IntroAmerica

Chinese Star Students Search Q&As

November 18, 2015 10:51 pm | By Wenjing

Eligibility

Who can participate in the scholarship program? Junior and Senior High school students, transfer students and graduated college students- Chinese college alumni, graduated Chinese students from US undergrad colleges, can all participate in the scholarship program. The only difference is that some scholarships are for graduate students, some are for undergraduate students, so you have to choose the right scholarship that fits your situation.

If I don’t live in the ten cities that are mentioned, can I still apply? What if I am from the provinces where the cities are located and I am not living there now? This program is for students who will be graduating spring 2016 and 2017 from the cities that are mentioned and the provinces where the cities are located. If you live in Shanghai or Beijing,or other countries – do not apply to this year’s IntroAmerica Chinese Star Students Search US Scholarship program unless you want to participate in the essay writing program and essay writing and interview webinars training only, you will may not be considered for a scholarship. But you are still welcome to apply directly to the participating colleges – they may still consider you for these scholarships or other scholarships for international students. We anticipate offering this program in Beijing and Shanghai in the future.

If I do not win a scholarship, can I still apply and be considered for other scholarships? Yes, if you enter and are not selected for a scholarship after the two rounds, you may still be able to get a scholarship later. Participating in the IntroAmerica Star Students Search program really just means the winners get first priority for certain scholarships offered by each college or university but it does not mean all the scholarships at these colleges have been allocated, so a student who applies to the college directly may still get a scholarship if they meet the scholarship criteria of the college or university. Most scholarships are offered after a student has been considered for admission.

If I win a scholarship, do I still have to apply to the college and fill out the admissions forms and send all the documents and take all the required tests? Yes, all students must take all the required test(s) and meet all the colleges and universities’ regular admission requirements and must graduate from high school with good grades. Remember that the college must see that you are truly interested in their programs, so if you do not apply, they may not consider you. And if you do not apply, you cannot enroll and get the benefit of the scholarship by attending the college or university.

When should I participate/apply to the scholarship program? Please check our event calendar carefully. You may apply to the program on two rounds, first round dead line is Nov 23th 2015, second round dead line is Jan 23th 2016. Please apply to the program before January 24, 2016.
Can I use a scholarship to go to any college? No, the scholarships only apply to specific colleges or universities that offer them.

The Program

The entire program lasts from November 2015 to March 2016. You have two chances to write an essay and be chosen for an interview based on the quality of your essay. (You will be told how to write the essay at the essay writing webinar in order to do your best to be selected for the interview sessions.) You can sign up in November for essay writing in November or in January 2016 or you can select both sessions. The interview sessions are in December 2015 and February and March 2016. There will be online interviews in December and February and in-person interviews in March.

During November 2015 through March 2016, new colleges may join the program and offer scholarships. If you sign up in November, you can continue to come back and select more colleges to be considered for a scholarship. Your information will be presented to the colleges you are interested in but only those who participate in essay writing and the interviews and also apply to the college can actually receive a scholarship after they enroll and arrive on campus. If you are getting a scholarship, you will see the credit on your tuition invoice. You can apply for more than one scholarship if you meet the college or university qualifications. We suggest you check the requirements carefully.

Those students who write the best essays will be invited to an essay-writing award ceremony in March 2016 in one of five cities – Wuhan, Chengdu, Xi’an, Changsha, and Guangzhou or Shenzhen. You will also be automatically registered for a college fair in those same cities on the same day.

How do I apply to win a scholarship? You must create a complete profile by entering the www.introamerica.com or www.introamerica.cn or www.shunshunliuxue.com site and clicking on the scholarship link to then share in pinyin your name,and the following information in English- contact information, school name, grades and any potential interests in major or extracurricular activities. Then you must research the colleges offering scholarships and select the ones you are interested in attending. Later, you will be asked to write an essay and if you were selected as a semi-finalist, you would be invited to interview online in December or will be invited to interview online in late February or interview in person at one of the following cities- Chengdu, Xi’an, Wuhan, Changsha, Guangzhou or Shenzhen for interviews with college representatives on site in March 2016..

To prepare you for the program, we will offer an essay writing webinar and an interview webinar.

Please visit www.introamerica.cn or www.shunshunliuxue.com for more information regarding the webinar schedule.

The Essay Writing Webinar

There will be two essay writing webinars – in November 14, 2015 and January 9, 2016. The webinars will feature the famous college consultant, Joyce Slayton Mitchell, who has also written several books in English and Chinese about getting into American colleges, including “8 First Choices: An Expert’s Strategies for Getting into College.” She knows many famous college admissions people. She will give her suggestions about how to write a good essay to get into the college of your dreams! Those students who register before January 9 may be selected to ask your questions to her online on January 9. We will select questions from the audience. If you register after January 9, you will be able to get the recording of the webinar to listen whenever you choose.

The Interview Webinar – there will be two interview sessions.

This webinar will be conducted by a college admissions interviewer.

Receiving the Scholarship

What does it mean if I am selected for a scholarship? You can get a reduction of up to four years of full tuition from a college if a college offers a full tuition scholarship to you– that means if the tuition is $25,000, you will not need to pay the $25,000 tuition for the year. If the scholarship is renewable, you can then be considered for a scholarship every year for up to the next three years for a total of 4 years scholarship or value of $100,000. Each college has different scholarship options, which may be partial or full scholarships and what will happen is that there is a deduction from the tuition of the school based on the scholarship offer. Students will get confirmation that they will get a reduction in their tuition when they enroll. It is important that you still have applied to the college and acknowledged that you want to use the scholarship. So in April or May or whenever you get your admission letter or even notification of the scholarship award, you should confirm with the college immediately if you are planning to go.

