International Academic Center » Students

The Icebreaker

Milica Stankovic — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 03:58:05 +0000

The first decision reached me on Saturday 14th, at 18:57 CET. Although the University in question said that the decisions will probably be online at 18:59, I did the check earlier. Several times.

I set up a meeting for coffee with my two lady friends. I actually know few girls in general (probably because Math Gymnasium is a boys’ school), and have even fewer great friends, and grabbing a cup of coffee and several hours of girl-talk meant so much to me. The thing is, I was really stressed out and miserable those several days before the first decision, I really needed cheering up. And it seemed as such a great idea: if I get admitted, the fact that we got the decision together will be epic. If not, we still have big delicious moccas in front of us.

To be honest, I thought that the University in question would reject me anyway. I was really convinced that they would. I though I would never fit into their community, even if they did admit me, by some wonder. Because of this, that University was never my real option, and I didn’t consider enrolling in it. I just sent the papers in because I wanted to know, for some reason, whether they would find me interesting. I wasn’t really thinking of it as what I would call a decision; at that time, it was more like pending on a verdict.

Why name this entry “The Icebreaker”? Well, that was the first institution that rejected me. At that exact moment, when I located the “we are unfortunately unable to offer you admission” sub-string in the text was when I think my heart skipped a beat. And, for several seconds, I really felt out-of-space. What I experienced then was closest to – relief. I got my first decision, and although it was not a desirable one, it contented me in a way. I made it through the admission, and that was important. I supposed that my academics were appropriate for the institution, so said – “Hey, it’s probably not up to me.” because international applicants get rejected for all (those wrong) reasons. I was confident enough to deem it possible that they simply decided to leave me out.
There are several speculations about how the applicants to selective colleges are graded and weighted, like the ones who have less than 20% admittance. Let’s say that a small selective college receives 2300 complete applications, but is equipped only for 200. So, what could they do to really collect the best from the applicant pool, when there are definitely more than 200 brilliant students in there? They can examine thoroughly those 2300 applications and determine which 900 people would surely be great students and would be perfect specifically for their college. Surely, they determine about 50 that must end up in their college for various reasons, kin relations or superbly high qualifications, but that is an advantage a non-American can’t count with, in my opinion.

They have to narrow the applicant pool down even further. Next is that they determine the statistics. Let’s say we want an equal number of boys and girls, precisely 6% international students and at least 60% of people who will pay for full or approximate tuition. Now you balance the criteria out, and by adding information like subject area preference, one gets an “ideal” Prospective Freshmen Generation, Year 2013.

Why the word “prospective”? Well, knowing that the college in question has 200 open spaces, and that some may reject (look below in Appendix) admission offer, they will opt for offering 250 admissions. Because of the randomness of the selection, you may be rejected not because you were not good enough, but because you were out of luck. So really, if you intend to apply to several of these colleges, my advice would be applying to as many as plausible. In some colleges, the process could serve to your advantage. And just to make it clear, the test results are important, they get you through the first elimination rounds; it might have sounded like testing wasn’t as important as luck. Of course, there are colleges who are highly selective but don’t employ such a rejection method.

If I get back to that institution that rejected me… you probably wonder why was I rejected, what was the specific reason. Well, the bad news is that they never tell. I could probably post the rejection letter, but it wouldn’t be any good – it has no important information except the fact that I’m rejected. And I would be really interested to know why. At least I know this decision was not based on my assessment: all of the applicants from Serbia were rejected, systematically. I mean, we were all from the Math High School, let’s say 6 or so of us, and every person was different and unique; and yet very accomplished in various fields of study or research. Any applicant profile they may have been looking for was definitely contained in at least one of us, and if they wanted to admit anyone from Serbia they would face an outstanding selection.

They did offer a waiting-list status to a girl, but she’s brilliant enough to get admitted elsewhere in a blink. And I doubt that enough people give up MIT for others to be admitted form a waiting list. And yes, MIT was the institution in question throughout the text.

Maxing Out the SAT I – The Basis

Milica Stankovic — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 22:22:32 +0000

The SAT Reasoning test is the foundation of your application, and studying for the SAT is your most likely place to start. You have probably heard about it by now: how scary, difficult and impossible it is. That is why I will write down some of facts that might help you prepare it; I would recommend checking out the Wikipedia article about it, because you may discover some information you might not have found elsewhere.

