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Archive for the ‘The Application’ Category

The Importance of Completing Your myUface Profile As Quickly As You Can

Monday, October 12th, 2009

Today I want to talk about the importance of completing your myUface.com profile as soon as you can.  You want to get your myUface.com profile finished quickly for three main reasons:

  1. First, and most importantly, the quicker you finish your myUface.com profile, the quicker we can evaluate your strengths and weaknesses, and share your profile with the appropriate universities.  U.S. universities will soon be inundated with thousands of applications from students all over the world.  If you can get your information to them before the rush, you’ve got an advantage.
  2. Second, if you get your profile done quickly, you have time to get feedback from myUface and from U.S. universities.  Let’s say, for example, that you have a poor essay, but that everything else about your application is great.  If you are able to get us your profile now, there’s a good chance we’ll hear that from a few universities – and we can share that with you in time for you to make changes and resubmit your profile.  If you wait too long, you won’t have the chance to have that feedback.
  3. Third, if you finish your profile early, you can relax, cross it off your list, and do fun things elsewhere!!!

Please, work on those profiles!  It helps you, and it helps us.

As always, if you need help with your profile or if you have any questions, e-mail us.

The myUface Online Profile is Officially Open

Thursday, September 10th, 2009

Dear Friends,

We are very pleased to announce the official opening of the myUface online profile, available, FOR FREE, at www.myuface.com. I want to take a few moments of your time to remind you about how you can use this tool to gain admission to U.S. universities.

The myUface.com student profile is a way for you to provide the information a university needs in order to evaluate you as a potential student. It includes biographical and financial information, academic history, notes about your hobbies and interests, and much more. Once you create an online profile, we will share your information with our university partners, looking for an institution that would be a good fit. In addition, our university partners will search the myUface database looking for students that fit their needs. Our ultimate goal is to connect talented international students like yourself with U.S. universities.

I need to stop and mention again that all of this is FREE for you as an international student.

The online profile is not 100% complete. Over the next weeks and months, we’ll be constantly adding new features to increase your ability to present yourself to U.S. universities. But please, start your profile now. The U.S. admissions process will start very soon, so there’s no time to lose.

Also, please feel free to let us know what you think about the service myUface provides, and how we could improve that service. This is our very first week of operation, so I’m sure some things will need work. The only way we’ll learn about what we need to change is if you, the students, let us know. So e-mail us early and often: contact@myuface.com.

Two more quick notes: remember, myUface is just one tool to help you get into a U.S. university. You should also pursue other options, like applying independently to U.S. universities. To help you, we have a daily blog with advice on preparing your university applications both here at myUface and on your own. Remember, our goal is for you to fulfill your dreams of studying in the U.S. We think myUface can help, but if you can find another way to realize your dreams, we’ll be just as happy for you.

Alright, friends, time moves on. In a few short months U.S. universities will begin to make decisions about which students will be part of the 2010 class of incoming students. It’s time to get to work – we’re ready if you are.

We’re Baaaaaack!

Tuesday, September 8th, 2009

Hello, most loyal blog readers.  I am back from a trip to the Pacific Northwest (a very, very cool place to live or study) and am re-energized.    I’m ready to fire out a long string of daily blog posts here, so I hope you’re ready for some advice.

A few quick notes:

  • You may notice the new, sleek look of the blog.  This is the first part of a general redesign of the website, which will culminate in the official opening of the myUface application this Thursday at 09:00 A.M. Eastern Time.  We are really, really sorry it took so long, but we wanted to make sure we have all the technical capacities in place before we opened it up.  Actually, it’s open right now at www.myuface.com, but there are some kinks that are still being ironed out, so if you use it expect some rough patches.  Official opening this Thursday.
  • Over the next three months, this blog will concentrate on the following five topics:  first, questions about how to use the myUface application. Second, advice for writing essays to universities. Third, advice about preparing your application – not only on myUface, but to universities.  Fourth, continued information on US states. And finally, advice about preparing for and taking standardized tests.
  • It is that time of year – time to get serious about applying to universities.  We are going to be ready with our online application, and also with TONS of advice.  Our advice will NOT be only about myUface.  It will also be about preparing your applications for individual universities.  Why?  Because our main goal is to get students into U.S. universities. myUface is one powerful tool for students, but we want to help all students, regardless of whether or not they end up using myUface.  So please, visit us often.  Start taking the application process seriously.  Don’t put off for tomorrow what you could do today.  AND ASK US QUESTIONS.

Alright?  It’s time to get working, people! Ready, Set, GO!

What Information Do I Need to Complete a myUface Profile?

Monday, August 17th, 2009

Let’s briefly go over the different information you’ll need in order to complete a profile on myUface.  When you first look at this list, you may think, Wow, that’s a lot of information! Remember that this is generally the same information you’d need to complete an application to a U.S. university independently, so you’ll need to collect it sometime.  It’s actually quite useful to be able to keep it all together in one place, online, here at myUface.

You don’t need all this information to start a profile, but you will need it in order to complete one.

User Name and Password: You’ll need to choose a user name and password.  Make sure it’s something you can remember easily.

