STUDY IN THE USA! Quarterly Newsletter for Smart High School Students
Bucharest, January 21, 2013 Volume V, Winter Issue
FEAC CORE FEAC NEWS EDUCATIONUSA NEWS WISDOM OF THE SEASON FEAC CORE •
• • •
Close-Up on U.S. Study: Strategic Democracy: Reflections on the American Classroom Experience University Highlight: Harvard University Student Highlight: Ana-Maria Constantin, Harvard University, class of 2016 The Unofficial Guide to the TOEFL iBT: A Survivor’s Insights
FEAC NEWS Exciting Developments • • •
Liberal Arts Excellence. University Highlights at FEAC: Columbia, Yale, and Carleton U.S. University School Visits in Bucharest and Cluj: 4 Universities, 2 Cities, 17 High Schools FEAC Success Stories in the U.S.: Harvard and Grinnell
Outreach in Bucharest • Reaching Out to High Schoolers in Bucharest: New Outreach Programs by FEAC • “International Study Day” Celebration in Bucharest Outreach Outside Bucharest • FEAC on the Road: American Corner Craiova, 2 New Cities, and a New Round of “International Study Day” • Outreach to Baia Mare: FEAC at the American Corner and 2 National Colleges
Resources • • •
New FEAC Video Channel New FEAC Webinars. Latest Session: Choose Smart—The U.S. University for You! Ace the SATs with FEAC Resources
Upcoming Events and Activities In Bucharest • New Outreach Schedule: We’d Love to Connect with Even More High Schoolers in Bucharest • New Round of U.S. Admissions Training Starting January 22 • U.S. Study in the Limelight at the Romanian Int’l University Fair in Bucharest, Timisoara, and Iasi • Closer to U.S. Study through FEAC Internships All Country • New FEAC Website Launches This Spring • An Applicant’s New Best Friend: FEAC Booklet for High School Students
EDUCATIONUSA NEWS • • •
What to Do while Waiting for College Acceptance Letters Step 3 Towards U.S. Admissions: Learn about Financial Aid. Register for Live Online Sessions Article Alert: How to Choose a College
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.
1
Bucharest, January 21, 2013 Volume V, Winter Issue
FEAC CORE Close-Up on U.S. Study Strategic Democracy: Reflections on the American Classroom Experience by Gene Tanta, Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Maryland University College and Instructor at UC Berkeley Extension. Fulbright grantee to the University of Bucharest 2012-13 The following reflections offer a backroom view of my adaptation of the learner-centered pedagogy that you are likely, if you are lucky, to encounter while taking Humanities classes in the U.S. I recommend reviewing prospective universities’ mission statements, department descriptions, and professors’ biographies to deduce the teaching methods and class sizes you are likely to enjoy there. This strategy informs how my students and I interact, plan peer collaborations, and assess activities and outcomes. Although the philosophy of paying attention to students’ experiences, backgrounds, and talents has been around since the Sumerians developed written language, many educational systems still operate as rigid hierarchies. In search for a term to describe the relative and temporary condition of intellectual equality, I called my pedagogy strategic democracy. Given that equality is not permanent, what does any egalitarian society -including a classroom -need in order to work? It needs informed participation. How then can students become informed in a way that does not revert to the old didactic method that considers them containers, as Paulo Freire has said, waiting to be filled with the specialized knowledge of the authority figure? How can a professor activate and sharpen students’ willingness and abilities to be curious? My teaching strategy encourages interpretation by inviting students to ask questions rather than make pronouncements. And the effect of asking questions is a temporary kind of democracy. As an American teacher, I believe learning to wonder or to imagine are essential to working toward the noble aspiration of fair representation in a society, institution, or classroom that is diverse. Besides validating my personal philosophy of remaining open to diverse perspectives, my most rewarding classroom experiences have shown me time and again that the interactive teaching style is effective because it makes learning matter to students by inviting them to ask questions about which they care. In places as far apart as Iowa City, Milwaukee, Chicago, and Bucharest, I have had the opportunity to design graduate seminars and workshops focusing on poetry, creative nonfiction, and fiction, as well as undergraduate courses in creative writing, literature, composition, and English as a Second Language/ ESL. I taught my first class while I was a graduate student, at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop in 1999. It was a poetry-writing workshop that focused on mastering craft by emulating poets such as Emily Dickenson, Robert Frost, and Wallace Stevens. Offering each student extensive written feedback by pointing out evocative moments as well as opportunities in their writing for even more powerful treatment worked well enough. However, I noticed firsthand that students learn best from their peers. Since then, I have made learner-centered learning the heart of my teaching practice. To paraphrase the Indian literary critic and translator Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak who offers the idea of “strategic essentialism”, strategic democracy, the driving principle behind my course design, challenges Continued on page 3