It was formerly known as an acronym for Scholastic Aptitude Test (today it is just SAT, and doesn’t stand for anything special). It was intended to be the basic assessment tool for prospective college students, so it had to measure their ability to comprehend and study in all professional fields possible. Also, it had to be equally suitable to all of the high school students taking up very different classes in very different schooling systems all across the USA. Because it had to be of such a broad scope, this “aptitude” test was really an intelligence test, since it seemed to be the only logical choice that could give the most equal chances to all students. Since the College Board put it through several major makeovers, today it is no longer an intelligence test, but is upgraded to a really sophisticated tool to measure somebody’s comprehension of written text and understanding unfamiliar content – the fundament to studying efficiently, among other skills needed for the SAT. When you browse through question types in Critical Reading or Writing, you can notice that what textbooks recognize as “needed skills” or “question types” actually do evaluate one’s readiness to study in college successfully. The most important thing before you even start practicing is that you accept that SAT is not just an English language test, like CAE. It is not in any way intended for or adjusted to non-native speakers, and that is probably the only disadvantage you get compared to an American. The thing is, there are several other things SAT measures except the language, and be sure to use them to your advantage, such as using your intelligence, linking unfamiliar concepts, answering specifically what you are asked about, evaluating true and false statements, determining the meaning by the “sound” of a word, ability to use advanced vocabulary… when you look into the question types, you will see that fundamentally Americans have same odds as you do of getting the right answer, and that the fact they are native speakers doesn’t help them that much.

You may have heard that colleges have greater tolerance for lousy SATs for international students, but I can only disagree in my experience. To get the basic guidelines, look at the average values for your target colleges (on College Board), and consider the bottom values as your requirements – the minimum values you must meet. Always aim for going past that; you find that for Reading and Writing sections, gaining more will be generally hard, and for Math section it will be fairly easy. And for the mathematicians out there, the 800 on Math section will not redeem for a 450 on Critical Reading, because the sections are regarded separately. In general, if you can go past 2000 points, it is a good score you can be comfortable with for any premium college. Knowing test results of my peers, 2000 proved to be a high score. Let me demonstrate it on a popular, highly selective college choice:

Average student aim for
SAT Critical Reading: 680 – 770 710
SAT Math: 680 – 780 780
SAT Writing: 690 – 770 700

As you can see, these figures are really hard to meet. I mean, having 700 points on Critical Reading is insane for a non-native speaker, right? Well, for these Great colleges, you really have to do your best and cross your fingers to succeed, and hope that the best score you have meets their average score. You never know (for certain) if they find you interesting. The thing is, your extracurricular activities and SAT2 will speak more to your advantage, but you have to make your SAT Reasoning scores at least meet their bottom-average published on the College Board website.

Think about your SAT strategy for a while. Sure you’ve read about “SAT Strategies” in your textbooks, but try to customize to your own needs. Since you are probably familiar with your weaknesses in English, think about ways to improve it functionally-wise. The best way to study for SAT is to practice, practice, and practice again. And when you do, think outside the box – the questions are not just posted in plain English, they are more like logical problems, and you are best off approaching them that way.

Sincerely,

Milica Stankovic

Matemati?ka Gimnazija, Beograd

Four Things You Ought to Know Before Applying to U.S. Colleges

Dusan Vuksanovic — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 21:48:58 +0000

I remember the first time I thought about going to college in the US. I was casually chatting with a friend of mine in downtown Belgrade in August 2005 when the topic “what university are you going to enroll next year” was started.

She mentioned that one of our mutual friends would be applying for an athletic scholarship and that I should consider doing the same thing, since I was into water polo at the time. The light bulb above my head sparked, and I replied “Yeah! YEAH! I can totally do that! I’ll talk to her once the summer is over.”

Nine-or-so months later, after having been through heaven and hell and back around, the journey was over, and I started packing up to go to America.

Now when I look back at the entire process, I realize that I could have gone through it with much less frustrations if I had been more familiar with it at the very beginning. For all of you whose US college “light bulbs” have turned on, here are the most important things you should know about the application process.

1) Start early… REALLY early!

Ideally, you want to become acquainted with the system while you’re in your junior year of high school. Familiarize yourself very carefully with the institutions you’d like to apply to and their application requirements, and SAT and TOEFL tests!

I started doing all this in my senior year of high school, and let me tell you, I had been going through some nervous breakdowns while trying to manage high school, SAT preparation, and water polo practice.

2) Think outside the Harvard-Princeton-Yale trio

There are over 4,000 institutions of higher education in the USA, each with its own unique programs, environment, and student body. Urban vs rural? Small college vs big college? Average SAT score? Scholarship competitiveness? These are just some of the questions you’ll encounter while you explore different college options. For example, a small Liberal Arts school in a rural area (like my college – Green Mountain College) will appreciate international students more rather than a school in a big city, simply because you don’t see that much diversity in small towns in United States. Furthermore, you will get a 1-on-1 experience with your professors at a smaller school, which is definitely something you can’t get at big universities if you are an undergrad. I had a chance of playing ping pong and Scrabble with several of my professors, and believe me, those kind of small things really enhance your learning experience.

3) SAT ain’t no laughing matter!

SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) is like an entrance exam for US colleges, except that you may take it multiple times in a year. It consists of three parts – verbal, math, and writing. It lasts about four hours (with breaks). And, it’s pretty darn hard!

It would be impossible to juxtapose and compare SAT to any English tests in Serbia. Though I studied English ever since I was six, I found myself flabbergasted and flummoxed when I first sat down to do the verbal part. I abhor the test to this day! It’s not the fact that it’s soporific, it’s just that the words in it are antediluvian and you don’t have too much time to think about them. To be quite honest, I’m still dumbfounded how I managed to get a good score on it with only a few months of preparation.