Field of Study: Don’t worry too much about this.  A lot of students don’t know exactly what they’d like to study.  It does hep us, however, to know what subject you’re most interested in.

Biographical information: this is the easy stuff:  your name, date of birth, citizenship etc.  You’ll also need to input your passport data if you have a passport (if not, obviously you won’t be able to do so, and that’s OK!)

Contact information: Your telephone number, street address, etc.  Basically we want to know how we’d get a hold of you.  We also ask for your Skype name if you have a Skype account.

Academic Questions: What kind of university are you interested in?  What kind of program?  We want as much information as possible, so we can try to find a good fit for you as a student.

Family Information: We need some background information on your family.  We also ask in this section questions about what percentage of your educational costs your family is prepared to support.  Try to answer as accurately as possible.  There’s no “right” or “wrong” answer, but it’s a question universities will ask immediately.  This is a good point to remind everyone that myUface does not offer financial aid, although we certainly try to provide good advice on how to find some.

Academic History: You’ll need to prepare information, usually in the form of transcripts, that show how you’ve done in school up until this point.  You’ll also need recommendations from individuals, such as teachers, that know you and your strengths as a candidate.

Standardized Tests: The kind of tests you’ll need to take will depend on the kind of program in which you’re interested.  Generally speaking, for undergraduate students you’ll need SAT and TOEFL results.

Language Information: We’d like to know about your native language, about any other languages you speak, and a self-assessment of how well you speak those languages.

Extra Information:  Here we give you an opportunity to share other information that might be valuable to a university (such as any interest you have in sports).  We’re going to be updating this section very frequently, so please let us know your thoughts.

Go BACK to “Questions and Answers.”

Podcast: Give Yourself Time To Complete Your Application

Saturday, June 13th, 2009

The podcast for today is about giving yourself enough time to complete you application.

As always, if you would like us to answer your questions in the podcast, send us your questions at podcast@myuface.com.

Other Podcasts

  1. Podcast: Asking Questions - 18 Jul
  2. Podcast: Give Yourself Time To Complete Your Application (This post)
  3. Podcast: What to Do if your Application is not Accepted - 06 Jun
  4. Podcast - The View from Albania - 23 May
  5. Podcast: University Rankings - 16 May
  6. Podcast: Timeline for Applying to a U.S. University - 09 May
  7. The Inaugural myUface Podcast - 02 May

Thinking of Yourself as an Asset

Thursday, June 4th, 2009

When it comes time to apply to universities, most students think of themselves as a potential client of a university.  The application process, therefore, is one in which you – the client – makes a bid for a product which the university is selling: namely, an education.

While there is some truth to thinking of the application process in this way, today I’d like to encourage you all to think about applying to universities in a slightly different way.  What if the university was the client and you were the “supplier.”  The university puts out a request for a particular product – “we need 1,500 freshmen with these particular specifications” – and you put in a bid to partially fulfill that request.

It may seem strange to suggest that a university is “buying” you when, in fact, you’re the one that pays tuition.  But universities do look at students as “assets” they’d like to acquire, and not merely as individuals who will pay tuition.

It’s useful to think about just a few of the many different ways in which you are an asset to a university:

  1. Most obviously, you pay tuition.  This helps the university covers its operational costs (paying teachers, heating bills for the buildings, etc.)
  2. Your educational background and experiences will form a crucial part of any classroom in which you’re a student.  The questions you ask, the essays you write, and the comments you make will either improve or degrade the quality of the educational outcomes for that class.
  3. Your social characteristics – your ability to make friends, your interest in participating in hobbies and sports, etc. – will contribute to the on-campus atmosphere of the university.  This is important. If a university admits 1,500 excellent students who all pay full tuition, but they’re all anti-social and hate other people, do you think that university will be a nice place to work or study?
  4. When you become an alumnus, you will have the opportunity to contribute to the university both financially (through alumni donations) and socially (through giving the university and its students access to your personal and professional networks).

There are a number of other ways you are an asset to a university, but let’s stop at these four for now.  What this means is that a university views a potential student as an asset that covers costs, improves the quality of the university’s product, maintains a healthy atmosphere on campus, and develops the university’s professional and academic networks.

Now, if you think of yourself as a potential asset, then in applying to a university you have to sell yourself by convincing the university that you’re a stronger asset than other students.  We’ll talk at great length about how you can do that in later posts, but the crucial point here is just to realize that an application for a university is very much like an advertisement for a product:  if you create a good advertisement, the chances that the product will be “bought” are much higher.

What do you think? Are you an asset?  Should universities view students this way?

Three Important Questions to Consider

Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009

In the process of applying to a U.S. university, you’re going to be asked a number of questions – in essays, in interviews, and in the application – about your plans for the future.  The more time you spend seriously considering your goals and career plans, the better prepared you’ll be to answer these questions.

For that reason, I’m going to start a periodic series called “Three Questions.”  This will basically be an occasional post that asks – you guessed it – three questions designed to make you think about the world and your place in it.  By considering these questions in your free time, I hope you’ll be able to generate the kind of introspection that will help you on your essays, in your interviews, and throughout your application.

