个国家某些机构之间的合作协定，中国高中生在读书期间美国高中交流和学习一年（也有一个学期的）。交换生在对方的学校交换期间，在自己的学校缴纳本校学费，但享受对方学校的教学和设施。赴美的交换学生签证类型为J类（访问和交流学者类），学习结束后学生必须回国，并且按照规定两年内不能进入美国。目前，美国有4大机构可以办理交换学生，分别为：

• AYUSA International Aspect Foundation
• ASSE International Center for Cultural Interchange (CCI)
• Council on International Education Exchange (CIEE)
• Pacific Intercultural Exchange (PIE)

直读美国大学

中国的高三毕业生如果在毕业后可以完成以下考试，即可直接申请美国大学入读本科一年级：

1. SAT （关于SAT考试请参阅下面的专门介绍）
2. 托福或雅思
3. 优势：这些成绩优异，可以帮助学生获得奖学金及直接读大一的机会，省时、省钱
4. 劣势：准备周期长，考试难度大，大学学费要高于社区别院很多

进入社区学院

1. 大学前课程 – Pre-University Program：中国的高三毕业生如果没有SAT成绩，又想进好的大学的话，可以选择先到美国的社区学院或私立学院就读大学前课程。这种课程为国际学生提供学习方法、托福、SAT考试等课程，辅助学生在完成课程后考出理想的SAT成绩、托福成绩，然后申请入读美国大学本科一年级。
2. 副学士课程 (Associate Degree) – 中国的高三毕业生如果没有时间考托福、雅思或SAT成绩，可以选择进入社区学院读：语言+副学士课程，很多社区学院设有自己的语言测试体系，学生完成语言后通过学院或语言机构的测试，即可直读副学士课程的大学一年级。学制2年，完成后凭成绩转学分至其他认可大学或者全美几千家接受转学分的大学就读大三、大四，最终获得转校后的大学学士学位。
3. 优势：社区学院 (Community College)费用低、课程开设广泛、转学灵活，很多美国名校每年都优先保证社区学院的转学名额，所以即使在美国本土，也是很多高中毕业生的不二之选。

BEIJING, June 19 (Xinhua) — Educational Testing Service (ETS),the promoter of the TOEFL test, has decided to provide 25,000 additional places on the Chinese mainland for people taking the internet version of its test, TOEFL iBT.

The additional places will be available from July to December this year, according to China’s National Education Examinations Authority (NEEA) on Tuesday, US-based ETS’s partner on the Chinese mainland.

“We will offer 14 TOEFL iBT administrations by the end of this year with the support of the Chinese side,” said Paul A. Ramsey, senior vice president of ETS’ Global Division.

“We are working on several fronts, expanding seat capacity at existing test centers and opening new test centers,” he said.

The TOEFL iBT registration website is being monitored to ensure an open, fair test registration process, Ramsey added.

Every year, about 75,000 people take the test on the Chinese mainland, and the number is on the rise as more people seek opportunities to study abroad.

ETS’ major rival in the English-testing market in China is IELTS which tested more than 140,000 candidates in 2006, a rise ofnearly 40 percent on the previous year.

At present, more than 6,000 colleges and universities in 110 countries rely on TOEFL to measure the English-language skills of their students.

ETS launched internet-based TOEFL test in China’s mainland in September 2006.

Most Chinese primary school students start learning English in the second grade, at the age of eight. A total of 200 million Chinese people are learning foreign languages, with English the most popular choice.

拥有良好的教育环境，是否就算是拥有快乐——

韩国籍枪手赵承熙充满怨恨和敌视情绪的内心独白公布后，在美国亚裔社区包括华人家长中引发震撼。

小留学生在美国的生存现状及其心理困境再一次引发人们的强烈关注。
有人提出诘问：父母们自认为给了孩子良好的教育环境，但你是否给了他们真正的快乐和幸福？

封闭在自我世界里

对于一些留学生来说，良好的教育不能减轻他们内心承受的孤单和压抑，不能破除深深的文化隔阂。赵承熙就是一个极端的例子。

在洛杉矶工作近20年的沈先生告诉记者，他女儿在美国的整个中学阶段几乎不和美国学生交往，她们四五个来自两岸三地的女孩组成小圈子，自己玩自己的。

目前在洛杉矶一个大学预科学校念书的小陈同学说，刚来上高三的时候压力特别大，完全陌生的环境，没有朋友。中国留学生很难和美国同学打成一片。小陈说，一方面是语言的障碍，另一方面，他们说的明星我们不知道，我们说的明星他们不知道，根本谈不到一起。

