STUDY IN THE USA! Quarterly Newsletter for Smart High School Students
Bucharest, May 9, 2013 Volume V, Spring Issue
FEAC CORE FEAC NEWS EDUCATIONUSA NEWS WISDOM OF THE SEASON
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Close-Up on U.S. Study: Keys to U.S. Academic Success: Participation and Preparation University Highlight: Yale University, CT Student Highlight: Iulia Tamas, FEAC friend, Yale University, CT
FEAC NEWS
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Upcoming Events and Activities • • •
Developments • •
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FEAC Advisees Bloom into Successful Applicants to Top U.S. Universities U.S. Admissions Spring School Sibiu: The Second Installment, the Second FEAC Success U.S. Study Attracts Large Audiences at Romanian International University Fair in Bucharest, Timisoara, and Iasi Effective Promotion of U.S. Study to Fresh Audiences: International Study Day in Pitesti, Arad, and Constanta. Next: Bacau, May 15
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FEAC’s Undergrad Booklet New Internships at the Fulbright Educational Advising Center
SAT Files: Ace the Test with FEAC Resources New Fulbright Website to Feature New EducationUSA Online Resources
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Tufts University: The “New Ivy” Visits FEAC and Vianu National College, May 10 A New Round of Undergraduate Admissions Training This Spring at FEAC Flag Day in June: Celebrating U.S. Culture and Study at the U.S. Ambassador’s Residence Are You Admitted to a U.S. University? Join Our Pre-Departure Orientation in July Online Events for Your U.S. Admissions, via CollegeWeekLive
EDUCATIONUSA NEWS • • • •
College Is a Journey, Not a Destination 5 Reasons to Rethink Your Dream U.S. School Upcoming EducationUSA Web Seminars Step Inside: Harvard Professors and Their Offices
WISDOM OF THE SEASON
This Newsletter is produced by the Fulbright Educational Advising Center in Bucharest, Romania. If you wish to subscribe or cancel your subscription to this newsletter, please contact FEAC@fulbright.ro.
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FEAC CORE Close-Up on U.S. Study Keys to U.S. Academic Success: Participation and Preparation By David Dulceany, FEAC friend & U.S. Fulbright grantee to the University of Bucharest, 2012-13 In the U.S., each field of study has a different level and type of preparation required for their respective courses. This article will focus on preparing for undergraduate courses. Preparing for graduate courses is similar, only that graduate students have larger, more specialized workloads and are usually expected to balance coursework with other responsibilities, such as research and teaching. In the humanities, my main area of research, professors expect students to have thoroughly and closely read all assigned texts before class. Often, professors ask that students complete reading responses, which are brief analyses of assigned texts. These responses are meant to demonstrate the students’ deeper engagement with the readings. The responses, along with the students’ level of participation in class discussion and their attendance, constitute their participation grade. Participation usually accounts for most of the students’ final grade for a course. Different from Romania, students take fewer courses but have a much larger workload for each course. For example, in a standard literature course, students read at least five novels a term, or the equivalent, in a different medium. In addition, they read a number of supplemental materials such as scholarly articles (averaging about one or two per class session) as well as all the additional materials related to their personal research for their mid-term and final essays. Thus, overall, students spend more time preparing outside of class than they do in the classroom. The general rule is that students spend around three hours outside of scheduled class time preparing for each hour spent in class. In the social sciences, hard sciences, and professional fields, students still read large amounts of texts, but mostly in textbooks and professional manuals. Students are expected to spend significant amounts of time outside of class meetings and lecture sessions working in a lab or performing research in the field. The idea is that students ought to take their education into their own hands and apply their newly attained knowledge to solving real world problems, thus becoming as prepared as possible for their chosen professions. Again, participation and attendance weigh heavily in the students’ final grades. It is impossible for a student to pass a class merely by passing their exams, without having fully participated in the course. Often, students will be asked to complete group projects and form study groups, which are ways that professors can assess a student’s ability to work well with others. The keys to success in the American system of higher education are participation and preparation. This applies to professors as much as it does to students. Professors make themselves available to assist students or, in larger classes, provide students with competent teaching assistants who can help them. In the U.S., learning and research are seen as collaborative: the professor seeks to gain as much as the students do from the course. The most important piece of advice I can give any student interested in studying in the U.S. is to not hesitate in reaching out to professors, librarians, or teaching assistants and to really benefit from the collaborative approach to education.