2
www.fulbright.ro/ educational-advisingcenter.html
Bucharest, January 21, 2013 Volume V, Winter Issue
FEAC CORE participants (including myself) to identify reasons and provide evidence for our interpretations on a leveled playing field. However, this ideal field does not exist. In lieu of this ideal, the questions students pose create a temporary and rhetorical intellectual equality. This is the sandbox for democracy and the hallmark of a good liberal education. I work toward achieving a space where sincere skepticism abounds by asking students to question the text, their peers' interpretations, and their own progress as learners. In other words, I use the Socratic method to ask my students to reflect on whether they want to pose a question or make a declaration. Most often, we enter a text through my students’ questions about its form, sound, or shape. I avail myself of instructional technology and live in-person events to connect students with local culture whenever I teach a seminar or a workshop. For example, when I teach in Chicago, I focus on Chicago writers like Patricia Smith and Aleksandar Hemon by using YouTube videos and an anthology such as Skyscrapers and Smokestacks to establish historical context. My favorite midterm assignment asks students to relate a live event to its textual version - students have written on events as diverse as blues shows, lectures, standup comedy, hip-hop, and poetry readings. Adventurous students often express stupefaction at the pleasure they find in performing such cultural fieldwork. All this while learners less apt to risk-taking will show subtle signs of pride when realizing Ernest Hemingway had roots in their city, adding an emotional component to their understandings. Currently, I am teaching an American Studies graduate seminar called "Immigrant Literature: Biography and Innovation" at the University of Bucharest as Senior American Fulbright Scholar. Our study examines how cultural biography relates to formal innovation in the work of first-generation American writers such as Junot Diaz, Andrei Codrescu, Vladimir Nabokov, and others. Themes like this one percolate in my courses as questions guiding us toward analysis and synthesis, opportunities to discover how component parts can create literary effects and surprising networks between our writing and our lives. University Highlight Harvard University By Ana-Maria Constantin, FEAC advisee, Harvard Class of 2016 The pursuit of excellence has long been a hallmark of Harvard. Since its founding in 1636, the College has attracted promising students and distinguished faculty and provided them with the environment and resources to develop their talents to the fullest. Harvard’s tradition of excellence has put generations of students at the center of the search for new ways of thinking.
Students come from all 50 states and from over 80 countries; from cities, suburbs, small towns and farms; from public, private and parochial schools; from every ethnic and religious background; and from all across the economic spectrum. Continued on page 4
3
www.fulbright.ro/ educational-advisingcenter.html
Bucharest, January 21, 2013 Volume V, Winter Issue
FEAC CORE Based on a long-standing tradition, Harvard is committed to making educational opportunity accessible to all. The university offers extraordinary scope. Students arrive with a remarkable diversity of interests as well as a wide variety of personal and professional goals or perhaps no clearly defined goals at all. What they share are keen intellectual curiosity, energy, and an eagerness to fulfill their considerable promise. They seek a university with the resources to enable them to pursue their interests vigorously, whether their chosen area is philosophy, Harvard-Yale football game on photography or physics; literature or linguistics; engineering or the Harvard Stadium environmental studies. They find fellow students and teachers with whom they can share their passions and discover new ones, while forging friendships that will last a lifetime. For generations, Harvard has educated future leaders for every endeavor, from academia to the arts, from private industry to public service. Harvard students are very well prepared for service to society and enjoy extraordinarily high rates of admission to Harvard’s and other universities’ graduate schools. Learn more about this school and its students at www.harvard.edu and www.facebook.com/ Harvard. Student Highlight Ana-Maria Constantin, Harvard Class of 2016 “Just be yourself” – the phrase my upper-classmates obsessed me with while I was still in high school, preparing to apply for college. It was the same piece of advice over and over again. It was kind of confusing for a 17-year old girl, a little insecure about her chances of getting in the college of her dreams, or about her academic future overall. To