众所周知，要想被一所知名美国大学录取，申请者需要为其独特的个人情况打造申请大学的“故事”。但如何做到这一点是一个严峻的挑战，这正是有能力的留学中介所能为客户带来的核心价值所在。

通常来说，我们可以通过3个步骤来打造自己的“故事”，首先，认识您的类型；其次，发掘您的独特性；最后，找到最合适您的“载体”。

识别自己的类型，您可以简单从三种分类着手：全面发展型的，天赋异禀型的，亦或是克服困难型的。具体说来，您可以对照下面所列出的科目，看看自己的兴趣爱好和天赋才能到底落在哪一类。
1. 数学
2. 科学/物理，化学，生物等。
3. 计算机科学与工程/软件与硬件
4. 文学，语言，历史，写作等。
5. 艺术，音乐，画画，唱歌，舞蹈，表演等等。
6. 社会科学（金融，投资等），社保，自愿者，社会活动/社会调查/社会学。
7. 体育运动/游泳，足球，篮球，排球等等。

要展示在以上所列的学科当中的才能和优势，需要出示一些证明文件，比如说，竞赛获奖证书，项目证书，出版过的论文、文章、书、作品集等等。

除上述成就之外，还有一点更为重要的是自身独特性以及性格特点。这是招生官们在录取学生时关注的核心因素之一。它关乎到学生究竟是一个怎样的人，有多大的潜力。下面列出了一些该领域内的要素：
1. 精神方面，信念，伦理及道德问题等等。
2. 特殊困难或者逆境经历，心理斗争，身心的成长和成熟，对自己身边的人（社区）和世界的看法和激情等等。
3. 通过生活经验所练就并展现出来的个人品性和性格特点等。

最后，需要选择一个合适您的载体来展示您的特点。比如说它大致上可以是一个与一件事，或者是一个项目，又或者是一个奖项、成就等相关的故事。个人类型以及您的独特性都应该与那“载体”巧妙地结合在一起进而可以将其功能发挥得完美至极，闪耀夺目。

It is widely known now that to achieve a decent school’s admission from USA colleges, you need to build up your unique case for your college application. But how to do that is a serious challenge and that is exactly the core value proposition a college admission agent can offer to you if they are really good at what they do.

Normally, you can attack this task through three steps: identify your type first, dig out your uniqueness second and finally find an appropriate vehicle for your case.

To identify your type, you can simply put it in three group as well-rounded, lopsided and over-comer in general. Specifically, you can check the following list to see where your interest and talents fall into:
1. Mathematics
2. Science / Physics, Chemistry, Biology etc.
3. Computer Science and Engineering / Software and Hardware
4. Literature, Languages, History, Writing etc.
5. Art, Music, Drawing, Singing, Dancing, Studio Performances etc.
6. Social Sciences (Finance, investing etc.), Social Care, Volunteer, Social Activities / Investigations / Studies
7. Athletics, Sports / Swimming, Football, Basketball, Volleyball etc
To demonstrate your strength and gifts in the above subjects, you need to show something like awards from contests, certification from programs, published papers / articles / books / works / portfolio etc.

Underneath the above achievements, it lies something more significant, that is your uniqueness, your characters and personal qualities. That is one of the core concerns the admission officers want to check. It may tell who you are as a person and how far potentially you could go. Few critical components in this area are listed:
1. Spiritual Issues, conviction pursuit, mental issues, moral dilemma etc.
2. Exceptional hardship or adversity going through, psychological struggle, personal growth mentally and physically and maturity, passions and views about the people (community) and the world around you etc.
3. Personal qualities, characteristics, traits etc. showed and forged through life experiences etc.

Finally, you need a vehicle to build up your showcase. It could be a story in general, relating to an event / accident, or a program / project, an award / achievement etc. Your personal type, achievements, and your uniqueness all should be interwoven together smoothly into that vehicle and function to shine glamorously.

