All about education

“This is my first time, since my first time. ”
- Jim, from the movie ‘American Pie 2′

In order to acquire an education in the United States, there are several necessary documents one must have.

One needs to acquire a student visa and a certificate of eligibility and to fill up several other forms aside from the applications one is to send out to prospective academic institutions.

Ok – try not to get overwhelmed.

Let’s take this one step at a time.

First a foremost, before one can be issued a student visa, there are several requirements one must obtain, forms one must fill up and submit.

(*taken from UnitedStatesVisas.gov)

1. A certificate of eligibility which you must get from your sponsoring educational institution in the U.S. If you are a regular student (an F visa) you’ll get Form I-20. If you are part of an approved exchange program (a J visa) you’ll get Form DS-1920.

* Further clarification will be made regarding student visas in an upcoming post.

2. Application Form DS-156

3. Form DS-158

4. Current, valid passport or travel document

5. Photograph. Requirements are strict for photograph size, type and quality. Please check with your nearest consulate for specifications before you get your picture taken.

6. Application fees. All applicants must pay the application fee. Some applicants, according to nationality and type of visa, must also pay an issuance fee.

7. Evidence of funds to cover expenses in the United States

8. Evidence of compelling social and economic ties abroad

For men between 16 and 45 years of age, a supplemental visa application Form DS-157 is also required.

Applications for student visas are sent through the US Embassy or Consulate in your country of origin.

An important thing to remember about applying for a student visa is to apply early – that is, one is allowed to apply 90 days in advance of the date of enrollment stated in one’s certificate of eligibility.

Still hungry?

Savor these starters, while I brew up the next post.

Are You Setting Yourself Up to Procrastinate?

“How can I stop procrastinating?”
This is by far the most frequent question that I get from graduate students and professors. As a dissertation and tenure coach, I’ve come to realize that everyone in academia, whether writing a dissertation, completing an article, or doing research, struggles with procrastination. Why is this so prevalent in such a well-educated, intelligent population?

You’ve Got the Wrong Attitude

Your belief system is what may be standing in the way. Most academics cling to the belief that they must set aside large chunks of time, do a lot of preparation, and be in the proper frame of mind to be able to write.
What this means is that when you finally sit down to write, it’s going to be an unpleasant marathon. You have placed such importance on this writing session that you feel anxiety about it living up to your expectations. And you know it’s going to be difficult. After all, there are thorny issues you haven’t addressed, articles you haven’t read or reread, and a lack of coherence to your thinking. You need to solve those problems. And if you don’t do it now you’ll be quite disappointed in yourself. How unpleasant! And how counterproductive!

What Should You Believe Instead? Or “Oh, The Irony!”

Research by Robert Boyce actually shows that first and second-year professors who participated in a study on writing productivity were able to turn out more publishable pages in a year by
· Writing 30 minutes a day
· Only writing on workdays
· Shoehorning that writing into small gaps in their busy schedules

The difficult part, it turns out, was convincing these professors to try this low-key method in the first place. Ironically, they all insisted that the only way to get real work done was to do it in the marathon way that I described above.
The second irony was that when Boyce actually measured the amount that they were writing per week (before the intervention,) it was less than 30 minutes per week! This was much less than their retrospective reports of how much time they had been spending writing.

The third irony was that those who most adhered to the idea that you must write in large doses were the least productive.
The fourth irony was that although these professors considered writing a private activity, they did best when they were accountable to someone for maintaining their 30-minute writing habit.

Do It Already!

So what’s stopping you from learning from these professors and writing a small amount each day?
Here are typical excuses:
· It’s just not rewarding writing in small amounts. I feel like I’ve gotten
nothing accomplished.
· I have a big issue to work out. It will take more time than 30 minutes.
· I feel guilty if I don’t work more each time.
· I’ll never complete my dissertation/paper/research project at that pace.
· I’ve waited until it’s too late and I can’t afford the luxury of that small
amount of time per day.
· It just doesn’t feel right.
· I’ve got more time than that, I should be putting all my time to good use.
· It’s so overwhelming that I don’t know where to start, and by the time I
figure it out my 30 minutes will be up.

My answer to those responses? Bull! Except for the emergency deadline, there is no reason not to try this technique. Give it time to see if it works for you. If you’re like every other academic I’ve worked with, you will resist the idea. I suggest that the more resistant you are, the more problem you’ve probably had with procrastination in the past.