be myself while writing my CommonApp Essays was both challenging and puzzling: there were plenty of things to say, and I had no idea what to start with. And as I figured that the only solution I had was to write honestly, from my heart, I took the courage to tell my humble story: how I grew up in my grandparents’ house, in the countryside, where I came to appreciate and respect the Romanian traditions. How the beginning of high school meant saying “Good Bye” to my family and jumping by myself on a train to Bucharest, where I went to attend one of the most prestigious educational institutions in the country, the International Computer High School of Bucharest. How high school meant living in a Romanian-Turkish dormitory where I had to learn from an early age how to take care of myself and how to be responsible for the choices I make. How I attended advanced physics and astronomy classes, and how I eventually qualified for several international Olympiads. How I traveled the world for these Olympiads or for other research projects, heard thousands of stories, shared thousands of smiles, and made countless unforgettable friendships. And how by the end of high school, in the beautiful morning of March 30th 2012, at 6:00 am, after an overwhelming all-night wait, the Harvard admissions decision came: “Dear Ms. Constantin, I am delighted to inform you that the Committee on Admissions and Financial Aid has voted to offer you a place in the Harvard Class of 2016”. It was, I think, the most intense moment of my life. I immediately took a train to my hometown to celebrate with my family. I was happy, as I was now aware that all the efforts they made to pay for my study in Bucharest for the past 4 years had been worth it. Everything else, since then, has been magic. The moment I stepped on campus I was immediately immersed in this Crimson culture, and it felt as if I’d always belonged there. There are literally no words to express how grateful I am for having the chance not only to study at Harvard, but to be part of the Harvard community. It’s almost unbelievable how much my life has changed in the past year. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa Continued on page 5 4
www.fulbright.ro/ educational-advisingcenter.html
Bucharest, January 21, 2013 Volume V, Winter Issue
FEAC CORE Harvard became my place, and I rediscovered myself and pushed my limits farther than I’d ever dreamed, both academically and socially. The courses I took were different from what I had expected in every single aspect: I have never worked so hard in my life, but felt so happy at the same time. I was pleasantly surprised by the unconditional support and positive attitude of the people around: I had the chance to attend a Computer Science class with a budget of 1.5 million dollars. I could e-mail my Professors or my Teaching Fellows at 4 am and they would still reply in 15 minutes at most. During the same course, I had the chance to attend a Hackathon (an epic all-nighter in which all the attendants prepared their final projects for the course) organized by Harvard with Microsoft, and interact with worldwide leaders in the IT industry. Through one of my other courses, the Astronomy one, I gained access to some of the top telescopes in the world, and I actually spent “observing” nights next to those telescopes, in order to obtain data for my research. All the resources available to students are always on top. For my Ethical Reasoning Class (where I studied concepts of modern philosophy and actually learned to apply them in current-day issues of politics and economics) I attended several Global Classrooms. This meant that during class, Harvard students (including myself) would receive an iPad and take part in video conferences with other students from Tokyo, Shanghai, Sao Paulo, and New Delhi, and attend live debates on global issues. It was a unique experience to see how the same concept applies differently across the globe, as a function of culture and traditions. The courses I took are only one aspect of my college experience so far. By getting involved in several extracurricular activities, I got in touch with people who eventually became my best friends on campus. Coming from Romania, I was automatically included in the Woodbridge International Society, which is the “home away from home” for all the international students. Everyone I met there was unique, and the life lessons I learned from my classmates were more valuable than any class I have ever taken. As I think of everything I experienced in the past 4 months, my favorite aspect of Harvard is definitely the tight community of diverse individuals, who love and support each other unconditionally. By having this support, I succeeded in both my courses and my extracurriculars. All in all, I learned how to wisely manage my time and ultimately achieve my goals. But most importantly, I learned to be humble and appreciate everyone around me. I learned how to look for the good in people, and how to respect them without stereotyping. I learned to ask questions and offer help. I learned to say “Thank you” from my heart. So I honestly THANK YOU, people from the Fulbright Educational Advising Center. When I came to FEAC a few years ago I couldn’t even hope to get into Harvard. I know for sure that this wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for you. I am more than grateful for all the support you offered me while I was preparing my application package and I personally congratulate you on your wonderful work. At Fulbright, I have always felt at home, and for a student who actually lives far from home, that feeling is priceless. Thank you! At a Harvard-Yale football match