多数美国大学，尤其是顶尖大学在评估申请者时极为关注申请者的课外活动情况，它能使目标大学更好地了解申请者的个人素质、价值观念、兴趣爱好等。在申请者的学术表现（如GPA、考试成绩）相同或接近时，课外活动表现常常是赢得录取的关键因素。

尽管课外活动表现至关重要，但是课外活动须属于“锦上添花”的范畴，也就是说学生不需要牺牲学业去换取课外活动成就，毕竟学术成绩才是大学申请的第一要素。课外活动的挑选需要结合学生的时间和擅长领域，并仔细安排计划，以便学生可达到事半功倍的效果。不尽人意的课外活动计划只会引起时间冲突并导致学生压力倍增。

学生须明白课外活动的“深度”比“广度”更重要。美国大学看重的是学生在课外活动中的收获而非看到一串活动列表便简单了事。许多申请者的一个典型的错误就是列举过多活动，却没能详述他们的收获和感悟。好的应对方法应该是选择并坚持几项活动，从而投入时间和精力取得真正的进步，并从中获取真实的感悟。这种情况下，在申请者描写或讲述课外活动时，他们的故事才会比其他人更动人，申请成功的可能性也更大。

Most of the American colleges, especially the top ones, pay a lot of attention on students' extra-curriculum activities when reviewing their applications. Extra-curriculum activities are to help colleges to understand the student more about their personal qualities, value system, hobbies, and so on. With student's academical performances (GPA, test scores) being equal or close, their activities often times become a key factor to win an admission.

Although activities are so important, it should be treated on "nice to have" basis, i.e. students should not compromise their academic studies for activities. After all, course work is the top factor for college application. Activities should be carefully planned and chose with consideration in both timing and area, so that they won't take too much time from the students while still deliver good results. Poor planned activities may cause time conflict and over stress the student.

It is important for students to understand that the "depth" of the activities is more important that the "width" of them. Colleges emphasize on knowing what the students' learnings are from the activities, rather than simply getting a list of activities themselves. A typical mistake that many applicants made is to list too many items on their activity list, while not providing enough elaborations on their learnings/feelings from them. It would be a good strategy to stick with a few activities, spend time and effort on them to make real progress, and achieve genuine learnings from them. This way when the student write and tell about activities, their story will be much more impressive than others, thus increase the probability of admission.

炎炎夏日即将来临，这也是每年学生活动最火热的季节。对于中学生来说，去美国参加一个合适的暑期项目，既可以体验丰富多彩的美国文化，又可以锻炼英语能力，实在是一个不错的选择。美国的暑期项目形形色色，种类繁多，一般来说可以根据具体活动内容及学习强度划分为不同的类型。在此，我们介绍三种最受欢迎的项目：英语训练营，活动夏令营，以及为高年级学生准备的“大学体验项目”。

英语训练营，顾名思义，是为提高学生英语水平而专门设立的暑期项目，适合7-9年级的学生。这些项目会设计专门的话题和课程，从听、说、读、写四个方面来训练学生。也有一些专门针对标准考试的英语训练营，例如托福、SAT的集中训练等，菲利普高中开设的“备考托福”就是这样一个项目。这一类的项目往往由私立高中组织，比较有名的有普林斯顿洪恩高中的“美国文化及语言学院”以及帕特尼高中的“国际学生英语教育课程”等项目。

第二类为活动夏令营，则主要为9-10年级的学生开设。这一类的夏令营活动往往模拟大学上课的方式，但是其强度和难度远远比不上正常的学期状态。同学们可以根据自己的兴趣爱好，选择合适的科目和活动。一般来说，这类的夏令营上午安排上课，下午安排运动，周末安排远足、游览观光等集体活动。这些项目往往与一些知名大学合办，比如耶鲁大学、加州大学洛杉矶分校，以及密歇根大学等。

对于高年级的学生（11-12）年级而言，参加“大学体验项目”则是再合适不过了。这些项目由美国知名大学下属的学院开设，其内容往往有一定的强度和难度，有些还提供有关大学申请的信息和指导。同学们可以根据自己对大学专业的规划来申请相应的项目。举例来说，想要学习视觉艺术或建筑学专业的同学，可以申请芝加哥艺术学院的暑期项目。该项目为学生提供专业的美学或设计方面的指导，以便他们在假期里就可以把自己的作品集完成；对于申请理工科方向的学生，可以选择参加哥伦比亚大学或布朗大学开设的暑期项目，体验一下作为科学家或工程师的工作状态。这些项目往往对申请者的要求比较高，有些甚至还要求申请短文、托福及SAT的成绩。

The summer is coming. For middle school and high school students, attending a summer program in the U.S is a good choice, as they can experience different culture, and improve English proficiency. Normally, summer programs can be categorized into a few groups in terms of different contents and level of intensity. Hereby we introduce three popular types: English as Second Language (ESL) Programs, Enriched Programs (Summer Camp), and Pre-College Programs.