An Action Plan

Try it for a week. Select a time each day, preferably not the evening unless you’re a night owl, and write for 30 minutes, without email, reading or other distractions. Don’t listen to the voices in your head saying you “should be getting more done,” or “you should be writing more than this.” I’ll bet at the end of the week you’ll be pleasantly surprised at your output, and pleased with the increasing ease with which you can sit down to write. You’ll start to see progress on your dissertation or article and maybe come to believe that you will finish one day.

Furthermore, don’t forget about being accountable to someone. Let someone else know that you’re going to be doing daily writing. Perhaps you can find a writing buddy, or someone in your dissertation group. Or join one of my coaching groups – our listservs allow for lots of accountability during the week! My membership site, CafeAcademia.com (stay tuned,) will have a place for finding writing buddies.

Don’t forget, if you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got. Start setting yourself up for success starting right now!

Copyright © Shaun R. Fawcett

I got seriously involved in the college admission essay-writing business shortly after I published my eBook on recommendation letters, Instant Recommendation Letter Kit, a few years ago.

People who bought that book for help with their recommendation letters soon started asking me if I would review their admission essays and/or personal statements for them. In some cases, I was asked to write their essays and/or statements from scratch.

To do that properly, I was obliged to conduct a lot of research into the entire subject of admission essays. So, I did a fairly extensive literature search of what was available on the subject, both online (Internet) and offline (books).

One thing that really struck me in my research was how many people seem to go out of their way to sabotage their own college admission efforts.

Time, and time again, I read about the first-hand experiences of Admission Committee members who received essays and/or personal statements with two or three strikes against them from the outset due to some glaring oversight, omission, or risky strategy.

In fact, it’s been hard to believe at times, some of the things I’ve seen on draft essays that have been submitted to me. Fortunately I’ve been able to fix most of those before they went any further. Unfortunately for some people though, these problems don’t get fixed, and end up being submitted to an Admissions Committee.

Here’s a list of the seven most common mistakes that reviewers encounter when reading admission essay personal statements:

Eliminate Spelling and Grammar Errors
Sounds like the obvious one to avoid doesn’t it? In fact, this is the most commonly cited error. It is not a small consideration. Admission Committee members generally see these kinds of sloppy errors as a reflection of the candidate’s personality and an indication of how they will likely perform in their studies. It also makes the reviewer question the seriousness of the candidate, since they can’t even take the time and trouble to get such an important document correct.

Don’t Forget To Change the Name
This one is surprisingly common. It’s amazing how many Admission Committee essay reviewers have mentioned this error. It usually refers to a situation in which a candidate writes a “generic” essay and then submits it to a number of different programs. This is not a bad thing in itself. But then, for whatever reason, they forget to change the name of the institution or program! So, the last sentence may read, “It is for these reasons that I believe that the Yale Business Program is the one for me”. The only problem being that this was the application to Columbia! Admission reviewers generally take this as an insult, and it doesn’t do anything to help the candidate.

Make Sure You’re Original Enough
Your essay or personal statement must be specific enough so that the admissions committee can gain a good understanding as to who YOU are as a person, and exactly why YOU want to attend that specific institution and that particular program. Some candidates fill their essays with generalities and platitudes that could apply to just about any person and/or program. This doesn’t help the Committee, and thus won’t help the candidate. You’ve got to tell your own unique story in your own unique voice.

But, Don’t Be Too Original
There are cases in which people tend to go too far overboard in announcing their own uniqueness. People have written poems, told stories, and submitted videos when there was no such requirement. This is highly risky and is likely to alienate many reviewers rather than endear them to you. Generally speaking, an extreme approach like this will be seen as “grandstanding” or trying to get attention just for the sake of it. Remember, that hundreds (or thousands) of other applicants are operating within the same stated guidelines as you are. The challenge is to make you stand out as different, but within those guidelines.

Avoid Talking “Through Your Hat”
Some people have a tendency to make sweeping or grandiose statements that they can’t really back-up. Such statements as “I’m going to find a cure for cancer” or “I intend to eliminate poverty from developing countries” are seen as naïve and somewhat trite at the university program level. They’re nice sentiments, but they don’t show a realistic understanding by the candidate of the career path and educational program they have chosen. Make genuine statements that show a good understanding of you in relation to the world around you.