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FEAC CORE University Highlight Yale University, CT Yale University is a private Ivy League research university located in New Haven, in the state of Connecticut, in northeastern USA. The third-oldest higher education institution in the United States, according to the official university website, Yale’s roots can be traced back to the 1640s, when colonial clergymen were trying to set up a college in New Haven to preserve the tradition of European liberal education in the New World. This vision was fulfilled in 1701, when they received funding for a school “wherein Youth may be instructed in the Arts and Sciences [and] through the blessing of Almighty God may be fitted for Publick employment both in Church and Civil State.” In 1718 the school was renamed “Yale College” in gratitude to the Welsh merchant Elihu Yale, who had offered a generous donation of money and books to the college. Nowadays, Yale employs over 1,100 faculty to teach and advise about 5,300 undergraduate and 6,100 graduate and professional students. Almost all professors teach undergraduate courses, more than 2,000 of which are offered annually. Wondering exactly how strict a Yale education is? According to the Fiske Guide to Colleges, “despite its reverence for tradition, Yale doesn’t require any specific courses for graduation, and it doesn’t have a core curriculum.” According to its official site, “Yale is committed to the idea of a liberal arts education through which students think and learn across disciplines, literally liberating the mind to its fullest potential. The essence of such an education is not what you study but the result – gaining the ability to think critically and independently and to write, reason, and communicate clearly – the foundation for all professions. There is no specific class you have to take at Yale, but you are required to learn broadly and deeply. Depth is covered in your major. Breadth is covered in three study areas (the humanities and arts, the sciences, and the social sciences) and three skill areas (writing, quantitative reasoning, and foreign language). A Yale education instills in students the values, goals, skills, and knowledge they need to pursue inspiring work, to take joy in lifetime learning, and to lead successful and meaningful lives.” However, an international study experience is not only relevant through its academic component, but through the social one too. This means that on top of the learning you will do in class, you will have a lot to gain from working together and socializing with your peers and professors from all around the globe and from across the United States. According to its official website, internationals have studied at Yale since the 1830s. Today, foreign students make up nearly 9% of the undergraduates on campus, and 16% of all students at the university. Continued on page 4
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FEAC CORE Yale’s distinguished faculty includes many who have been trained or educated abroad and many whose fields of research have a global emphasis. International studies and exchanges play an increasingly important role in the Yale College curriculum. Numbers-wise, Yale's assets include an endowment valued at $19.4 billion as of 2012, the second-largest of any academic institution in the world, after Harvard’s $30.4 billion. Yale's system of more than two dozen libraries holds 12.5 million volumes. 49 Nobel Laureates have been affiliated with the University as students, faculty, and staff. Yale has produced many notable alumni, including five U.S. Presidents, 19 U.S. Supreme Court Justices, and several foreign heads of state. At the graduate level, Yale Law School, Yale School of Art, and Yale School of Drama are consistently ranked the top programs in their field. Also, according to Internet Legal Research Group rankings, Yale Law School is the most selective law school in the United States. Interested in sports? Yale students compete at intercollegiate level as the Yale Bulldogs in the NCAA Division I Ivy League. Not to mention that the oldest intercollegiate athletic event in the United States is the Yale-Harvard regatta. But how do you get accepted by a school like Yale? Here’s how the school regards the admissions process: “Many years ago, former Yale President Kingman Brewster wrote that selecting future Yale students was a combination of looking for those who would make the most of the extraordinary resources assembled here, those with a zest to stretch the limits of their talents, and those with an outstanding Handsome Dan, public motivation – in other words, applicants with a concern for something larger Yale’s mascot than themselves. He said, ‘We have to make the hunchy judgment as to whether or not with Yale’s help the candidate is likely to be a leader in whatever he [or she] ends up doing.’ Our goals remain the same today. Decade after decade, Yalies have set out to make our world better. We are looking for students we can help to become the leaders of their generation in whatever they wish to pursue. As we carefully and respectfully review every application, two questions guide our admissions team: ‘Who is likely to make the most of Yale’s resources?’ and ‘Who will contribute most significantly to the Yale community?’” So, as with U.S. admissions in general, although grades and test scores do matter, they are not the cornerstone of your application. For instance, straight As, 800 in the SATs, and (inter)national Olympiads are not guaranteed to get you in. They only become powerful and work in your favor together with “qualitative” elements, such as your personal essay and recommendations. Worried that even if you do get in, you won’t be able to afford college costs? Yale’s financial aid policies for international applicants are similar to those for U.S. citizens: need-blind admissions and need-based aid, with a current budget of approx. $120 million. “Need-blind” means that Yale College admits students on the basis of academic and personal promise, without regard to their ability to pay. “Need-based” means that financial aid packages are based on individual needs assessments, not based on merit Continued on page 5 (academic, athletic or otherwise).