The ESL Programs are usually designed for middle school students (Grade 7-9). In general, they offer classes on concentrated topics and train students on their reading, speaking, listening, and writing skills. Some of them are even test-oriented, such as “Preparing for TOEFL” in the Phillips Academy. Most of the ESL programs are run by the U.S boarding schools, for example, the American Culture and Language Institute (ACLI) by the Hun School of Princeton, English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Program for International Education by the Putney School, etc.

The Enriched Programs are mainly provided for current Grade 9-10 students. Typically these programs create a sense of college learning, but the workload is much lower compared with that in school semesters. Students can register academic courses and activities based on their interests. Normally academic courses will be arranged in the morning, and extracurricular activities (including sports and workshops) are in the afternoon. Some famous programs are EXPLO at Yale, Summer Discovery in UCLA and Michigan, etc.

The rising Grade 11 students are supposed to attend the Pre-College Program. They are academic-oriented programs with serious training, exercise, and information session for college application. For students who intend to apply for majors related to fine art or architecture, the School of Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) can help you build your own portfolio; for students who are science or engineering oriented, the Pre-College Courses in Columbia or Brown will give you chance to work as a real scientist or engineer. The admissions for this type are selective as well. Applicants are required to submit application essays and even TOEFL or SAT scores.

一般来说, 有三种方法可以申请法国大学本科阶段的学习：“个人申请”与英语项目申请，以及交换生项目。

“个人申请”指的是招收非欧盟学生。本科学习总共占用三年时间。学生如果想要成功申请到大一或大二必须通过语言考试(TCF，法国语言测试)。TCF是用来申请预备入学（DAP）的语言测试。按照格勒诺布尔约瑟夫傅立叶大学的说法,这些申请通常是在入学前的12月和1月之间完成。测试的满分为699。学生分数达到400有资格申请本科阶段的学习。考试有两个部分：基础部分(听力、语法和词汇,阅读)和可选的部分(写作和口语)。申请人在中国可以在法国教育服务中心参加考试,办公室在北京、广州、上海、武汉和成都。

其他的用来通过TCF-DAP来申请的材料可能根据则要根据大学及项目的具体要求来准备。学生应当访问目标学校的官方网站,在线填写网上申请表，以及查看具体的材料准备要求。

通过英语节目和交换生项目,学生不需要TCF。但是,该类的项目数量非常少，且项目时长各异(3个月到一年不等)。该项目一般为本科生提供。是否能够通过这条途径申请，要视具体专业而定。一般来说, 专业和商务相关的课程通常都是用英语授课。

因此，学生须尽早做决定，选出适合自己的专业，再去具体查找申请的途径及要求。

In general, there are three ways to apply for French Universities as undergraduate:"coming to school as individual", English program and Exchange program.

"Coming to school as individual" refers to the normal recruitment of non-European student. Undergraduate study takes up three years in total. Students who want to register for first and second year of undergraduate studies (green or white form) must take the specific Test de Connaissance du Francais (TCF, a French language test) - TCF for DAP (Demande d'Admission Préalable, or preliminary admission application). According to Joseph Fourier University (Université Joseph Fourier, Grenoble 1), "these applications are usually drawn up between December and January before the desired entry period". The test has full score of 699. Student who gains over 400 is qualified to apply for undergraduate study. The exam has two parts – basic part (listening, grammar and vocabulary, and reading) and optional part (writing and speaking). Applicants in China can take the exam in Campus France Chine (Fa Guo Jiao Yu Fu Wu Zhong Xin, in Chinese) which has offices in Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Wuhan and Chengdu.

Other material for application via TCF-DAP may vary according to different universities and different programs. Students will be asked to go to target school's website page and fill an online application form which will tell students what kind of material are needed.