如果中国小留学生住的是一个白人社区，本身性格又比较内向，很容易成为白人小孩欺负的对象，久而久之心理发生偏差是完全可以想像的。记者有一个在美国东北部康涅格州的朋友，他们住的小镇只有一户华人。他弟弟从小就到那里读书，但从来都是独来独往，没有什么朋友。他形容他的弟弟思想有点怪，成天不知道在想什么。

在美国纽约法拉逊区一所公立中学当历史老师的周锦钦20年来接触了大量亚裔学生。在他眼里他们几乎从来不和美国白人学生交往，他们只和自己国家的同学玩在一起。

难以融入主流社会

国内家长可能认为让小孩早点出来读书，一方面容易申请好的学校，另一方面可以提早与美国社会融合。但实际上，整个华人社会与美国主流社会都是有明显隔阂的。在这里生活工作了几十年的华人，如果能被邀请参加美国人的家庭派对，那已经算很好的朋友了。

记者认识一位高中就来加拿大的华人女子，考上了加拿大一所排名前5位的大学。但硕士毕业后一直没有找到理想的工作。平时生活非常单调，没有任何朋友。因为高中就来北美，上海的同学都已不来往，加拿大人不好交往，和中国留学生又是两个圈子。现在她感觉自己像一个边缘人，和谁都谈不深。

一些从小被父母送出国或带出国的孩子，并不适应在美国深造，但又不甘于做普通的工作，由此陷入困境。一位几年前随父母来到洛杉矶的小留学生，如今在大学预科学校里混着，期待能申请一所他向往的美术学院。由于感觉希望渺茫，身边又没有什么朋友，记者看到他成天挂在MSN上和国内朋友聊天。而MSN 的名字也越来越悲观，有时竟然是“天天死一点”。

注意保持健康心态

美西南学生学者联合会主席、加州大学圣地亚哥分校博士生李升东认为大学毕业来美学习的硕士生、博士生，一般心理都比较成熟，也有较好的知识积累，有战胜困难的心理准备，所以这一部分群体一般不会出现严重的心理危机。但他也提到像1991年爱荷华大学中国留学生卢刚开枪杀死5人这样的案例，说明留学生在海外应时刻注意保持健康积极的心态。

加州大学洛杉矶分校管理学院博士生管文昕说，她不主张很小就到美国独自来留学，最起码应该和家长一起来。她说自己初来的时候，天天为生存和学业而忧虑，总担心下一学期能不能申请到奖学金。心理脆弱的人恐怕难以承受内心的孤寂和压力。留学当然可以增长知识，开拓眼界，但付出和收获是相等的。如果没有足够的心理准备，可能会感到失望，并变得消极。

记者认识一位在一所著名大学念音乐专业的朋友。由于忙于打工维持生计，结果和教授产生矛盾，心理压力很大，几乎都不敢去上课。而临近毕业时，博士没考上，工作也没有着落，一度“连死的心都有了”。

而小留学生的心理问题应该引起更大的关注。小留学生心理尚未成熟，孤身在外，碰到压力和苦恼，只知道自己流眼泪，或者向父母诉苦。而远在万里之外的父母也难以提供有效的帮助。即使父母也在美国，小孩子在学校碰到的苦恼是他们难以感同身受的，实际上能提供的安慰也很少。有些学生压力之下，或者索性放弃学业，随波逐流，有的则沉湎于电子游戏或网络交友，以此来打发时间，排解孤独。

探索心理援助方法

美国社区的一种方式值得借鉴。美国每个社区都有民间组织招募精神导师志愿者，专门针对心理有问题或需要关心和鼓励的少年儿童，上门一对一地交谈并给予指导。华人社区和社团也可成立相应组织，招募志愿者，搜集小留学生的信息，必要时可主动向他们提供帮助。

另一方面，小留学生出国前的心理辅导课应该引起社会各界的重视。大部分小留学生只是听了父母的反复叮嘱，就直接奔向完全陌生的国度。一旦遭受挫折，顿时不知所措。不知道如何排解，不知道找谁寻求帮助。

赵承熙事件的发生，给所有在美的中国留学生和留学生家长们敲了一记警钟。关注青少年留学生的心理困境必须及早付诸行动。这并不是为了防止像赵承熙这样的极端行为，更重要的是为了帮助海外年轻学生身心更健康，生活更快乐。

相关链接：

1. 谈留学生的安全问题：留学中的重中之重
2. 中国留学生出国前应该关注三要素

Tempted to throw up your hands in confusion over the multiplicity of colleges to choose from? Feel like throwing darts at a wall papered with all those brochures stuffing your mailbox? In that case, you already know that narrowing your wish list to a mere handful of target, reach, and safety schools is tough.
But wait. Did someone say a “mere handful”?