If you at any point in the previous paragraphs wondered what some of the words that I used meant, you will most certainly need help for the SAT. Start preparing for it like you would for any Serbian university entrance exam – months and months in advance.

4) Do your own research and don’t be afraid to ask questions

There’s no ignominy (extreme humiliation) in asking for help. Google or research something you’re not familiar with, read the IAC forum, read the blog, ask the bloggers, ask the staff – there are plenty of ways you can get an answer. The silliest thing you could do is assume you’re already omniscient (look up the word if you don’t know it).

So, How Much Does It Cost? Adding ALL Of The Figures

Milica Stankovic — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 14:11:34 +0000

I have discussed the requirements through one of my earlier posts. Now, to discuss an issue that surprised me during the application: the stunning cost of the whole process. When you are all about the hype about going abroad and studying for exams, you don’t really consider how much it will cost to actually apply. Especially because the initial cost of SAT, books or a course isn’t such a big deal. These application fees are inevitable, and if you do get a scholarship in the end they were certainly worth paying. An utterly practical advice would be to forget about free waivers of any kind, because it is yet another pile of paperwork which some of the colleges may not accept, because we are not Americans. These figures are very important to know so your family can organize accordingly, since it’s quite a sum.

Let’s assume we have an Average Joe, who is applying to 8 colleges, for the sake of the calculation. Typically, applicants choose 6-10. Although I know somebody who applied to sixteen colleges, but I doubt she is sincerely interested in most of them. I will write about choosing the colleges that suit you, in another post. Typically, you will find six to ten communities you can really imagine yourself fitting in.

The first expense is ordering of the books. It is great to study in the IAC because there’s plenty of material, but you can’t spend every day of the week there. I did spend quite a lot time there, and I tell you, it is most inconvenient to combine it with other activities. You do need something to work on while you are at home. Typically, you need 3 books, one for SAT Reasoning and two for SAT Subject Tests. You may also need a CD for TOEFL, it was very useful to me, because TOEFL is all about practice. As far as I’m concerned, a TOEFL book can’t teach you how to get a good score because of the “four skills” needed; everybody needs a tutor in order to prepare even if they are really comfortable with English. The great thing is books are somewhat cheaper than in Serbia. I ordered through Amazon during the summer, when they had a discount on SAT books.

SAT reasoning $30
SAT subject 1 $20
SAT subject 2 $20
TOEFL CD + book $35
Shipment $65
Books total $170.00

The second would be paying for a preparatory course, if you think you need it. I kind of worked the technique for the SAT Reasoning all by myself, but if you are not really comfortable with English (you can’t understand newspaper texts, have a small vocabulary or write lousy essays), you may need it. I did invest in a TOEFL course because I was really afraid of the Speaking portion, and I’m still petrified when I remember it. I know it’s silly because I’m a good speaker; I even debated in English once. But I simply couldn’t get myself used to answering stupid personal questions in 45 seconds. I don’t know the exact prices; the range was really big when I looked at my options. Studying groups go from 4 (in my case) to 20 students, and the prices are inversely proportional. Find yourself a course that fits. I assume you will choose one or the other, SAT or TOEFL, and not both. I would recommend TOEFL, because when you get around TOEFL essays you can write a pretty good SAT essay, and really good admission essays.

TOEFL preparatory course $200
SAT preparatory course $200
Course of choice $200.00

Also, if you are hopelessly bad with understanding and speaking English, don’t try applying. I will be really honest. Not only you would have bad test results, but you can also end up in a college that is academically-wise not good enough for you. And to make it worse, you will be stuck with not understanding any of the studying materials and lectures. Really, if you didn’t learn English up until you are 18, the chances are tiny that you can perfect it in a couple of months.

Next is paying for your exams. If you get well organized and decide to do SAT1 and SAT2 twice that would be ideal for getting good results.

TOEFL $155
SAT I $68 x2
SAT II with 2 subjects $64 x2
Standardized testing $419.00

As you see, we have some really big figures coming up. And our Average Joe hasn’t even sent his papers yet. The next expense would be paying college application fees. Every college you may choose has a fee of $50-75 for processing of your application. I will list fees for my colleges. The figures listed are exact.

College 1 $50
College 2 $60
College 3 $60
College 4 $65
College 5 $70
College 6 $70
College 7 $70
College 8 $75
(College 9 no fees)
Application fees $500.00

Feeling dizzy when you look at the figures? Well, that’s how it goes. The system is pretty insensitive to the fact that we are a poor country, and thus our students are not really loaded with money. I mean, my parents earn a lot more than the average payroll in Serbia, and we are poor in comparison to the average American, and especially in comparison with an average top-college applicant’s family. Because of this, it is only natural that you are planning for a big scholarship. But before you get any of it, you have to pay these fees, and it’s no small deal.

