Preparing to go to Chinese university is tiring enough. But when studying abroad, you need to worry about things like new tests, essays, recommendations(推荐信), 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 in any application will be your test scores, so pick a time as early as possible to take an exam preparation course.
If you are in a lecture hall with a teacher telling jokes, you are probably just wasting your time. As a reference point(参照标准), US students who attend top universities spend between 500 to 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 are well-known for being very hardworking, but also for sometimes short of creativity(创造力).
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 an agent(代理人) to help you finish the application. You will need this help, but be as cautious as you can. Some agents will try their best to help students achieve their dreams but there are also ones who care more about the fees paid by students.