Yes. Despite anecdotes of anxious students’ applying to 20 schools or more, a recent survey of 600 high-achieving high school seniors conducted by the research and marketing firm Lipman Hearne found that the average number of colleges they applied to was just under four.

Surprised? It’s true that over the past 10 years, the number of students applying to more than two colleges has increased with the advent of the common application and online access. But narrowing your list to a reasonable number can yield benefits that go beyond financial savings (those application fees do add up). Although some students believe they’re raising their odds by applying to a dozen schools, they may end up shortchanging themselves by diluting their efforts rather than concentrating on getting to know–and making their interest known to–a smaller number of schools.

So forget the darts. Get the facts, then break down the process step by step.

STEP 1. DON’T GET BOGGED DOWN IN WHERE YOU “SHOULD” APPLY. Rather than searching for a perfect match that meets your preconceived notions about college life, reframe what you’re looking for as “one of many good matches,” advises Michael Popkin, a family therapist and author who runs the website activeparenting.com. “There are many colleges that [students] will be happy at and will prepare them for a successful life.”

Those schools aren’t necessarily the most prestigious or famous, or the ones all your friends are looking at, either. Although his father encouraged him to apply to his alma mater, Dartmouth, one student from a public high school in central Pennsylvania decided the Ivy League wasn’t for him; he preferred a lower-pressure academic environment. Another public high school student, this one from New York, felt so strongly about supporting American troops in Iraq that he applied only to schools that offered ROTC.

Keeping an open mind frees you to think about possibilities, says Popkin–which, after all, is what college is about.

STEP 2. KNOW THYSELF. For the majority of high school students, even familiar-sounding names (Big Ten, Ivy League, mom’s alma mater) “are just names they’ve heard or pictures they’ve seen,” points out Mike Riera, head of Redwood Day School in Oakland, Calif., and the author of Staying Connected to Your Teenager.

By contrast, they do know about themselves. Students who take “a few hours to think, talk, and write about” the places, activities, and settings they enjoy, the learning styles that suit them best, and the subjects that motivate them begin to develop what Riera calls “an internal map” of what they’re looking for.

The challenge, then, is to find schools that value those strengths. Maybe your learning style is better suited to a work co-op program than sitting in a lecture hall. Perhaps you need a school that lets you explore different areas before you commit to a major, or your long-term goal is to work in government and you want a school with strong political science and economics. As to school size, Riera suggests thinking about whether you like to know most of the students whose faces you’ll see or whether you like being surrounded by lots of faces you may meet or may never get to know.

Career counselors and online assessment tools (box) can further help you articulate your interests and needs. And as you explore your interests, you may discover that what you originally thought you were looking for isn’t what you wanted, after all.

STEP 3. IDENTIFY A PLACE TO LIVE. After looking inward, look outward, to imagine the environment in which you’ll want to spend the next four years.

Think about where you live, where you’ve traveled, areas of the country you’ve enjoyed–or did not–Popkin suggests. Do you want the urban energy of a city or a small-town atmosphere? Is climate a factor?

Are there outdoor activities you long to pursue and be near? A hiking and mountaineering enthusiast from Connecticut, for instance, applied to schools in Colorado to be close to western national parks. A New York student limited her applications to schools with access to riding stables.

Another aspect to explore: How closely, or not, do you wish to replicate the atmosphere of your high school? Did you thrive at that very large–or very small–school? Is it time for a change, or do you want more of the same?

Distance from home matters to some students more than others. “Why go across the country when there are fabulous schools in close driving distance?” Joy Silberg and her husband, Richard, of Baltimore asked their three daughters during their college search. All three ended up in a different type of school in a different geographic area, one in a southern town (University of Virginia, in Charlottesville), another in New York City (Barnard), and the third in the Pennsylvania countryside (Franklin and Marshall).