Next step is to send in the exam scores to the Colleges. You have to do this via collegeboard.com for SAT tests and via ets.org for TOEFL scores. Of course, you need a valid and stable credit card, make sure you have a fully reliable one before paying anything. And another very important notice: do not submit payments using Internet Explorer, other browsers are far more secure, such as Firefox, Opera and Safari, and any other for that matter.

Sending SATs $9.5 x8
Sending TOEFL $17.5 x8
Score reports $216.00

Then you have to handle the rest of the needed paperwork. It is obligatory that you take your report cards, acquire the verified copies and get them translated by a professional. To verify the copies, you need to go to your Opština to get them certified as exactly the same as original. However, the verification itself costs up to $200, because there are three forms (for three grades) and a lot of photocopies to check, but you can bypass that by going to another Opština (Savski Venac) where they do it for free, in just a day. The translation is obligatory, and is to be done by a translator bound by the court. You cannot translate the forms yourself, they won’t be accepted.

Translation $16 x3
Verification $60 x3
If you’re smart $48.00

Now it is necessary to send all of your papers. The most common requirements are the Common Application with the supplements, additional essays, competition certificates, verified translations and photocopies, teachers’ recommendations and school transcript. The thing is, you have to send it through a professional carrier service, such as FedEx or DHL. In Serbia, FedEx is most convenient and the cheapest. It is important that you have the ability to track your documents. They are usually delivered within 3-5 days. With ordinary post there are multiple problems. The first would be that the Serbian mail is disastrous by default and letters get lost frequently, before they get to the border. Other is, even if they do get to USA somehow, you don’t know when they did because you don’t have a tracking option. Since it’s crucial that the papers are delivered to colleges briefly, I urge you to send everything through FedEx, even if you are in a financial distress to do so.

Another reason why is that several (5) colleges contacted me and said that they still haven’t received any of my papers yet, and I was confident enough to reply “According to my FedEx tracking service, they were delivered on January 05, 2009, at 11:15AM, and signed for by your employee Jane Doe.”. The confidence that they must have received my papers meant a whole lot to me; it really gave me peace of mind.

You will also have to send your financial aid applications through FedEx, so I will double the sending fees in the calculation.

FedEx envelope <250g $49 x16
Document shipment $784.00

There are also some miscellaneous fees I wouldn’t really bring up right now as relevant. If you are interested in the total cost, just add the figures up, I feel terrible enough already blowing up all that money. I suppose I did scare you, and maybe made you give up. But really, you can find the money, and it will redeem once you get the scholarship, not to mention getting a great college’s diploma.

I made a ton of mistakes in the payment process. First off, I sent my SAT and TOEFL scores to several institutions I didn’t apply to at all. I wrote admission essays for schools I gave up on. I ordered more books than I needed. I also paid several application fees for those colleges I didn’t apply to in the end. From 12 colleges I narrowed my choice to 8, but paid all of the fees for every school. I mentioned before, I made many mistakes in the process, but I really had no one to tell me for certain how these things are done. I think that’s why I’m writing the blog, I know it would have been easier for me to read about someone else’s mistakes and know ones I will avoid.

My next post will be, at last, about getting around the infamous SAT Reasoning test. I will describe my own routine and mention a few hints, just to get you started. Don’t be suspicious of my competence – you can take my advice or not, I am just a student like you are and not an SAT/TOEFL tutor. I learned about the test the hard way, and in my opinion, I did quite well.

Sincerely,

Milica Stankovic

Matemati?ka Gimnazija, Beograd

And What About “Support”? Keeping Your Friends Close

Milica Stankovic — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 01:40:00 +0000

I thought about it a great deal, and I am pleased to say that I have a few great, real friends. Ones you get to keep for the rest of your life. No matter where we are and however much we may be separated one day, it might sound cliché, but I will always be there for them, just as I believe they would be there for me. What I’m talking about has nothing to do with keeping in touch through Skype: it’s about the idea humankind somehow worn out, exploited and diminished in modern times – friendship. And not in a simple, casual way, like who do you go buy your lunch with or who do you tell your stories to. Best friend is somebody who is in all those stories. It’s a great quote I read somewhere on the net. I’m not at all into those simple motivational slogans, but from time to time some do move me.

Well, this great friend of mine inspired me for this post. It’s one of the things great friends usually do; they keep you questioning yourself about the important tad bits. After she had read my blog, she joked about writing an entry titled “A Survival Kit for Friends of Applicants”, because friends do get a lot of burden to carry. Think of it for a second: all of this you are doing is so grand, important and interesting for you to deal with you will surely tell all about it to your best friend. And when you give up going abroad, the friend will be your shoulder to cry on. When you reconsider and decide to pursue it anyway, the friend will hear you out. When you start crying about leaving your family, your city and the rest of your life, the friend will sit beside you and refrain from lying about how you won’t miss any of it. And after that, when you are all hyped about your test results, the friend will of course celebrate with you and hear out the entire story of your epic success, and pretend s/he hears it for the first time.