Answer the Question
Admission reviewers often report that many candidates don’t address the specific question posed on the application form. When this occurs, one of three situations is possible: 1.) the candidate has made a conscious decision to ignore the question asked for some reason, 2.) the candidate has not read and/or understood the question, or 3.) the candidate has submitted a “generic” multi-program essay and has not taken the time to adjust it to address the particular question at hand. Even when applying to multiple programs, make an effort to adjust your essay or statement when necessary to deal with the specific requirements of different programs.

Respect the Guidelines
This refers to situations when an application form states a specific requirement for the number of words or characters for your essay or statement. Some people seem to completely ignore these. Don’t. They were put there for a reason. When one doesn’t follow these very specific guidelines, they are either choosing to ignore them for some reason, or their “generic” multi-program essay is just being plugged in and they won’t take the time to adjust it for the specific program. Ignoring such guidelines can make admission reviewers wonder if the applicant’s inability to follow instructions extends to other areas that might have implications on their studies.

So then, why do so many people “shoot themselves in the foot” by committing such easily avoidable errors? Beats me.

I’m not sure what the problem is. Perhaps it’s because many people assume that they can leave the drafting of the admission essay or personal statement to the very last minute, and things then slip through the cracks during the last minute rush. Or, perhaps some people think that the essay isn’t really all that important, and probably won’t get read.

Both of these assumptions are serious mistakes.

In fact, the admissions essay personal statement is probably the single most important part of the application to a university or college program.

And yes, these essays do get read. At least once, for a poor essay that will not go any further in the review process. Multiple times, for a good essay that continues through to the end of the evaluation process.

All of the foregoing “don’ts” are very avoidable mistakes. So, why commit one of these errors when there’s no need to? After all, isn’t the college and university admission process competitive enough already?

So don’t make it extra difficult for yourself (or the Admissions Committee). Read the application very carefully and do exactly what it says when writing your admission essay or personal statement. You won’t go wrong if you follow all of the instructions.

“And once earned, a college degree is forever, as the payoff from higher education can never be erased, broken, or laid off.”

It was estimated by the US Census Bureau that a bachelor degree holder earns approximately $2.1 million over 40 years of his working life. The drastic truth is that a college graduator can expect to earn nearly a million dollar more than his school-educated neighbor does. This sizeable stretch and notable disparity of lifetime earnings raised demand, boosted popularity, and consolidated American firm faith in the value and significance of higher education.

According to the survey conducted for the Chronicle of Higher Education the American nation continues to have a confidence in the value of a college degree, with more than the half of respondents saying “it is essential for success.”

The fact that college education is rewarding financially and economically to the individuals and the entire country is not a secret for anybody. An economic value of qualified and competent specialists is notable and reflects as a weighty factor, which has a great impact on the rapid economic growth of the country.

Benefits you can reap of higher education

However, there is a number of benefits you can get from getting a college degree:

1. First, college degree is your guarantee of financial independence, stability and secure future you can enjoy, having a steady profession and being armed with a set of practical skills and sound knowledge.

2. The world is changing constantly, so no one knows what to expect tomorrow. Therefore, we should be ready for everything, having a solid ground under our feet. Higher education is your solid ground, which can provide you with a confidence for future, and immunity from economical drops.

3. Higher education can give you an opportunity to master a profession with good job opportunities and skills, which are in demand. After all, education permits you to have steady and gross income.

4. A college degree gives you a great chance to be a master of your own life. Educated person has much more leeway and freedom of choice not only in the respect of career opportunities, but also in sense of moral and spiritual values.

5. Higher education can provide you with a possibility to be a free thinker, to see obvious in hidden implication, to analyze, generalize, and make conclusions. In a word, it uncovers the essence of being and helps increase the understanding of the world.

6. You can realize the most cherished and precious dreams of yours, to become a pilot, to have a gorgeous house on the seaside, to have a chic expensive car….Education makes your dreams come true.

7. Higher education expands your knowledge base, sharpens your critical thinking, and consolidates your confidence.

8. “Your college experience can be both life affirming and career enhancing. The classroom and the coursework expose you to diverse people and ideas.”

Overall, it is practically impossible to enumerate all the opportunities you can get with a college degree in hands and acquired knowledge in brain, though you should remember the only one thing that the world higher education opens before you is boundless and versatile.

Education gives you something that can’t be measured in terms of money that you can earn. It is impossible to place power, freedom, and independence you possess being educated on the same footing as material benefits you can enjoy. You can’t buy it for any price, but can easily get with higher education.