STEP 4. INFORMATION, PLEASE. Getting facts about colleges is probably easier now than ever before. So graze through the guides and the websites, says Popkin.

But brochures or virtual tours are not a substitute for a campus visit. Indeed, visiting the college campus was the most commonly cited factor in determining where the students in the Lipman Hearne survey applied. (Seventy-four percent mentioned it; factors such as talking with a student at the school, brochure, friends, and mom’s advice were mentioned by 52 to 59 percent. Dads were close behind at 49 percent.)

The reason that “college visits can be real helpful for discovering what’s comfortable, where you feel at home,” says Popkin, is that “until you put feet on the ground, you won’t necessarily know.” Riera similarly recalls many students who returned from a college visit and said, “‘I know I want to go to that college’–because the comfort level is there. It feels familiar, what they had actually described as wanting.” Even preliminary visits before you decide where to apply can help crystallize types of schools by size, location, or departmental strengths. Pay attention to your own response, not your friends’ or parents’, Riera advises. “If the school resonates with you, there’s probably a decent shot that you will resonate with the school as well.”

STEP 5. BE REALISTIC WHILE MAINTAINING PERSPECTIVE. Look at your high school profile from the point of view of a college admissions officer, suggests Holly Thompson, a former college admissions officer and high school college guidance counselor who is now a high school teacher in Palo Alto, Calif. For the most selective schools, especially, she says, “it is useful to step back and say: ‘Well, there are 22,000 applicants,’ and rather than letting that paralyze you, view it with a cool eye and evaluate more objectively.”

Just as important to achieving a realistic perspective is putting the admissions process in a larger context–your life. Shortly after her own son was born, Thompson says, she remembers reading the “great recommendations” for a young man applying to Stanford, where she then worked, and asking herself, “What more could a parent want for a son in terms of his qualities?” But the applicant “didn’t have all the pieces pulled together” that the college was looking for, and it rejected him.

The lesson? Colleges apply “a very narrow test, with a very specific set of criteria,” she says. Rather than letting the list of colleges to which you apply define you, define for yourself who you are, and let the list follow from that.

Tip:
Look on the bright side: 84% of all colleges accept more than 50% of the students who apply to them, according to the National Association for College Admission Counseling.

Souce: USNews.com, by Diane Cole

Liberal arts may be too liberal for the good of students, history professor and author Patrick Allitt told University of Montana faculty and students Monday.

Allitt is director of Emory University’s Center for Teaching and Curriculum in Atlanta. While much of his expertise is in following how intellectual ideas like conservatism or communism mutate when translated into governments and social movements, he said his recent research into educational policy has drawn considerable public interest.
His UM visit touched both fields, with an afternoon lecture on the fate of the American conservative movement and the evening President’s Lecture on “The Crisis of Education in America.”

His latest book is “I’m the Teacher, You’re the Student: A Semester in the University Classroom,” which challenges the idea that teachers and students have any equal footing in the pursuit of education. Teachers ought to be held superior in that relationship, and thinking otherwise has contributed to poor academic performance among overly comfortable students, he said.

Higher education faces similar challenges in deciding who’s in charge. The United Kingdom, Allitt said, has long held that higher education ought to be limited to the elite. He called the United States’ style of encouraging everyone to seek a college degree both “admirable and impossible.”

“It’s true that anyone who doesn’t go to college here puts themselves at a killing disadvantage,” Allitt said. “But at the same time, you wind up with the misplacement of large numbers of people in higher education programs where they don’t really belong, they’re unsuited for what they’re doing or they don’t like what they’re doing.”

Allitt had particular concern for the American liberal arts curriculum, the long-held idea that college students should be exposed to a range of subjects beyond their specific interests. While advocates of liberal arts argue we get better doctors and poets if each knows something of medicine and poetry, Allitt favors a more European style of early specialization.

“That just makes them jump through lots of hoops remote from their area of interest,” he said. “If they don’t want to take courses in history or philosophy, they ought not to have to. Let them specialize as soon as they would like.”

Allitt acknowledged that many people don’t know what their specialty might be, and such people should not be forced to make premature decisions. But those who do know they want to be doctors shouldn’t have to endure four years of pre-med schooling before they take on medicine full time. The greater time spent in more intensive training would result in better professionals, he claimed.