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FEAC CORE International students are evaluated using a needs analysis that takes into account the relative differences between the U.S. economy and the economy of students’ home countries. On top of need-based aid, students have extra funding opportunities, such as campus jobs. Read more about the Yale student experience in the student profile in this newsletter, which features Iulia, FEAC advisee and rising sophomore on a full ride to Yale. Useful links: www.yale.edu & https://www.facebook.com/YaleUniversity Student Highlight By Iulia Tamas, FEAC friend, Yale University, CT, class of 2016 I am not a superstitious person, but there was something magical in my ending up at Yale. Before deciding where I wanted to apply, I went on the websites of all top U.S. universities, and I was impressed by all the opportunities the students there had, by the course selections, the approachability of the professors. I fell in love with all of them, one at the time. Every week I had a different favorite one. I started with Yale, true, but then I continued with Princeton, UPenn, Dartmouth, and many others. What remained constant, however, was my desktop background. Back in the summer, before even starting to think about writing college essays, I googled Yale on Google images, and a beautiful castle-like building appeared. I chose that as my background image, and as it turned out, it was one of Yale’s 12 residential colleges, to which, upon acceptance, I have been randomly assigned. My take on this was that, when you are trying to figure out which school is the college of your dreams, you will not necessarily feel from the start an incredible connection to one of them. You will probably end up loving all of them, because all of them have at least one amazing aspect that differentiates them from the others. So it is ok to just apply to all those that appeal to you, and when the day comes to decide, you’ll know. About writing your college essay: I would say the most difficult thing is to start. Once you’ve started, however, there should be no problems. Even if you are not a great writer you should not be worried. I would say that the admissions officers are able to determine when the students give their best in trying to write their essays, and appreciate their effort, rather than comparing them to native speakers or future Comparative Literature majors. There is also a lot of help you can get, and I would recommend FEAC as one of the best sources of help out there. Also, you might have already heard this, and been reluctant to believe it, but it’s true: you can, and are encouraged to write about anything you want, within the essay topic of course, as long as it is important to you, and as long as the person reading it can get to know you a bit better through it. My advice is this: choose a really small thing and analyze it. An ability that is very appreciated in college students here is that of analyzing and drawing meaning (from basically anything that will allow it). Depth, not just breadth. Another thing that you might have noticed is that this whole college application process is quite hard. It takes up a lot of your time, it is sometimes tedious, and no one can guarantee you will get the desired results. What I promise, however, is that is worth a try. If you have the slightest thought that you might want more than what colleges in Romania have to offer, if you feel like there is a part of you that dreams of the international experience, the studying abroad, do apply. Once you get here you will realize that all of your effort, times a million, would have been worth it. Continued on page 6
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FEAC CORE Life as a student here is great. At Yale, there are over 2,000 courses you can choose from. They cover anything and everything you might possibly want, and if somehow what you want is not there, you can let them know and they will do their best to get it for you. The same is true for student organizations. If you want to start an organization or a club of your own, Yale will give you all the resources and support you need. The professors are not only amazing at teaching, but also amazing as people. They are very kind and close to their students. I was so impressed with their desire and interest in hearing us out and in discussing our questions and opinions. They view learning as a two-way experience, and are confident that it is not only you who learn from them, but it is also them who learn from you. What this implies is that here professors have great faith in your abilities, so if they see you have interest in their subject they will help you find the opportunities you need to explore that subject in more depth. They will guide you towards research programs, and summer programs, or they will even take you on their research teams. I am part of the Social Robotics lab here at Yale, and I will continue working here as an intern over the summer. I started working in the lab my first semester, when I had only been in college for two months. As for your fellow students, I would go as far as saying that it is impossible, yes, impossible, not to make a lot of great, life-time friends. Yalies