The 2022 U.S. early application has come to an end. This early season continues the previous year's "two heavens of ice and fire". On the one hand, major universities have repeatedly reached new highs in applications, and the University of California application system even collapsed due to too many visitors at one point. Universities, on the other hand, have tightened the number of offers at the early stage. Take Johns Hopkins University, for example, the number of early offers filed this year has plummeted by 60% compared with the previous year. The invisible "fight" on the study abroad track is becoming increasingly fierce.
Colleges and universities are also adjusting their admission criteria. In November last year, the University of California announced the permanent abolition of sat, ACT and other standardized score requirements, and subsequently, the top universities in the United States, including Harvard University, Princeton University, and Columbia University, also announced that they would continue to continue the "standardized optional" policy, neither requiring students to submit standardized test scores, nor treating students differently.
Under the trend of the standardization of american applications being increasingly diluted, the importance of the instrument is self-evident.
The emphasis on documents was placed in the first place by Li Jin from the first day of founding Fengyue Education. In her opinion, the paperwork is one of the most difficult parts of the application to be completed, there are no standards and routines, but it is the most concerned by admissions officers. It is also the part of the whole application process that best shows the characteristics of students.
"We don't use templates, we don't write routines." Li Jin told Interface Education. "The way you put on a template is that you can never write a personalized, distinct, and in-depth document."
Fengyue's clerical team has its own set of processes, and repeated discussions on polishing the clerical are indispensable links. Li Jin introduced that the clerical teacher will take the form of brainstorming and let the students explore their own personality.
In Li Jin's view, the writing of the main document is like a student's memories of past growth. Due to the emphasis on the authenticity and personalization of the documents, the teacher will continue to guide the students to explore their truest personality. There are even some children who are forced to cry on the spot in the process.
"We ask students to reminisce about many things in the past for themselves, such as what is most interesting and has the most profound impact on you? There will be a lot of problems to throw to the child, to sort out and refine. So there are a lot of students who feel very painful in the process, but when they come back, they will say that the process is really enjoyable, and they suddenly wake up to a lot of things. Li Jin introduced, "In fact, in this process, the output is not only a document, but also a reflection on the future of the individual." ”
Usually, this process lasts at least a month. Back and forth revision and editing, from the first draft to the confirmation of the final version of the document, 5-6 drafts is the average, and sometimes there will even be more than 15 drafts before the final draft.
There will also be parents who do not understand this. Li Jin smiled and said, "If we help you finalize a document at once, it is the simplest and most effort-saving for the teacher." But changing so many drafts is actually a process of continuous improvement. ”
The instrument should be kept authentic
In addition to showing personality in the instrument, there are also points that need to be "protected from lightning".
Li Jin does not advise students to show how good they are in their essays. What awards you have won or what public welfare activities you have participated in have been reflected in your resume and do not need to be described again in the document. "Admissions officers in the U.S. prefer to see personal stories with detail and depth that resonate."
In the newly published book "Decoding Ivy League Admissions - Analysis of Successful Applications for American Undergraduate Documents", she wrote that she has communicated with some foreign admissions officers who have decades of experience in U.S. admissions, often hear their emphasis on documents, compare documents to the soul of applications, and look at a student's personality and development potential from the documents to determine whether they are the students that the school needs.
In addition, experienced admissions officers can see through the authenticity of the documents at a glance. By "cross checking" the document with the student's school grades and language scores, if there is a gap in English proficiency, the admissions officer will have doubts about the authenticity of the document.
During this year's application season, the University of California stepped up its review of the authenticity of the paperwork. According to the information on its official website, after the application deadline, the University of California will check all the applicants' documents through anti-plagiarism software, and then notify the applicants who are suspected of "plagiarism" through email. Applicants who receive the notification are required to undergo a secondary review by the school by the prescribed date. If the application is not replied to within the stipulated time, the application will be cancelled.