By taking English program and Exchange program, the student don't need to take TCF. However, there are not many English and exchange programs (3 months to a year) available for undergraduates. The availability of English program depends on the university and major that the customer wants to choose. Normally, majors related to business are usually taught in English.

Students who strive for bachelor's degree from French universities should make it the first priority that figuring out which program and which school he/she wants to apply for before moving further.

越来越多的中国学生计划到国外读书。但是其中有些学生发现自己的雅思或者托福分数并不能满足目标大学的录取要求。这样英语就成为了唯一的申请障碍，这将导致学生延迟申请计划，甚至不得不放弃一些好学校。

尽管如此，但还是有其他途径可以进行申请。因为现在有很多学校对满足除英语水平以外的录取要求的国际学生也会提供“有条件录取”。这种有条件录取为拥有天赋和才能的国际学生提供进入大学的途径，在澳洲，加拿大，英国和美国等多个大学都有提供有条件录取。

但并非所有的大学都提供有条件录取，因此很重要的一步是在申请前找出目标学校是否提供这类录取方式。通常来说，如果大学自身能够提供语言培训课程，或者与当地教育机构有合作，那么学业上满足申请条件的学生将会纳入“有条件录取”的考虑范围。申请者应该递交目标学校要求的所有申请材料原件。

如果学生在学业方面满足申请条件，各大学将会对申请材料做出评估，然后发出“有条件录取”通知书。这意味着一旦学生完成相关具体的语言培训项目，或者在开学第一天前获得满足标准考试（雅思或者托福）语言水平要求的英语成绩，他们将会被大学正式录取，开始学位课程的学习。

There are more and more Chinese students who are planning to study abroad. However, some of them found that their IELTS/TOEFL score is not at a high enough level to reach the target college or university's admission requirements. The only hindrance is English, which will cause students to delay their plans or even have to give up on some prospective schools.

Nevertheless, there's another solution for this case. As many schools are now offering "conditional admission" to international students who will meet all other admission requirements but English proficiency requirement. Conditional admission provides talented and capable international students a pathway into university classrooms. Conditional admission is available in multiple universities and colleges in Australia, Canada, UK and US.

Whereas, not all the universities and colleges offer conditional admission, so it is important to find out whether this option is available before applying for admission Frequently, applicants who are academically qualified will be considered for "conditional" admission if the university can offer English training program itself or in cooperation with local educational institutes. The applicants shall submit an application packet with ALL required original documentation.

The university will evaluate the application documents to see if students are academically admissible, and issue you a letter of "conditional admission." This means once students complete the specified English program and/or have the appropriate standardized test score report (TOEFL or IELTS) before the first day of new school, they will be offered full admission to a degree program in the university.

众所周知，F-2签证是为美国留学生（即F-1签证持有者）的配偶和子女准备的，即留学生的配偶和子女可以申请F-2签证进入美国，陪同该学生完成学业。但是，对于年龄较小的留学生（如就读私立高中的同学），是否有对家长开放的“陪读签证”呢？根据美国政府的建议，家长可以申请B-1/B-2签证，即商务/旅游签证。

以下是来自美国国务院外事处理手册的一项条例：

这些外来人士包括但不限于：临时打工者、学生、外交官的同居伴侣或父母，以及未成年F-1学生签证持有者的父母。

一般来说，商务/旅游签证持有者会获得一年多次的美国入境权限，每次入境最多停留时间为6个月。因此，意愿陪伴未成年子女赴美国留学的父母可以申请该类型的签证。

It is a widely held wisdom that F-2 Visa is for the dependents of F-1 holders, including spouse and children. But what if parents want to accompany for their young children to study in the U.S? B-1/B-2 Visa is the right choice.

This is a quote from the Foreign Affairs Manual of the U.S Department of State:

Such aliens include, but are not limited to the following: cohabitating partners or elderly parents of temporary workers, students, diplomats posted to the United States, accompanying parent(s) of minor F-1 child-student.

Normally, the B-1/B-2 holders will be granted multiple entries to the U.S within one year; the maximum staying period of each entry is 6 month. Therefore, B-1/B-2 is the right type for parents to accompany a minor with an F-1 student visa to the U.S.