are kind, and funny, committed to helping one another. At Yale we put great emphasis on cooperation rather than on competition. We like the idea of working together towards our common goals, towards the “greater good”. My best friends here are from the U.S., Mauritius, Mexico, Venezuela, China, France, and my classmates are from all over the world. What is amazing is that besides having a lot of fun with your friends, you also have a lot to learn from them. For example, I have learnt a lot about the Arab culture from my Syrian-American roommate; I have practiced my Spanish with my Latin-American friends, discovered the delicious Thai deserts with my friend from Bangkok, and learnt all about the differences in American families on the West vs. the East Coast. I wanted to tell you about job opportunities on campus. As internationals, you will not be allowed to work outside Yale Campus, but the university offers a wide variety of jobs. From working in the Colleges’ Butteries (which are student-run cafes), to working in the Yale Libraries or in the labs, you can most definitely find a job that you like. My position in the Social Robotics Lab is that of a volunteer for now, but as I will gain more experience I could make it my student job. For now, though, I work in Sterling Memorial Library, at the circulation desk, and I tutor Romanian. Yale teaches a very wide variety of languages, and we are famous for how good our Language Departments are. Recently, Yale has tried to incorporate even more languages in its course packet, by offering video-classes in collaboration with Columbia and other universities. Romanian is one of the ‘rare’ languages that are offered now, so this gave me the chance of becoming a tutor for the 2 Yale students interested in learning Romanian. In saying this I am trying to emphasize how, sometimes, opportunities here just seem to ‘hit’ you. You think you know what you will be able to do here, before you come, but actually, you discover you can do much more than planned. Continued on page 7 6
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FEAC CORE Besides having these jobs, I also write for the International Magazine, Accent. I wrote in Italian and Romanian but you can find articles of interest for the Yalies, written by the Yalies, in any of the languages spoken here. I should probably also talk about financial aid. If you have any worries about that, I would say “Stop!”. Yale is a very, very generous university. They are need-blind, and full-aid, so if they decide to take you, they will take you, independent of your ability to pay the tuition and other costs. Of the Ivies, I have been accepted to UPenn, Dartmouth, and Yale and I can say that Yale, by far, offered me the best financial aid.
The only thing that I have to warn you about is not to expect that it will be like this from day 1. People are indeed very warm and welcoming from the start, but don’t imagine you will find your “best friends forever” from your first days here. You have to be prepared to give it a few weeks or months to discover who the people you like are, and also how to manage your schedule so as to have time both for them, classes, and other activities. From my experience, I can say that the first semester of college is a time for discovering who your college friends will be, and what clubs you’ll join, or what major you’d like to pursue, but also a significant time for self-discovery. If you felt that there were any restraints on you back home, the true freedom of the U.S., and the openness towards any kinds of ideas and passions will allow you to realize who you truly are and what you really want, as long as you are willing to embrace this opportunity.
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FEAC NEWS Developments FEAC Advisees Bloom into Successful Applicants to Top U.S. Universities Our Advising Center is proud to report exciting news from our high school advisees around the country who were admitted with full or almost full funding by competitive U.S. universities this year. Some examples: Diana has been offered a full ride by California Institute of Technology, the best university in the world according to the latest Times Higher Education ranking. Alex, a former FEAC intern, is heading for New York University, the Abu Dhabi campus, with a full ride that includes two plane tickets home every year. This is one of the most competitive schools in the world: in 2012, they received a record number of 15,489 applications for a class of 150. Nicoleta got around 90% financial aid from Grinnell College in Iowa where she decided to join the other two FEAC advisees on campus who both also enjoy full-need funding. Andreea was admitted by MIT, Yale, Columbia, UPenn, Duke, and Rice with full funding. You may like to visit our Facebook page http://on.fb.me/FEACfb to see which school she selected! Alex, recently featured on the Facebook page of the U.S. Embassy http://bit.ly/ AlexKis, is now choosing between the 11 U.S. universities that admitted him. They all took part in multiple FEAC events, attended our Group Admissions Training and enjoyed our essay feedback service, free test prep, SAT administration and one of them even became part of our amazing team of interns.
