Preparing to go to Chinese university is tiring enough. But when studying abroad, you need to worry about things like new tests, essays, recommendations, college choices and visa applications(签证申请).
The first thing you should do after picking the country you want to study in is to make a list of universities, including a dream school (a school you may not get into, but is at the top of your list), a safety school (a school you can definitely get into), and several schools in between. Look at the websites of those universities and you will get a complete list of everything you need for your applications.
The most important thing in any application will be your test scores, so pick a time as early as possible to take an exam preparing course. If you are in a lecture hall with a teacher telling jokes, you are probably just wasting your time. However, US students who attend top universities spend between 500-1,000 hours studying for the SAT, so probably you should do more. You are also going to need to think about how to tell a story about yourself. Chinese students have a reputation for being very hardworking, but also for sometimes lacking creativity or intellectual curiosity(求知欲).
You need to show the university that you are excellent because of your own personality, not because your parents have forced you to be excellent.
Are you interested in sports? Make sure to play on your school's team. Universities want to see that you have interests of your own and can show initiative(主动性).
Finally, find a consultant(顾问) to help you through the application process. You will need this help, but please open your eyes wide and be as cautious as you can. Some agents will try their best to help students fulfill their dreams, but there are some irresponsible ones who care more about the fees paid by students.