5
www.fulbright.ro/ educational-advisingcenter.html
Bucharest, January 21, 2013 Volume V, Winter Issue
FEAC CORE The Unofficial Guide to the TOEFL iBT: A Survivor’s Insights by Alexandru Roşca, former FEAC intern, TOEFL survivor, and senior at George Coşbuc National Bilingual College, Bucharest Whether you intend to pursue a degree at a U.S. institution, want to get an exemption from the English exam on the Baccalaureate, or your employer needs proof of your English proficiency, you will probably stumble upon the Test of English as a Foreign Language, commonly known as the TOEFL. Surely, most people instantly jump to the conclusion that the exam is an ocean full of hungry sharks ready to devour them alive. Fear not! After spending the last school year studying for the Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE), I can most certainly vouch for the ‘friendliness’ of the TOEFL. As opposed to the CAE, for example, the TOEFL does not have a separate section that tests your knowledge of English grammar, nor does it require you to memorize letter templates. To top that, the TOEFL is administered via Internet, so you don’t have to struggle with the paper-and-pencil format. Depending on your current knowledge of the English language, it may take longer or shorter to prepare for the test. Generally, this process is significantly less demanding than that of similar tests. From my own experience, the best resource is by far the Official Guide published by ETS (which you can use for free in the FEAC study room). Although you might be tempted to overlook them, I strongly advise you to read all of the introductory chapters. It might come as a shock, but many mistakes can be avoided by reading the test makers’ tips. There are quite a few TOEFL test centers in Romania - for detailed information, be sure to check FEAC’s website - and the test is usually administered monthly, so you don’t necessarily have to register months ahead as in the case of the SAT. Depending on the test center’s location and capacity, you might share the room with as many as 20 other test takers. Consequently, you must be aware that there will be noise around you, just as in real life, even though you will be provided with noise-reducing earphones. The test lasts as long as 4 hours and a half, yet the actual time you spend on it depends entirely on your own pace. The 4 sections of the TOEFL are fixed and timed differently, which means your test will consist of: a reading section, a listening section, a 10-minute break, a speaking section and a writing section. There will be 2 sound checks to adjust your microphone and earphones volume, before the reading and the speaking sections of your test. Again, be aware that some people will encounter difficulties in passing their sound check, therefore, while you might be working on your reading or speaking section, those people will still be talking. Some people will have the same test as yours, but my advice is to stay focused on your own test, even if you are tempted to listen to their responses to the speaking section. Remember: • The TOEFL tests your performance in an academic environment, thus most of the reading and listening passages will be related to lectures and coursework in a variety of fields; • Always use formal and semi-formal language and vocabulary; • Do not use difficult vocabulary and complex phrasing you are unsure of just to meet the minimum word count requirement - it will work against you; • Do not spend more than 20 minutes on each reading passage - you will run out of time; • Do not be afraid of the speaking section - the raters are only trying to find out if you are capable of having a conversation in English. All in all, do NOT stress about it. There really aren’t any sharks out there. :)
6
www.fulbright.ro/ educational-advisingcenter.html
Bucharest, January 21, 2013 Volume V, Winter Issue
FEAC NEWS Exciting Developments Liberal Arts Excellence. University Highlights at FEAC: Columbia, Yale, and Carleton This fall, FEAC held a series of full-house sessions featuring international admissions reps from three U.S. universities: Carleton College, MN, Yale University, MA, and Columbia University, NY. The sessions attracted over 120 students from the best schools in Bucharest and the southern part of the country: from Ploiesti and Targoviste 60 km and 70 km away, respectively, to Craiova and Constanta, over 200 km away. The interactive presentations were a source of inspiration to the students who were thrilled to learn about U.S. admissions from the very source. As a result, some of our advisees have included one or more of these schools on their college list for this year’s admissions season.