U.S. Admissions Spring School Sibiu: The Second Installment, the Second FEAC Success This spring, FEAC reps traveled to Sibiu to hold a U.S. Admissions Spring School over April 1-3. 64 students, 10th and 11th graders from the 5 top high schools in Sibiu, took part in the intensive 3-day program hosted by the foremost secondary school in the city. The participants benefitted from the presence of a former FEAC intern, now a rising freshman at a U.S. university, on full funding. The training program was enhanced by the U.S. Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Brasov who introduced the students to the U.S. liberal arts system, as well as the academic and cultural environment in general. FEAC will offer two more summer schools in two other Romanian cities over the following months. This series of educational events, which debuted last summer in Constanta, is designed and carried out by FEAC with U.S. Embassy funding and Fulbright Commission support.
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FEAC NEWS U.S. Study Attracts Large Audiences at Romanian International University Fair in Bucharest, Timisoara, and Iasi U.S. study and EducationUSA admissions support services were highlighted during the 12th edition of the Romanian International University Fair/RIUF, the foremost educational fair in south-east Europe. RIUF was organized in Bucharest, Timisoara, and Iasi in March. Over the 4 days of the fair, we interacted with close to 2,000 students, graduates, educators, and parents. In all 3 locations, FEAC and friends – U.S. Fulbright grantees and FEAC interns – met visitors at our booth that was open all day long and also during two interactive presentations on undergrad study and grad admissions in the USA.
Effective Promotion of U.S. Study to Fresh Audiences: International Study Day in Pitesti, Arad and Constanta. Next: Bacau, May 15 Int’l Study Day, FEAC’s brainchild offered in partnership with Campus France, DAAD, and British Council, continues to travel and connect more and more audiences around the country with the educational systems in the USA, France, and Germany, and standardized exams such as the SAT, TOEFL, GRE, GMAT, and IELTS. In March-April, Int’l Study Day traveled to Pitesti, Arad, Constanta. The 3 full-day events included productive, informative conversations at our U.S. study booth, as well as two presentations on study opportunities in the USA. Overall, we connected with around 700 new fans of U.S. study. On May 15, we look forward to meeting more high school and college students at the Int’l Study Day hosted by “Vasile Alecsandri” University in Bacau. U.S. Study Highlighted in High Schools across Romania. More Sessions in May-June! This spring, FEAC visited a number of high schools in Bucharest: Spiru Haret, Iulia Hasdeu, Cosbuc, and Lovinescu. Many students who took part in the presentations decided to visit FEAC afterwards to actually start their applications. We also interacted with students from 8 high schools during a student conference on “Anglo-Saxon Culture and Civilization” organized by Cuza Nat’l College, the Bucharest School Inspectorate and “Ecologica” University. Coming up next: Lazar, Kretzulescu, and Goethe Nat’l Colleges in May, as well as Int’l Study Day during “Student Career Path 2013”, an event co-organized by one of our former interns who is now working with the Leaders of the Third Millenium Club.
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FEAC NEWS Resources It's Here: FEAC's Undergrad Booklet To bring students closer to U.S. study, FEAC has developed a new resource: a 54-page booklet for prospective undergraduate applicants. The booklet draws on our 15 years of experience in the field of U.S. applications with generous financial aid packages offered by U.S. universities. Our insights and tips included in the booklet are backed and enhanced by copious reflections from Romanian students thriving on U.S. campuses who enjoyed the full range of FEAC services during their own application. The volume designed and written in-house at the Commission was printed thanks to U.S. Embassy funding and has already been donated to a number of high schools around the country. The booklet will also be available on the FEAC site, soon. New Internships at the Fulbright Educational Advising Center This spring, FEAC welcomed 5 high-school interns. The new ambassadors of U.S. study hail from Bucharest high schools Vianu, Viteazul, Cosbuc, and Spiru Haret. They have been working on stimulating face-to-face and online projects including university research, educational projects, poster design, promotion of FEAC events, and much more. Keep posted on internship openings and browse past interns’ feedback on working with FEAC at http://bit.ly/joinfeac.