If you still can’t see my point, I’ll go further. Your friend maybe knows what s/he will study, maybe s/he doesn’t. Maybe s/he never thought about going abroad, or was never interested, or entirely doesn’t get why you want to leave home in the first place. So really, your entire application story is excess and uninteresting, except a single element – yourself. My point is? Be easy on your friends. They are always interested in your wellbeing, success and happiness. And you have to put them into the process as well, it’s inevitable. But they don’t have to know every detail of your SAT preparation, or the filing of your finances, or fitting into USA school system evaluation. They don’t have to know which college has a greener campus, or where do students have higher test results – to your friends, they are all equally distant (very, very far away). You will need their support, more than ever before. Be aware that sometimes you can get very difficult to handle. Don’t chase your friends away with self-centeredness, the process can get that out of you and be aware when it does. I’m also telling this because, if somebody is not your best friend, he might not want to stand any of it. So, the personal level of admission process is not just about knowing who you are academically-wise, it’s also about finding where you would belong to, and what kind of people you need around.

I made all of the mistakes presented. And yes, I did chase several people away, and freak out some of them. I was caught in fights I still haven’t found purpose of. Amazingly, I did keep some of my people close, and that’s why I was talking about what real friends do.

I have gone so soft right now you could model me in a big red heart easier than you would with soft clay. I think I’ll stop now. I have one more story about friends and how friendship backs you up, but that will wait for another post. Up untill then, I’ll show you some useful guidelines to recognising a friend.

A small fiest of friends. Some just happened to be there. Some will stay forever. As you see, it really made no difference then. Siena, Italy, 2008.

This is what best friends look like after a long day of racing through museums, ice-cream and pancake shops. Vatican, Rome, Italy, 2008.

A textbook example. When you see somebody smiling like this while you're taking the photo, find yourself doing the same, and you cherish that as a memory of its own, well, that's a best friend right there. Fontana di Trevi, Rome, Italy, 2008.

Yet another textbook example of a friend. If you have been together through everything since your early teens, and can still amazingly stand each other, you know you're best friends. Enginnering Student's NightClub, Belgrade, Serbia, 2009.

Also, there are childhood friends. Priceless. You can sometimes lose contact. Not see each another for a whole year. But time after time, you will meet to catch up. You can never ever forget about one another. It's only natural, you've knoen each other for your whole lives. Costume party, Belgrade, Serbia, 2009.

I think I’ve just melted down because of the nostalgia. So, how come I’m ready to go even when I am very content with everything I have? Well, maybe it’s time for me to move on and become independent of my parents. I certainly have my ambitions in science to drive me as well. And also, there is a lot of amazing people in the World I may come by someday, that would be a shame not to meet.

Sincerely,

Milica Stankovic

Matemati?ka Gimnazija, Beograd

My own outline (and what I would do differently)

Milica Stankovic — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 14:27:57 +0000

So, here it goes – my own study and exam schedule. You will see it has a lot of flaws and lapses, but hey, I have never done it before this. I hope you see where my mistakes were and learn a lesson. Try thinking of what you would do differently yourself.

HS, 3rd grade

October 2007.
First visit to IACBG. Enrolling in two-month TOEFL preparatory course. Not being serious about going abroad at all.

January 2008.
Borrowing Kaplan’s SAT book from a friend, to have something to read while I’m on skiing. I read it whole during those ten days, and did a single test.

March 2008.
I decide I’ll try doing a real SAT test in May; all seats have been taken in the Belgrade test center, so I chose the June option.

April 2008.
In the meantime, whole April and May, I’m studying for SAT few times a week in short intervals, still nothing serious. Of course, I forgot all of my TOEFL skills, since I still thought I’m not going anywhere away from home.

June 2008.
I took the SAT test. Once I got my test results I was very satisfied, but decided not to study in the USA. I was more occupied with my assignments in Petnica and my regular school activities.

July 2008.
I got full-time employment at the Faculty of Mining (University of Belgrade) as a junior assistant in the computer room. It was fun, my first shot at working with databases. Afterwards I went to Petnica to work on my mathematical/statistical linguistics project. However stressful it was around matching your deadlines and correcting your project over and over, I have great friends there, so a part of it was like a big continuous picnic.

August 2008.
I went to the mountains for two weeks of alpine hiking and did a load of natural/landscape photography. I thought my whole summer break was a waste of time (school-wise) really, but what that summer did was get me prepared really well for the stress and volume of obligations I was about to have.

HS, 4th grade

September 2008.
I’m studying for three SAT subject tests: Math 2, Physics and Chemistry. I used my own books (Kaplan) I ordered through Amazon. Since there were no school obligations at that time, it was really easy to find the time for all three. Once I found out that the colleges in general ask for two tests, I quit studying chemistry. Out of the three, I was best in chemistry; but since my marks in chemistry are excellent unlike my marks in math and physics, I decided to prove my knowledge by doing subject tests. That’s an important thing you should notice: in USA, high schools are for everybody, unlike gymnasiums and talent schools in Serbia that are reserved for college-bound students. If applying to a demanding college you are expected not to have blemishes in your report card. Since I’m from Math Gymnasium, my GPA is far from perfect but my knowledge meets the demands.