U.S. University School Visits in Bucharest and Cluj: 4 Universities, 2 Cities, 17 High Schools FEAC teamed up with representatives from Yale, Columbia, Webster University, Vienna Campus and New York University, Abu Dhabi campus to bring the exciting U.S.-style liberal arts education closer to Romanian students. In a joint effort we organized presentations at top high schools in Bucharest and Cluj Napoca and engaged the interested audiences in lively discussions about study and scholarship opportunities in the USA. In total we reached over 1,200 participants at 14 high schools in Bucharest and 3 in Cluj as part of FEAC’s mission to bridge prospective applicants with U.S. universities. FEAC Success Stories in the U.S.: Harvard and Grinnell In mid-January, FEAC hosted two very special former advisees: Ana, full-ride freshman studying astrophysics at Harvard University, MA, and Iulia (pictured right), full-ride sophomore pursuing a psychology major at Grinnell College, IA. They have worked closely with the Advising Center for their admissions, making fine use of the whole range of services available: admissions training program, sessions highlighting Romanian students on U.S. campuses, test prep, Flag Day, Pre-Departure Orientation, etc. Both our guests took part in video interview sessions for the FEAC YouTube channel, and Ana also chatted with prospective students at FEAC. After four months on campus, Ana is a thriving Crimson student and a passionate ambassador of U.S. study. During her session at FEAC, over 50 students were charmed and inspired by her stories including her work in the admissions office, involvement in diverse extracurriculars, studying in the library where works by Romanian writer Ion Creanga are available, and so much more. More pics on Facebok at www.bit.ly/FEAC_Ro. 7
www.fulbright.ro/ educational-advisingcenter.html
Bucharest, January 21, 2013 Volume V, Winter Issue
FEAC NEWS Outreach in Bucharest Reaching Out to High Schoolers in Bucharest: New Outreach Programs by FEAC Another busy fall for the Fulbright Educational Advising Center, bustling with activities and outreach. FEAC’s local outreach program included longtime friends and new ones too as we welcomed “C.A. Rosetti” National College into the U.S. study fan club. Other high schools we visited this fall include Sava, Vianu, Viteazul, Caragiale, Cosbuc, Kretzulescu, Lazar, ICHB, the American Int’l School of Bucharest. Students and teachers learned about undergraduate study in the U.S. and its unique features. We also discussed the application, admissions, and scholarship process that allows approximately 1,600 Romanian students - around 500 at undergraduate level - to study on U.S. campuses this academic year. “International Study Day” Celebration in Bucharest Mid-December saw “International Study Day” return to its birthplace Bucharest for a festive edition dedicated to high school and college students and grads, together with their teachers and professors. FEAC and its partners - Campus France, DAAD, and British Council - offered everyone interested in study abroad ample opportunities to learn about higher education in the USA, France, Germany, etc. Throughout the full-day event, the four institutions welcomed visitors at dedicated booths and also shared educational insights with prospective applicants during the two sessions held by each participating institution. At the always busy FEAC booth, U.S. study enthusiasts met with EducationUSA advisers and FEAC interns, who enthused them with their passion for and knowledge of the U.S. university system. The evening was wrapped up by an International Study Day reception. Participants networked with ambassadors of the four educational systems highlighted, which included the Fulbright Commission Director and the Public Affairs Officer at the U.S. Embassy. Outreach Outside Bucharest FEAC on the Road: American Corner Craiova, 2 New Cities, and A New Round of “International Study Day” On November 1, FEAC was at the American Corner Craiova to introduce high school students to U.S. study and help with their applications to universities across the ocean. With an eager audience ranging from business high schools to sports ones, FEAC inspired the participants to follow in the footsteps of the over 500 undergraduate students in the U.S. and become the next success stories. Participants also learned about the successful application experiences of Romanian students that the Advising Center has worked with towards their U.S. admissions on a scholarship. Continued on page 9
8
www.fulbright.ro/ educational-advisingcenter.html
Bucharest, January 21, 2013 Volume V, Winter Issue