Therefore, Li Jin has always insisted that the paperwork can only be completed by the students themselves. In terms of writing, whether it is a beautiful writing or a simple and straightforward pen, as long as you show your distinct personality and tell a story, it will be an excellent document.
But the instrument also does not have the superpower of "resurrection from the dead". Li Jin pointed out that first of all, the grades must meet the standards of the target school, and the admissions officer will begin to comprehensively assess the influence and contribution of the applicant, referring to the student's activity experience, recommendation letters and documents.
Anti-inner volume, "vine school" is not necessarily the best choice
In recent years, the strength of reserve students and parents staring at the Fujian College school and the top 30 schools on the list has made Li Jin think, what kind of school is the most suitable?
Li Jin's son's grades in high school are not top-notch, and if measured by the traditional standard of the college entrance examination as a baton, in her own words, "it can only be counted as the average in the leading echelon." "Language scores are also late to prepare, and the scores on the TOEFL test have only just reached the minimum threshold for undergraduate admission to top U.S. universities."
But this did not hinder his son's pursuit of the ideal university. In his spare time, computer programming, robot competitions, social welfare, he did not fall behind. And it is precisely these seemingly unrelated interests that have helped my son win the favor of admissions officers at top Colleges and Universities in the United States.
The reason for choosing an American university, Li Jin also has his own considerations. According to the 2022 U.S. News World University Rankings, AMERICAN universities occupy 24 seats of the top 50 universities, while only 6 universities in the UK make the top 50. Secondly, it is the "recruitment" attitude of American universities. Compared with some Asian countries that only value scores, American universities are more comprehensive in their assessment of students, paying more attention to students' personality and potential.
Rich educational resources and diversity are also factors that attract Li Jin. In the United States, most universities, whether public or private, will use small class sizes and personalized teaching to stimulate students' innovative ability, focusing on "teaching them to fish". In the classroom, through the collision of ideas, new knowledge is acquired and critical thinking is formed.
On the way to her son's application for an American undergraduate, Li Jin stepped on some "pits", and it was these less reliable experiences that made her finally decide to DIY her son apply, which also laid the groundwork for the establishment of Fengyue Education later.
Graduated from the London School of Economics and Political Science, before stepping into the education industry, Li Jin worked in Disney, Johnson & Johnson, Unilever, Procter & Gamble and many other Fortune 500 multinational companies, and was already a successful woman in the eyes of outsiders.
In the early hours of a spring day in 2013, after a flight of more than a dozen hours, Li Jin's family came to a small Hawaiian island, planning to transit from here to New York, USA. At that time, my son had already received admission to 7 American colleges and universities, including the University of California, Davis, Northeastern University, and the University of Maryland. This trip is to visit these schools in the field in order to make a final decision on school selection.
On the way to New York, my son received an offer from his dream school, New York University. The family then decided to reschedule their previous itinerary and chose NYU as the first stop on the field trip.
That year, his son was admitted to a total of 8 American universities and finally chose to enter New York University, which was also his ideal choice.
In his 2014 book "I Am a Child's Brand Director," Li Jin recalled his state of mind at the time, "In the early hours of that morning, the family looked back at the road ahead and imagined the future, and the relaxed and warm atmosphere made me unforgettable. ”
Over the past few years, Li Jin has devoted himself to advocating "anti-inner volume". In her view, it makes no sense to blindly pursue this "volume" of the Ivy League. "As parents and study abroad application institutions, we should put ourselves in the shoes of our children to make reasonable and effective planning, and find a path that is truly suitable for our children, so that it is conducive to growth."
Recently, Li Jin began to try to promote a new program in the parent circle around him, so that everyone can pay attention to the health of the body, mind and soul, and alleviate the anxiety of parents and students in the application process by regularly carrying out meditation, yoga and other activities.
"On the way to apply for studying abroad, it is not that entering Hayepsma means success." She has always insisted on this view.
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