October 2008.
I took the SAT Math 2 and SAT Physics. I started going to the IACBG regularly to study for my next SAT (November), because they have a bunch studying materials and tests. I never looked into the question types after January; I just kept doing tests from different authors: Kaplan, College Board, Princeton Review… when I got my results from the subjects, I was utterly disappointed with Physics. The problem was very simple: I studied from a book that didn’t fully cover the needed knowledge, it didn’t have a number of formulas needed, and the sample tests were way easier than the real one. That’s why I’ll recommend going to the IAC and having different materials rather than locking yourself to a single, insufficient, exam-prep book.

November 2008.
I took the SAT again. This time, I had a considerably higher score, and was very satisfied with the success. I studied for Math and Physics more seriously than the last time – in the IAC. Greatest thing about it is that I remember those days as great times because I had my studying buddies all over the Center as well, and we would chat and fool around during “breaks”.

December 2008.
I took the SAT Math 2 and SAT Physics again, this time in Skopje. Why there? I tried to schedule a December exam in Belgrade, but all seats were taken, and it was either going to Skopje or sending those lousy subject results. There are mighty many applicants interested for studying in the USA, and you really have to schedule your exams in time to get a seat. I also took the TOEFL. Leaving TOEFL materials untouched for a year was a great mistake, because I forgot it all until December. I did the test virtually unprepared, and it would be a colossal mistake for somebody who isn’t as fluent in English as I am. Additionally, December was when I wrote my essays and had a load of school errands, so I had no time for myself at all. December is also when I sent all of the admission papers to colleges.

January 2009.
I’m congratulating myself for getting through with the application, and sending in the financial aid papers. Partying. I started reading random articles on AI from the MITECS (“MIT encyclopedia of cognitive science”). I met the love of my life. Really, I was just enjoying myself for a month. That’s why I messed up my financial aid papers, but hey, it’s all over now. I’m waiting.

February 2009.
I started focusing on (robotic) perception, since I found out it’s the part of AI I would like to play with during summer. I have this very old Logitech camera that has a very low resolution and lots of noise; I’m so excited about getting to do something real I can’t wait any longer. I started coming up with a series of hobbies and sports activities to keep me busy and they worked. I’m waiting.

March 2009.
I’m waiting. All the colleges let you know of their decisions by April 01, some do it earlier.

Another thing. Feel free to comment, ask, suggest… you can ask anything you’re not sure of just yet.

Sincerely,

Milica Stankovic

Matemati?ka Gimnazija, Beograd

“It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan”

Milica Stankovic — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 17:44:37 +0000

My first advice would be to plan every step of the way accordingly. You’ve probably heard it a dozen times until now – that in order to get into college you have to study a lot and plan your errands well in advance, so it’s really nothing new. But, getting into American college is a very complicated process. Unlike getting into Serbian colleges where you have a single exam, single value for points and a ranking list, American admission system doesn’t work that simple. Of course you need points on SATs and everything, but that’s not near the end of it. Filing your application and financial aid is a process you get tangled into and confused about very easily. Luckily, there is IAC’s Open House event every week to give you all the information and advice you need. And really, learn in time how to use Open Houses, because that time is reserved exclusively for your questions (and always write your questions down so you don’t forget them when you get there). Because the applicants are so numerous in the Center, the Open House is the only time you’re sure you can get all of your answers.

And never ever rush things, or do them in the last minute. It’s the best planning advice. And the only advice an undergraduate applicant just can’t take, myself among the others.

The first step is, of course, passing through all those exams. When you look at the requirements (SAT, 2-3 SAT subjects, TOEFL) there is a lot of material to cover in a way you’ve never encountered before. Your best bet would be doing both the SAT and the SAT subjects twice, personally, it did wonders for me. This is because the biggest problem for our students is the format of SAT, because it’s really nothing like our regular school testing, and you need time to get used to the question types. Also, that’s not the way we have studied English in our schools, and the questions are simply not in any way suited to non-native speakers. The problem with SAT subjects is somewhat different. You will find that the knowledge needed for Physics exam is way less than what we regularly study in school. But the problem is that, unlike our tests, where you have 90min to completely elaborate on 4 different problems, on SAT physics you have 60min to pick out answers for 75 problems. I will later elaborate on individual exams in other entries.

The second step would be filing of all the papers. That includes reports of your exams, but also the Common Application materials, like professor’s recommendations, school reports, admission essay, and so on. Majority of better colleges have the CommonApp Supplements, which can be from several question long to twelve pages, with a variety of different requests for every college. Usually, it’s one to three essays, and most frequent are topics like “Why are you applying to [college name]?”, “Why are you specifically interested in studying [field of study] ?”. Allow yourself a lot of time to write these, because copy-pasting your essays for one college to another is simply wrong and utterly counterproductive. Every college is a specific community, and through the essays, and among other things – they are trying to see whether you would fit, and whether you are sincerely interested. If your list ends up with 10 colleges, allow yourself at least two weeks to finish them up nicely.

