介绍:
1. What shall they do after submitting package to enhance chances to be admitted or gain
more financial aid?
For master's student of professional school (this doesn't necessary apply to grad school students because we don't have advisors when they do.), there's nothing you can do after submitting package to enhance chances of getting admitted or gaining more financial aid.
Basically, your application will be read by at least two professors from the admission committee, and one senior staff of the admission office. Some schools also have students in the admission committee, and they also read applications.
Then those who read your package will discuss and make a decision based on your package. Since there are always huge amount of applications (hundreds or thousands of them) and very few committee members, the professors who are going to make your admission decisions don't usually remember your emails unless they are really impressed by your excellence, not to mention the fact that most applicants have no clue about who's in the committee.
Therefore, just try to relax and forget about the application. You have a spring festival to enjoy.
The only exception I know about enhancing chances of admission and financial aid after application deadline is coming to the school and visiting the professors in person. You will get a lot of information about what admission office want, tell admission committee members what they would like to hear, and even get recommendation from some of them.
(a friend of mine actually got a note to the admission office saying that "she should be admitted" after she talked to a committee member).
But as we all know, trying to visit a school in US involves visa problems and expenses of transportation.
One should think it through before take any action.
2. What shall they do to best prepare for future career challenges?
Well, I don't think I have the capability to give an answer to this question.
But here's one thing I know. English is always important, especially to international students.
If you want to find a job in US, language ability will be extremely important. Spend some time on it.
My point is: Being Positive.
Most people will think there is nothing we can do after submitting our application packages, except waiting for the results. But, it is NOT the case. We can do lots of things to make changes while waiting.
The first is contact and communication with people of the institutions.
We can contact the professors, current students, admission staff, even the deans in our target schools.
Is it difficult? No. For instance, just try to find a professor whose research interests match yours, search for his/her articles online, read them, then send the professor emails to introduce yourself and discuss questions you may raise.
Don’t be shy, guys.
Yes, some times we are worried about lots of stuff. Is my question too shallow? Will the professor reply? Is it proper to send info directly to the professor? Such questions, I think, many of us may have. And many are stopped just by the worries.
Here I would say, we should try every mean we can to increase our success probability.
If the professor can know us better, we can increase the probability by showing him how excellent we are, even though it is through a gradual course. Actually, professors, especially these in the admission committee, here are very willing to know the potential students.
If you can make them know you better and in different aspects through your mutual communication besides the one-way PS they read, then you have gained advantages over other applicants, since the profs really “know” you but not just “read” you. The same with the other people.
Through the current students, we can know better what the school is really like, rather than just from the advertisements. Through the admission staff, here I mean the people in the admission office, we can get information about the admission process.
So, just be active and try to talk with the people with direct info~~
The second is still contact, but with a broader expansion.
We can ask us some questions: do we have other friends or acquaintances in the US?
If not, can I make some possibilities?
Or is there any person I know more familiar with such stuff and can help?
Take myself as an example.
During my application, I kept on doing such stuff. From my auntie, I got a girl's contact info.
She was in Washington U for her PHD in CS. Then my applications were for Human Resources and also Finance, totally different from hers.
Then is there any use for me to contact her? Some may say no.
But I always thought yes, there might be some helpful info. So I called her and sent her email.
Do you know what a coincidence? One of her friend was in the UMN, just a professor in its HR department. Thus I got contact with that professor and gained barrels of info of Great Use. See?
Another story, during my application, I sent all my target schools and departments an email, asking them whether they can give me any contact info of their current Chinese students or alumni.
Most replies said they could not give me right now, but they would ask for these students or alumni's permission and then could send me such info. Fortunately, I got much contact info.
Thus I could directly ask them any questions I wanted to know. This really helped me greatly during my application and when I finally made my choice.
You can also make use of your friends on the BBS, your teammates in BeBeyond, etc.
Anyone you can think of, just try. It is not that hard, right?
Just an email, and you even do not need to write it for many times, just write once and change the title, then you’ve done! Such an easy task, compared with your tough PS and Resume writing way.
Do it, right now!
The third, keep on improving yourself.
Academically, you can read more materials in English, doing more researches, talking more with your current professor, etc. Then you will find you have improved a lot and had more to talk about while later doing the interviews. Professionally, especially for those applying for business majors, try as much as you can to gain the real work experience.
When I did my application, before I submitted the packages, I got to know that one of my professors would do some HR consultation projects later.
Thus I went directly to him and asked whether I could attend, even doing lower-end stuff like data input.
He agreed. Hence, in my PS, I could write down that I am keeping enhancing my self-ability in the real business world, and I am doing HR consultation work now such as…. and will do other projects like……
These experiences are invaluable for me, not only for my application, but for my real improvement and growth, academically and professionally.
Even if now I am not learning HR, the things I have learned from these experiences, such as communication skills, information processing ability, and real contact with the Chinese top enterprises and their leaders, are cherishable to myself.
Other aspects, like English communication ability, teamwork skills that are necessary in study here in the US, you can also take advantage of your free time now to improve them, right?
Even after you have seen the results, you still have chance to change it. If you get the ad, you can try to change it to an offer~
After I got my admissions, I called the schools to get financial aids. I analyzed my advantages and tried to convince them I am special and excellent and worth the scholarships. Fortunately I succeeded. I turned my ad into an offer, even the area – Global Finance – is only my second major in college. Now I am here. : ) If I can make it, then you can.
Just one sentence, be positive to keep improving yourself and keep contacting with the broad world~