SAT Files: Ace the Test with FEAC Resources Most colleges in the USA use the SAT Reasoning and Subject tests as objective tools for evaluating a student's college readiness and knowledge of various academic subjects. Visit FEAC to access our many free resources – textbooks, practice tests, online materials – to prepare for the upcoming SAT test administrations. Or access the free practice materials on our site under Testing. FEAC is one of the four SAT testing centers in Bucharest. You are welcome to take the tests with us. Our testing capacity is limited to 18 seats for SAT I and 13 for SAT II, so register early to secure a seat. Good luck! New Fulbright Website to Feature New EducationUSA Online Resources Work on a new website for the Fulbright Commission, including the Fulbright Educational Advising Center, is in full swing. The new, significantly improved website will feature new information, new services, as well as new online resources specially designed for Romanian students interested in U.S. higher education opportunities. Stay tuned!
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FEAC NEWS Upcoming Events and Activities Tufts University: The “New Ivy” Visits FEAC and Vianu Natl College, May 10 Founded in 1852, Tufts University is a private research university which consistently ranks among the top schools in the USA. The university balances undergrad and grad programs, with similar numbers of students enrolled at each level of study, approx. 5,000, on four campuses in Massachusetts and the French Alps. A rigorous science curriculum as well as a broad-based liberal arts education explain why the school ranks in line with Brown, UPenn, Dartmouth, and other top schools. The maximum financial aid offered last year was over $60,000, with an annual cost of $56,600. The Tufts rep will be at FEAC on Friday May 10, for a session between 16:30 and 17:30. CN “Tudor Vianu” students will also be able to meet him during the session at their high school between 12:3013:30. These sessions are the perfect chance to explore the multiple opportunities that undergraduate study at a U.S. university brings along: personalized curriculum, close student-professor interactions, generous scholarship options, study abroad, and much more! A New Round of Undergraduate Admissions Training This Spring at FEAC This spring, FEAC is offering admissions training programs to prospective applicants to higher education programs in the USA. The 5 interactive sessions cover the main criteria for selecting U.S. universities which nurture academic growth and offer financial aid to international students and present case studies of successful Romanian applicants, highlighting the main ingredients of their admission and much more. Two more sessions for high school students will be held May 14 and 21. Full info: http://bit.ly/feac_events. Join us! Flag Day in June: Celebrating U.S. Culture and Study at the U.S. Ambassador’s Residence On June 13, festivity will be in the air as the Public Diplomacy section of the U.S. Embassy will bring together over 250 students and English teachers from five Bucharest high schools. The participants will celebrate Flag Day through creative colorful projects on the 50 U.S. states.
Honoring a cherished tradition, the Fulbright Commission will also take part in the event with an educational booth staffed by FEAC advisers and interns. We will also have with us students who have enjoyed the full range of FEAC services and got admitted and funded by top U.S. universities. Iulia, the star of this newsletter’s student profile, has already confirmed her attendance. Throughout the event FEAC will interact with the participants and introduce them to the study and funding opportunities U.S. campuses offer to top international students. Pictures from past editions at http://on.fb.me/FEACPics.
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FEAC NEWS Are You Admitted to a U.S. University? Join Our Pre-Departure Orientation in July On Monday July 8, the Romanian-U.S. Fulbright Commission and FEAC organize the Pre-Departure Orientation, a full-day event meant to facilitate the admitted students’ academic and cultural adjustment on a U.S./U.S.-like campus. This year, participants will discover American-style education from behind the scenes during presentations and best practice sessions on visa regulations, daily life and the academic environment, etc., followed by Q&A sessions. The event will be topped off with networking opportunities and fun. Current Romanian students in the U.S. and alumni of U.S. universities will enrich the event. Are you going to study in the USA in fall, either on an undergrad or grad program? Join the Pre-Departure Orientation! Do contact us at FEAC@fulbright.ro for details. Online Events for Your U.S. Admissions, via CollegeWeekLive Throughout the summer, CollegeWeekLive is offering a wide range of free online events that will help you better understand U.S. admissions and international study. Offerings include: “Study Abroad Day”, “Destination: College” offered by College Board, “All Access Zone”, and more. The events will include the opportunity to chat live with admissions reps from hundreds of U.S. colleges and to watch real-time presentations from international educators on topics like choosing a university, application requirements, attracting financial aid, applying for a U.S. student visa, cultural adjustment in the U.S. etc. More info: http:// www.collegeweeklive.com/en_CA/guest/appagenda.