College Information

How can I learn more about these colleges? You have several options –you can look at information about the colleges in Chinese and English through the www.introamerica.cn website. There will be a map to show their location in the US. You can also go directly to the colleges or university’s own website; however, most information will only be in English. Also, sign up for the college WeChat through their special QR code and we will share weekly information about the college. You can also make sure your email is up-to-date and check it because we will also be sending college information that way. And later in the year, we will offer fact sheets about these colleges, available at the local Shunshunliuxue offices or through other partners. Some of these colleges may also show up at the college fair and essay writing award ceremony in the spring of 2016. To keep up to date with new colleges joining the program and the scholarships they are offering, you should follow the IntroAmerica WeChat account or weibo or visit our website for regular announcements.

What type of Colleges will be in this Program? All kinds of colleges will be in this program and the number will keep increasing until the program ends in April 2016. Each week, new colleges will join the program and they can be large city universities, or small private colleges or all women colleges or religious colleges. There can be research institutions as well as private liberal arts colleges and professional institutions. Each college has their own benefits and unique programs. They will be located all over the United States. The purpose of this program is to introduce you to many colleges and universities all over the country, so that you have a choice of where to go. More information about life on American colleges and some selection criteria by different students are shared on www.introamerica.cn or www.introamerica.com.

If I am not religious, why do I want to go to a religious college in America? Many people believe that religious colleges are safer because they attract people devoted to harmony and peace. Attending a religious college in the United States does not mean you have convert or be practicing the religion. However, the religious college was started by people practicing a specific religion and there may be some requirement that you take one or two classes to learn about the religion. Many people find this an interesting way to learn about a way of life and attitude about life. Often, it will help people understand the culture of the people practicing the religion. Except for these special classes, there may be certain holidays specific to the religion that would result in the suspension of classes in observance of the holiday. In these cases, if you have a classmate that proposed you spend some time with them, we recommend you do so to learn more about the religion and the culture that impacts the thinking and actions of those practicing the religion.

What is a private college or university and how is it different from a public college or university? A private college or university is funded by its own resources, which may include tuition and endowments or donations by wealthy individuals or foundations. A private college or university may have a religious foundation and be operated as a religious college, where practicing a particular religion in part of their routine. A public college or university is funded by local or state money. It cannot be religious and in some cases, must accept any local residents, but may elect to send those residents to community or 2-year colleges.

Unlike other countries, public colleges are not better endowed nor are they considered better than private colleges. In America, many of the leading colleges tend to be private colleges or universities – Harvard, Princeton, Stanford and MIT are all examples of private colleges.

What is a Liberal Arts college? There are many Liberal Arts colleges in U.S. They are more focusing on 4 year bachelor education instead of higher level research.

Life in US – Where is my college located?

How would I know where I want to live?

Although many students believe location is not important, other students think just the opposite. We have provided some comparisons to Chinese cities to help you determine where you might want to live. Just to give you an idea of the different climates and environments.

New York -For your reference only, New York is like the Shanghai or Hong Kong of the US – bustling with art, fashion, financial, educational and technology institutions. New York boasts the New York Stock Exchange and the NASDAQ and Wall Street. It also has a lot of musical and theater opportunities and is the home of Broadway. It is located in a climate like Beijing- very hot in the summer and very cold in the winter. New York University and Columbia University are the largest local universities although the Fashion Institute of Technology and Parsons provide outstanding fashion and arts programs.

Washington – This is the political capital of the country and for those interested in understanding politics and government, there is no better place for you to be. It also has many universities and many museums about American life and artists. American University, Georgetown and George Washington Universities are among the best known DC colleges. Washington is south of New York and tends to be warmer most times.

San Francisco – This is where the Chinese came first and has the largest community. Today, there are many cities near San Francisco that have lots of Chinese immigrants, Chinese stores and restaurants. It is safe to say the largest group of Chinese probably live in California. San Francisco is also close to Silicon Valley, the heart of the technology industry and headquarters for Hewlett Packard, Yahoo and google. San Francisco is home to San Francisco State and is close to Stanford and UC Berkley.

Los Angeles – Southern California has great weather and is known for being close to beach and mountain. Los Angeles is known for Hollywood or a huge number of vacation areas. Los Angeles is famed for UCLA and many USCs are also in the area.
Miami is the southern-most largest city in the southern-most state and the warmest other than Hawaii. It is the Xiamen of the United States and has great campuses near warm beaches. You’ll find University of Florida here as well as Lynn University.

Chicago is in the middle of the US and is often referred to as “Mid-Western.” It has a lot of trains going through it and is known for transporting grain. It is most like Wuhan and also has a lot of colleges. Among the most famous Chicago universities – University of Chicago and Northwestern.

Boston is in New England, where the American colonies first started and were established by immigrants from England. Boston is a college town- a bit like Wuhan, but is generally cool in the summer and cold in the winter. You’ll find Harvard University, MIT, and Babson College among the interesting educational institutions in the area.

How can I learn about the location of a college? The www.introamerica.cn and www.introamerica.com sites have a map showing the location of each college and state. You can also look for information on the college’s own website.