FEAC NEWS Following a very successful first round of International Study Day events organized by the Fulbright Educational Advising Center and our international partners in Spring 2012 in 4 Romanian cities, the institutions partnered up again for Int’l Study Day, round 2. In addition to the Int’l Study Day event we conducted three visits to top high schools in Brasov, and an in-depth presentation and workshop in Targoviste with students at the premier local high school. FEAC connected with over 800 students and teachers in Brasov and Targoviste. Outreach to Baia Mare: FEAC at the American Corner and 2 National Colleges In mid-December, FEAC flew north to visit the American Corner in Baia Mare. The outreach program was designed to offer comprehensive information and EducationUSA support for U.S. admissions to students in the northenmost region of Romania. As such, the program featured presentations, workshops and individual advising at the American Corner, as well as full-house undergraduate sessions at top high schools in the region, "Gh. Sincai" and "Vasile Lucaciu" National Colleges. The FEAC rep shared Romanian success stories with the new fans of U.S. study and introduced them to the “5 Steps to U.S. Study” EducationUSA program as well as to the other free U.S. admissions support services FEAC offers face-to-face and online. Resources New FEAC Video Channel The Fulbright Educational Advising Center is hard at work on a new and vibrant media resource that will get potential applicants even closer to the excitement of U.S. study. Our new Youtube channel is live at www.bit.ly/FEACvideoLibrary on the FEAC website and constantly growing to cover a wide range of U.S. study issues straight from the source: Romanian students in the U.S. and U.S. educators. Currently the videos feature insights into the application process, choosing the right school, the admissions officer’s perspective, financial aid, and study abroad. The video channel is also available at www.youtube.com/user/EdUSAromania. New FEAC Webinars. Latest Session: Choose Smart—The U.S. University for You! As webinars - online seminars - are becoming effective learning tools, FEAC is developing new sessions for our fans interested in U.S. study. Our most recent session was on choosing colleges to apply to. Thanks to the EducationUSA Connects platform, during this free online training module participants got insights into the art of identifying U.S. study programs that match students’ academic, social, and financial needs. With around 4,900 U.S. higher education institutions to choose from, the selection process is both crucial and challenging. Real-life examples based on FEAC success stories helped spell out the best approach. Stay tuned for more sessions and do check out the video archive at www.educationusa.info/edusa_connects/. www.fulbright.ro/ 9 educational-advisingcenter.html
Bucharest, January 21, 2013 Volume V, Winter Issue
FEAC NEWS Ace the SATs with FEAC Resources With the beginning of the new year, a new round of standardized tests will also begin. Tests allow you to further illustrate your skills to the admission committee. The Fulbright Educational Advising Center has resources and services designed specifically to help you during this process, all free! Visit us and our website and take advantage of all the test prep services that our center has to offer. Upcoming Events and Activities In Bucharest New Outreach Schedule: We’d Love to Connect with Even More High Schoolers in Bucharest Are you ready to take on the application package and to earn a place at the college or university of your dreams? Well, if you’re a high schooler in Bucharest, we’re thrilled to report that FEAC has prepared a new round of presentations to help you jumpstart your application. Starting January, FEAC will visit a range of high schools and discuss with students interested in U.S. study. We will be delighted to meet you and answer all your questions related to education in the USA. Details at http://bit.ly/feac_events. Another thing U.S. schools and FEAC love: initiative! If you’d like us to visit your high school, contact us ASAP and we’ll set up a session! New Round of Admissions Training Starting January 22 To help high school students prepare for successful admission to U.S. colleges and universities, FEAC is offering a new round of Undergraduate Group Advising Sessions, January 22 through February 19, Tuesdays 3-5 PM. Take part in the 5 modules to learn the art of identifying study programs in the U.S. that match your academic, social, and financial needs, how to attract generous financial aid, and how to create an application package that will win the hearts of the admission committee. Full details at www.bit.ly/feac_events and on Facebook www.bit.ly/FEAC_Ro. U.S. Study in the Limelight at the Romanian Int’l University Fair in Bucharest, Timisoara, and Iasi FEAC will proudly present U.S. study and EducationUSA admissions support services during the spring edition of the Romanian International University Fair/ RIUF, the foremost educational fair in south-east Europe. Mark your calendars: Bucharest, March 16-17; Timisoara, March 19, and Iasi March 21. FEAC will offer presentations on undergrad and grad study and will interact with visitors at our booth. We look forward to meeting you there! Last year, FEAC reached well over 4,000 visitors at RIUF in Bucharest (2 editions), Cluj, Timisoara, and Iasi. Pictures on Facebook at http://on.fb.me/FEACPics! Closer to U.S. Study through FEAC Internships Visit www.bit.ly/joinfeac for info on the part-time internship programs designed by FEAC for high school students! They will bring you closer to education U.S.-style and to the work EducationUSA does in Romania to advise students who dream of furthering their studies in the United States. 4 spots available. Apply by February 17. 10