Each “question” will actually be a series of questions – one main question with a series of follow-ups.

Without further ado, here’s the first installment of “Three Questions:”

  1. What is the biggest problem in your society? What, if anything, can an individual like yourself do to change it?  Is changing it something in which you are interested?  Why or why not?
  2. What do you think is the proper balance between work and family life? In your culture, is it common for people to be more committed to their work or to their family?  Is it even possible to maintain a balance?
  3. In sports, is it more important to win or to follow the rules? Why?

More Questions . . .

  1. Three Questions - 29 Jun
  2. Three Important Questions to Consider (This post)

Podcast: University Rankings

Saturday, May 16th, 2009

The podcast for this week goes into more detail about using university rankings when you’re looking for a U.S. university.

Questions?  As always, you can e-mail them to podcast@myuface.com or blog@myuface.com.

Other Podcasts

  1. Podcast: Asking Questions - 18 Jul
  2. Podcast: Give Yourself Time To Complete Your Application - 13 Jun
  3. Podcast: What to Do if your Application is not Accepted - 06 Jun
  4. Podcast - The View from Albania - 23 May
  5. Podcast: University Rankings (This post)
  6. Podcast: Timeline for Applying to a U.S. University - 09 May
  7. The Inaugural myUface Podcast - 02 May

Podcast: Timeline for Applying to a U.S. University

Saturday, May 9th, 2009

Today the podcast covers the issue of timelines for international students interested in applying to U.S. universities.

Hope you enjoy it!

As always, comments or questions about the podcast should be directed to podcast@myuface.com.

Other Podcasts

  1. Podcast: Asking Questions - 18 Jul
  2. Podcast: Give Yourself Time To Complete Your Application - 13 Jun
  3. Podcast: What to Do if your Application is not Accepted - 06 Jun
  4. Podcast - The View from Albania - 23 May
  5. Podcast: University Rankings - 16 May
  6. Podcast: Timeline for Applying to a U.S. University (This post)
  7. The Inaugural myUface Podcast - 02 May

Timeline for Applying to U.S. Universities: Fall

Wednesday, May 6th, 2009

The four months from September to December are  the busiest for international students applying to U.S. universities.  On Sunday we talked about the Summer timeline.  Today let’s go over what we’ll need to do this fall, if we plan to begin attending a U.S. university in September of 2010.

September

  • We should continue working on our myUface profile.  Not only is a myUface profile a good way to apply independently to a number of universities, it’s also a great place to store all of your application materials.  Having all your information in one place will make it easier to fill out other applications in the future.
  • We should ask three individuals (teachers, probably) for letters of recommendation.  We want to do this early, in order to give them plenty of time to complete a good recommendation.  We’ll undoubtedly have more posts later about what to look for in a reccomender, but to talk about it briefly here:  the most important thing is that your recommender knows you well.  A lot of students try to get recommendations from “important” people who don’t really know them.  The result is an impressive name attached to an uninteresting recommendation.  It’s far better to get someone who knows you and can talk about your strengths.
  • We should talk to our school about preparing transcripts.  Can they provide an English translation?  How long will it take?  Does it cost anything?
  • Did we get a good TOEFL score?  If not, try again.

October

  • We should have received applications by now from universities we’re interested in.  If we haven’t asked for application, we need to do so immediately. We should look carefully at each application, answering the following:  when is it due?  Is there a benefit to applying early?  Does the application require special information that other applications don’t require?   What are the essay questions?
  • We should ask each university that we’re applying to about their requirements for transcripts.  Do they have any special format that they want us to submit transcripts in?  We should ask our school to send certified transcripts to each of the universities we’re applying to, following the university guidelines.
  • We should make photocopies of the applications and begin to fill  in the copies. DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT fill in information on the originals.  That comes later.
  • We should provide our recoommenders with the addresses of the universities, so they can send the recommendations to the right place.  Even better, we should give our recoomenders addressed envelopes so there’s no way they can make an accidental mistake.
  • We should begin writing our essays and statements of purpose.
  • If we haven’t already, we should take the SAT.

November

  • November is a month for work, plain and simple.  We follow up on recommendation letters, we complete our essays, we finish the rough drafts of our applications and begin on the final copies, we make sure our transcripts have been prepared properly, we take and retake standardized tests (if need be).
  • Some U.S. universities will have “early application” deadlines.  By applying to a university early, you may have a better chance of being accepted.  However, by applying early you are also promising that, if accepted, you’ll go to that university.  If there’s one university you really really want to get into, it’s a good idea to apply early.  Early application deadlines can be as early as November, so be aware!
  • Even if you’re not applying early, there’s no penalty for submitting applications before the deadline.  So try to not only finish, but send off, as many applications as you can.

December

In December we’re doing three things:

  1. We’re continuing to finish and send off applications.  Our goals should be to complete all of our applications by the New Year.
  2. We’re corresponding with universities, verifying that they’ve received our materials, asking if they need more information, and responding promptly to any requests they may have.
  3. If we have poor tests scores, we’re scrambling to take them one last time.

That’s the calendar for Fall.  In a future post we’ll look at the Winter timeline.