That said, he still prefers the U.S. system of decentralized higher education control to most European models. When colleges and universities are allowed to try different styles and programs, it increases the chances that a given student will find a well-tailored institution for his or her ambitions.

The serious flaw in that decentralized system, both in the U.S. and United Kingdom, is the lack of focus on how professors teach in the classroom. Allitt observed there are more stringent standards for elementary and high school teachers than there are for college professors, as far as the ability to pass information on to a roomful of students.

“But at least Americans are anxious about it,” Allitt said. “The British couldn’t care less. In that way, I like the American decentralized system. At least there, if one system is clearly malfunctioning, there are opportunities to try other methods.”

Reported on Xinhuanet (2007-04-03): ETS cancels plans to revise GRE General TestEducational Testing Service (ETS) announced its decision on Monday to cancel plans to launch the revised Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) General Test, since the problems they generate outweighed the benefits of moving to the new format immediately.

The decision was made in consultation with the Executive Committee of the GRE Board, said the world’s largest private education testing and measurement organization in a news release obtained by Xinhua.

“The decision to cancel the revised GRE General Test best serves the interests of test takers and the graduate institutions that use those scores to make admissions decisions,” says David Payne, Executive Director of the GRE Program at ETS.

“After much debate and evaluation, it became clear that the current format offers students more convenient and flexible opportunities to test when and where they choose, while still providing score users with valid predictors of test takers’ preparedness for graduate school study,” he added.

ETS had originally planned to launch the revised GRE General Test worldwide in September, replacing combined computer-based and paper-based administration by the new Internet-based test.

The organization said registration for the current GRE will continue as normal, and registrations in India, China and Japan, which had been closed, will be reopened in the near future to accommodate application deadlines.

In Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the Republic of Korea, the Analytical Writing section will continue to be computer-based, while the Verbal and Quantitative Reasoning sections will be offered at separate paper-based administrations, ETS said.

Founded in 1947, ETS develops, administers and scores more than30 million tests annually in more than 180 countries, at over 9,000 locations worldwide. It provides a comprehensive suite of English language tests, such as TOEFL, TOEIC, SAT and GRE.

Reported by USAToday on that All four-year U.S. colleges now accept ACT test.

More about ACT and SAT:

History:

For decades, the 81-year-old SAT, owned by New York-based College Board, was the test of choice for colleges on the East and West Coasts. The ACT, which made its debut in 1959 and is based in Iowa City, was adopted primarily by schools in between.

Scores:

When college admissions officials compare ACT and SAT scores, they typically convert them to a single measurement using a concordance table that the two testing companies agree on. Top scores have until recently been 36 for the ACT, 1600 for the SAT.

Compatibility:

With changes to the SAT’s scoring scale and test, admissions officials have asked companies to revisit the issue.

The ACT hasn’t changed. But in addition to English, math, reading and science sections, it offers an optional writing essay. The SAT now has three, instead of two, required sections, each worth 800 points: math, critical reading and writing, and grammar. A new concordance table, still under development, will allow comparisons between the ACT composite score and the SAT’s new 2400-point scale.

For now, researchers generally agree that the SAT’s critical reading and math scores, worth 1600 points, are comparable to the ACT’s composite score.

Findings:

The average ACT score for high school students graduating in the class of 2006 was 21.1 out of 36 possible points, up from 20.9 last year.

More students met benchmarks set for college readiness, the report said, but the majority of ACT-tested graduates still are likely to struggle in certain first-year courses. Only 42% of test-takers are likely to earn a C or higher in college algebra, and only 27% are prepared enough to succeed in college biology.

One reason students may not meet benchmarks is that many states don’t set demanding graduation requirements, the report said.

“We still have a lot of work ahead of us to ensure that all students graduate from high school with the skills they need to succeed at the next level,” Ferguson said.

Other findings:

• Among 36% of students who took the optional writing portion of the test, females outscored males, earning an average score of 7.9 (on a scale of 2 to 12) compared with 7.4 for males. The average score was 7.7. Black students scored lowest, averaging 6.8; Asian-American students scored highest, averaging 8.0.
• Overall scores increased in Colorado and Illinois where all public school graduates are required to take the ACT. Also, students across all family income levels posted gains compared with last year. Similar increases were not posted nationally.
• Average scores increased in three of the four subject areas: English, math and reading. The average science scores stayed the same as last year.