EDUCATIONUSA NEWS College Is a Journey, Not a Destination “Too often, students will race through their secondary school years, compiling tallies of courses completed, joining activities to lengthen their resume, taking and retaking SAT exams and always keeping one eye on the prize of the college destination.” – recognize yourself in this description? Go to http://bit.ly/CollegeJourney and read Martha O’Connell’s article on taking a step back and getting some perspective on the college admissions process. Martha is the executive director of Colleges That Change Lives, a nonprofit organization that focuses on a student-centered college search process. 5 Reasons to Rethink Your Dream U.S. School Some prospective applicants have a clear idea about which U.S. school is their top choice. It may be where people you know are studying, or it may be located in the middle of a large city or close to the beach – possibly, a combination of all three. Take a second to reconsider. You are picking a school where you will spend the better part of your 4 years in college, not a vacation spot. Head to http://bit.ly/ DreamSchool for a thought-provoking article on the topic by U.S. News & World Report.
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EDUCATIONUSA NEWS Upcoming EducationUSA Web Seminars Adjusting to American Culture (General) May 14, 2013, 22:00 – 23:00 Kevin Vicker, Eastern Illinois University http://ow.ly/kC8cp
Take part in these free online sessions offered by EducationUSA to get closer to U.S. universities and American culture! All hours reflect Romanian time. Adjusting to American Culture (Undergrad) May 22, 2013, 19:00 – 20:00 Timothy Tesar, Iowa State University http://ow.ly/kC9Zo
In and Out of the Classroom (Undergrad) May 23, 2013, 19:00 – 20:00 Sarah Sucher, DePaul University http://ow.ly/kBWpI
Adjusting to American Culture (Undergrad) June 5, 2013, 19:00 – 20:00 Elizabeth DuMont-McCaffrey, Mount Holyoke College http://ow.ly/kCgsV
Adjusting to American Culture (Undergrad) June 7, 2013, 17:00 – 18:00 Angie Maffeo, University of St. Francis http://ow.ly/kChKX Adjusting to American Culture (Undergrad) June 13, 2013, 17:00 – 18:00 Miriam Moeller, Northern Michigan University http://ow.ly/kCjnF
Adjusting to American Culture (Undergrad) June 10, 2013, 22:00 – 23:00 Marie Whalen, Whitworth University http://ow.ly/kCiTX Step Inside: Harvard Professors and Their Offices
In the USA, professors have office hours during which students may drop by to seek further guidance with a course or a particularly difficult assignment, or to chat about current issues or projects the professor is coordinating. In a way, each office evokes its owner. Professors’ quarters, their offices, are sanctuary spaces, places of intellectual inspiration, rooms for academic exchange. Lined with books, decorated with objects and awards, speckled with family photos and mementos from foreign travel, the offices are home to a range of objects that represent the occupant. The Harvard Gazette recently interviewed several professors in their offices. Here’s what some of them had to say: Robert Darnton, University Professor and University Librarian, holds court in Wadsworth House. His office is lined with books, many of them from the 18th century, and contains such personal mementos as bits from the Berlin Wall, which he watched fall in 1989. “I am just happy in a room that evokes the past,” he said. Professor of Science Cumrun Vafa described his corner office in Jefferson Hall as “home within the University for me.” Blackboards line the walls of most offices within the Physics Department. “Blackboards represent collaboration, research, and freedom of thinking, discussion, and openness. That’s the aspect of scientific work that I think is crucial for research,” said Vafa. The spaces are utilized in various ways throughout each day. They serve as contemplative places for reading, writing, and deliberating, and at times, as places to socialize with students and fellow academics. Full article: http://bit.ly/ProfsOffices. 13
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Bucharest, May 9, 2013 Volume V, Spring Issue
WISDOM OF THE SEASON "If we wonder often, the gift of knowledge will come." Arapaho proverb (The Arapaho are a tribe of Native Americans historically living on the eastern plains of Colorado and Wyoming) “Creativity is intelligence having fun.” Albert Einstein “You can never be overdressed or overeducated.” Oscar Wilde “When you know better, you do better.” Maya Angelou “Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.” Malcolm X “Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education.” Franklin D. Roosevelt Pick your favorite and write to us at FEAC@fulbright.ro to let us know what it means to you.
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All articles are contributed by FEAC staff, unless otherwise stated.
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