The third step is getting the funds through financial aid, scholarships, and an objective estimate of your parents’ contribution. At this moment, it is a very painful subject to me, and I’d rather not write about it right now. That’s because it is the step where I made a colossal mistake of leaving it for the last minute. Of course, I didn’t consult with anyone in IAC even when I had no clue about what I should send. I sent the paperwork in time, but I’ve sent it all wrong and I’m still covering up for the missing papers.

The fourth step is the worst. You wait for the admission and the rejection letters. There’s not much you can do.For instance, I’ve soaked myself with studying materials, basis of robotics and artificial intelligence, since I find it takes my mind completely off the waiting process. It’s really handy, because I’m writing about robotic perception for my Matura, an it’ the knowledge I plan to use someday. Also, I started going to a gym and running on a regular basis. It keeps me busy. I’m already biting my nails, I don’t want to advance to chopping my fingers off.

The question I didn’t cover in the introductory post is – when to start? If you are now in 3^rd grade of high school, “immediately” would be best, especially for TOEFL and SAT. For SAT subjects you have to study, so you can put them off until September, but TOEFL and SAT take getting used to rather than studying.

Another important thing about me that influences my entries quite a lot, is that I’m not an accomplished sportsperson. I’m applying to college on a purely academic basis, and I don’t know a thing about sport scholarships – all I know is that that successful sports persons need less points in order to get admitted and financed.

My next entry will be about my own preparation outline. It worked for me, from the beginning to end; it may work for you too. In the meantime, I picked out several interesting links for you to play with.

Sincerely,

Milica Stankovic

Matemati?ka Gimnazija, Beograd

USNews: college quality ratings for engineering

PrincetonReview: more interesting college ratings – best college libraries, dorm quality, alcohol and drug use, amount of studyind needed…

CollegeBoard: I doubt you didn’t consult its search tool already,…

The reasons not to give up before you start.

Milica Stankovic — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 19:26:50 +0000

Everyone has a portion of their dreams taking place in the USA: walking the streets of metropolises of America, going to Disney World, road tripping on route 66, or studying in an elite university. Of course, this series of blog entries won’t be my indefinite listing of pro et contra reasons for pursuing such dreams. If you’ve been thinking, planning, or at least a tad bit dreaming about studying in USA, you’ve come to a pretty good source of information. Here on the IACBG blog, I have just begun a series of entries that will give you first hand, applicable information you can use if you ever go down this road.
It won’t be as ready to use as a step by step guide to filing your paperwork (and it’s a mighty load in question!), or a bundle of posted SAT practice tests for your exam preparation. I will try to, as vividly as feasible, describe and guide a prospective applicant through the whole process in a very personal way. Of course, I will assume that you are familiar with elementary information about the application process, and will thus describe the experience of pulling your way through it all.
But, who am I? And why I’m writing this? My name is Milica, and I am this year’s prospective freshman of one of the top USA colleges, majoring in Computer Science. The thing is, I still don’t know where I will be admitted, and I’ll be on pins and needles until April 01. I’ve been through this whole college admission experience for quite a while now, and I have almost wrapped that part of my life up. I’m writing these in order to focus, examine and summarize what I’ve been through, what would I have done differently now, but also to help and encourage someone who’s interested in a similar endeavor. Not in writing a blog, for God’s sake, but for applying to college in USA! It may be odd to hear this, but the admission process itself is a life-changing experience, a journey very similar to growing up. You are forced to examine yourself thoroughly, and that’s not a request you will read anywhere in your exam preparatory materials, but is most necessary to satisfy of all the admission elements. You have to be very sure that you do or do not want it, and not be torn in between.
I’m planning to write entries for a month or so, round them as a whole nicely and thoroughly to cover as much aspects I can think of. But after the April 01, when I get all of my rejection letters, as a result I’ll probably write a few frantic posts and give up computers to live in a desert as an ascetic. Really, except for providing information, this blog will help me get through the waiting period.

Redhead in Rome - a picture of me.

And yes, I will be writing in English. It’s simply more convenient for me. My writings in Serbian are usually overly artistic and bohemian, and thus not suitable for informative blogging. Another thing is that *gasp* I hope that this will reach further than just the applicants in Serbia, that other International students may be interested.

Sincerely,

Milica Stankovic

Matemati?ka Gimnazija, Beograd

Izborna noc u SAD – ocima studenta iz Srbije

administrator — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 21:12:08 +0000

“Ako ima nekoga ko jos uvek sumnja da je u Americi sve moguce, ko se jos uvek pita da li i dalje zivi san nasih osnivaca, ko jos uvek sumnja u snagu nase demokratije, ovo vece mu je pruzilo odgovor! “

Ovo je izrekao Barack Hussein Obama pred vise od 150.000 Amerikanaca u Cikaskom Grant Parku – ne Grand Parku kao sto su preneli mnogi (ne)ugledni mediji u Srbiji.