www.fulbright.ro/ educational-advisingcenter.html
Bucharest, January 21, 2013 Volume V, Winter Issue
FEAC NEWS All Country New FEAC Website Launches This Spring Work on a new website for the Fulbright Commission, including the Fulbright Educational Advising Center, is in full swing. The new and improved website will feature new services and resources, as well as diverse and comprehensive insights into successful U.S. admissions. The FEAC page will reflect our holistic approach to offering support to applicants from all over Romania to jumpstart their application. The website is designed to offer increasing online support, including online events and interviews with Romanian students in the USA and with U.S. university reps, and to make U.S. study admissions support more accessible than ever. An Applicant’s New Best Friend: FEAC Booklet for High School Students In its quest to help students get into the U.S. university or college of their choice, the Fulbright Educational Advising Center has developed a new resource: the new undergraduate booklet to be released this spring aims at equipping prospective applicants with the right tools and strategies for a smart application that will attract admissions and financial aid on American campuses. The booklet draws on our 15 years of experience in the field of U.S. applications and our work with Romanian students thriving in the USA.
EDUCATIONUSA NEWS What to Do while Waiting for College Acceptance Letters Now that the hard work of filling out applications and writing essays is over for most students applying this year, you may think all that's left to do is to wait anxiously for an admission decision about your college future. Even if you've turned everything in, however, there are still some things you can do to improve your chances of admission, and to keep your mind occupied while you wait. Read this article from Peterson's www.bit.ly/Petersons_Article for advice on what you can do while waiting for college acceptance letters! Step 3 towards U.S. Admissions: Learn about Financial Aid. Register for Live Online Sessions Did you know that the cost of living and studying can vary greatly across the United States? With the right amount of planning and research, it can be made affordable! Join us for these live EducationUSA webinar sessions to receive expert advice on financing your studies in the United States. Participation is free! You can take part in the sessions on any internet-connected device, at home or school. Each session usually includes a presentation on the topic, with insights from U.S. educators. The presentation is followed by a Q&A session during which you can send in your questions via text chat. Details at www.bit.ly/feac_events. 11
www.fulbright.ro/ educational-advisingcenter.html
Bucharest, January 21, 2013 Volume V, Winter Issue
EDUCATIONUSA NEWS Article Alert: How to Choose a College A recent article in the New York Times offers insightful advice on what you should be looking for in a dream college, on top of scholarships for international students, of course! “Treat your undergraduate education as a rare license […] to be tugged outside your comfort zone. […] If you’ve spent little time in the thick of a busy city, contemplate a school in precisely such a place. […] Seek diversity, not just in terms of nationality, ethnicity, and race […],” the article advises. Concerned about having to decide what you want to study in college right now? Then these insights in the article will be of help: “and if your interests and circumstances don’t demand an immediate concentration on one field of study, go somewhere that’ll force you to stretch in multiple directions. (A core curriculum isn’t a bat thing at all.) The world is in constant flux, life is a sequence of surprises, and I can think of no better talents to pick up in college than fearlessness, nimbleness, and the ability to roll with change, adapt to newness, and improvise.” Read on at www.bit.ly/Smart_Choice!
WISDOM OF THE SEASON “Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow.” (Anthony J. D’Angelo) Need more info? Contact us! Public hours at the Fulbright Educational Advising Center (FEAC): Tue: 1:00 - 7:00 pm
Wed-Thu: 1:00 - 5:00 pm
Phone no: 021-231 9015 Website: http://www.fulbright.ro/educational-advising-center.html Facebook fanpage: http://on.fb.me/feac_ro Address: No. 2, Ing. Costinescu St., Sector 1, Bucharest 011878, Romania
Comments? Suggestions? E-mail us at: FEAC@fulbright.ro All articles are contributed by FEAC staff, unless otherwise stated.
12
www.fulbright.ro/ educational-advisingcenter.html