Bilo je to jedno potpuno nezaboravno vece, neobicno toplo u vetrovitom gradu. Kao da su se sve kockice polako slagale za senzaciju. I tacno, uprkos svim istrazivanjima koja su favorizovala Obamu, bila je to senzacija. Nema potrebe isticati koliko je trajalo ropstvo, kad je ukinuto, kad je ubijen Martin Luter King; dovoljno je pogledati neumoljivu statistiku- ogromna vecina stanovnistva SAD je bele puti.

Imao sam srecu da se tog istorijskog dana, ne samo za Ameriku, vec i za ceo svet, nadjem u Cikagu. Mini ekskurzija mog fakulteta omogucila mi je da uzivo iskusim “desavanja naroda”, i to ni manje ni vise vec velikog, americkog. Cikago, inace jedno potpuno fenomenalno mesto, je odavao utisak grada u iscekivanju superbola i izgledalo je da svi navijaju za isti tim. Zasto, bilo mi je jasno kad su izasle brojke – 85 odsto “Cikazana” glasalo je za svoga sugradjanina crne puti.

Kafici su bili prepuni vec u tri popodne; po plazma televizorima vrveli su raznorazni analiticari sa svojim “pouzdanim prognozama”. Iznenadilo me je sto se Amerikanci nisu setili koncepta izborne tisine, ali kako pricaju umni ljudi, mediji ne bi dozvolili da im neko otme izborni dan.

Elem, galoni piva popijeni su u iscekivanju i navijanju. Kako su jedna za jednom “padale” neosvojive republikanske tvrdjave ljudi su sve vise i vise poceli verovati u neverovatno. Napetost je rasla, niko se jos nije usudjivao opustati. Malo po malo postajalo je jasno da je Amerika izabrala prvog crnog predsednika u istoriji i dato je zeleno svetlo za slavlje. Svi su odahnuli. Na momente sam se osecao kao da sam u Srbiji; stranci su se cascavali medjusobno sa odusevljenjem; letele su ture na sve strane-cak je i srpski student, foreign factor, zakacio par besplatnih bud lightova. Svi su zeleli da cuju kako ce njihov novi predsednik biti docekan u inostranstvu, svi su zeleli jos jednom da cuju koliko ljudi van Amerike navijaju za Obamu.

A onda se kao virus rasirila vest da president elect samo sto nije izasao na binu da odrzi predsednicki govor. Barovi su se ispraznili za deset minuta. U gradu su sve ulice vodile ka Grant Parku. Sad su to vec bile reke ljudi – hiljade su zelele da pricaju unucima kako su bili deo istorije. I ja sam bio jedan od njih.

Zajedno sa kolegama iz MBA programa pratio sam bujicu ljudi koja je se sporo i glasno kretala cuvenom “Miracle Mile”-om. Drustvo mi je bilo sacinjeno od Belorusa i dva Amerikanca; marinac, povratnik iz Iraka irskog porekla i hipik, povratnik sa lencarenja u Juznoj Americi holandskog porekla – i svi hoce da vide coveka koji je inspirisao celu naciju. Dok smo mi samozadovoljno lamentirali nad svojom raznolikoscu nismo ni primetili sarenilo oko nas. Rasna, etniCka, polna i generacijska raznovrsnost na najbolji nacin pokazala je Obamino najvece dostignuce – ponovo je ujedinio Sjedinjene Americke Drzave.

Belac u svojim sezdesetim jednako je uzbudjen kao i tinejdzerka kineskog porekla. I oboje, kao i ostalih 150 hiljada ljudi vicu na sav glas naizmenicno “Obama, Obama” i “Yes we can”.

Nestrpljenje sve vise raste; niko vise ne moze da ceka. Medjutim, pre “main eventa” na video bimovima pojavljuje se omrazeni republikanski kandidat propracen bujicom zvizduka i psovki. Nakon jednog od najboljih gubitnickih govora u istoriji predsednickih izbora i McCain dobija ovacije od razdraganog auditorijuma. A onda, erupcija odusevljenja, ljudi placu, grle se pevaju-potpuno nestvarna atmosfera – izlazi heroj nacije.

I ponovo je govor prekidan skandiranjem predizbornih parola koje su istovremeno mnogo vise od toga. I svi su zadovoljni – Barack je jos jednom premasio ocekivanja. Skup se konacno razilazi, zadovoljan, ispunjen i do usiju zaljubljen.

Sutradan jutro, svi kiosci su prazni, novina vise nema – ostale su samo ukrstenice sa Obaminom slikom. I sta reci posle svega vidjenog. Najbolji odgovor dala je naslovna strana jednog dnevnog lista sa porukom novom predsedniku: DON’T SCREW THIS UP!

Bojan Djurasinovic

Autor je student postdiplomskih studija na Neeley School of Business, TCU, Texas, SAD