How to utilize school resources

Hi everyone, today I am going to discover what study or life resources we have on campus is helpful for us and free!!!

When you arrive United States and start your study abroad life in MiraCosta college, you may be surprised how thoughtful our school is and how much free resources or helper is opening their arm to us and waiting for offer help. Let's take a look together!

• Cafeteria: I have to say we maybe have the top 3 nice cafeteria in United States, we have different healthy yummy meals everyday and all kinds of bakery, lot of types of drinks. We've got sushi too! anyway Cafeteria is one of my favorite place in campus!

• Library: There are so many books and scholarly resources, most important: super friendly and enthusiastic librarians. Once I was asked from my homework to find some materials that I don't know much, when I was getting so nervous because I do not know how to find it and the due date is coming soon, I went to library. With librarian's help, I got what I need within 20 minutes, isn't it impressive?! Not only books, in the first floor of library we also have writing center and tutor program, which as you can image is really really helpful for our study. In college, almost all of us need to take English for couple of semesters so that in case to make sure we can do good in English, Writing center is absolutely good place to go. They are patient and literal!  So far we have tutors for math, Spanish, Chinese..etc, almost every main majors.

• Career Center: Strongly recommend!! There is a big possibility you need it. If you are having questions about future career or have not decide what major you are going to do, or you want to find a job inside campus, Career Center is the perfect place to go!

Those are all I can think up now, if you are new student in MiraCosta, utilizing those resources may give you big help!

Finals are coming!!! :( :)

Hi everybody, final is coming, I don't know about you all but I am a little bit anxious and nervous. This semester I don't have very difficult classes except English 100. I am not very good at writing long scholarly essays so I am kind of struggling, now I am putting more time on it; I don't go out and hang out with friends as much as before, instead, I study in coffee shop most of the time .I wish I could get 4 A grades! good luck to myself and all of my school mates.

How to find a place to live

Hi everyone.

The most important thing when you study abroad is a nice living place. I don't think anyone can study well and get good grades if they don't live in a nice place where they feel happy and comfortable to stay at. So today I'm going to write about how to find a place to live through MiraCosta College website.

Here are the steps:

• type "Housing" in the search box on the right top of the seach box and then click on MiraCosta housing website, Click on "I'm looking for a place to rent", then you can see bunch of housing information with landlords' contacts. Write down information about the ones fit your demand, and contact with owner tell them you want to see the room.  (You need to go to see it before you move in).  

• If you can't find anyone that satisfied you on that page with renting information, you can also type"home stay" in the search box, then click first link "Transportation/Home stay services, there are Homestay organizations which specialize at helping international students find a home stay that fit their requirement.

As my personal experience of housing, I find a cozy private room only for $500 USD each month which is where I current live. Including utilities such as electricity, water, trash, and internet.  let's take a look of the outside environment! :D

what should we do when we haven't decide our major

At my first semester, I had problem with choosing major. I want to major in something that will get me a nice job, is interesting to study, and enjoyable to work in, but I don't know what that is for me. As an international student, I have more clear study goals and time limit compare with local students, so me and my parents were worrying about my major "issue" in last past few months. Fortunately I have an goal now with Career Center and school website's help.

When you feel lost on the way of deciding major, please feel free use resources in our school, that is their job and they are waiting for help us  anytime! If you do not know what kinds of job you can get after graduate and got the degree from the major you are interested in, you can go to career center make an appointment with specialists their and they'll help your explore jobs. If you are really into something and want to major in it, but you do not know what major we have relatives with it, you could also go to our school website's certificates page to find out what majors we have in MiraCosta.

About going back China during school break

Hi everybody.

I have been San Diego about 14 months, I haven't go back China in this 14 months even once.   I really miss my family and everything in my country, so I am planning going back home in this winter.  But since it is a international trip, the process might be more complicated and confusing than just travel inside the U.S. or China. I'm a little bit frustrated now, but I would like share my knowledge about this so that may offer some help for you.

First, the expiration day of my visa is one year from the day I got it, so it is already expired. There is no problem to have the visa expire while I am in the United States.  But when I go home in December, my visa need to be extended before I return to the United States.

Also, I changed my school from my language school which is located in downtown San Diego to MiraCosta College.  Therefore, I have to redo a visa interview.  I was told I need to bring all same documents with first time I went to visa interview: Bank statement, grade score, house proprietary certificate, etc. Every step is almost the same with first time.  (If I didn't change my school I can just pay ZhongXin Bank and they will help me expand my visa without going to embassy in person).

And by the way, my city is so beautiful, let's take a look of it :D

Isn't it beautiful? haha.

First week fall semester first blog

The first few weeks is always a little bit tough. As a Chinese student who study alone in America, I have to do everything by myself; Such as add class, pay tuition, solve housing problem..etc. It's kind of tough for me, but I know I will become a more independent person after this "training", which is one of the purpose that I choose to study abroad. Sometimes I feel dizzy when I was too busy to relax, but seems life gave me a big surprise is all my professors are quite specialty and all have sense of humor which makes me feel happy and joyful when I am in class. Nice professors helps me more focus on study,I will work harder than last semester!

About last week, finally I've got some free time to relax on the beach in the weekend. I love SoCal so much especially sunshine and beaches here.I know not only person who love those beautiful things. anyway, good luck to myself and all of you! :D

What to do after you have been admitted by a Four-Year College/University

I will start this blog by announcing my good news: I applied to UC Berkeley, UCLA, UCI, and UCSD last winter and I just found out I was admitted to ALL of them!! (I couldn't do it without MiraCosta~) Next, I am going to talk about what steps are required after you have received your admission letter from a four-year institution.

1. Notice your current school and your family about such good news!
2. Accept your admission at the school you are going to transfer to. For factors about how to choose your future four-year college, please view my earlier blog: Steps to transfer to a four-year university.
3. Plan your Graduation Ceremony at MiraCosta. For more information, contact the Student Activity Office by April. (760-795-6690)
4. Order your official transcript, and/or IGETC Certification, and/or American Institution Requirement Certification from Admission and Records before the school deadlines. 
5. Follow specific instructions announced or emailed by your newly admitted college, such as register for a student ID account, complete SIR form, request transfer for your SEVIS from MiraCosta to your future college, apply for housing, and so on. 
6. Meet with a counsoler at MiraCosta to ensure your current educational plan satisfy all requirements necessary for a successful transfer and/or an Associate Degree or Certificate of Proficiency.
7. Make sure you constantly visit and update your transfer application for your next college/university, and I highly recommend that you make a checklist and write down the deadlines and events associated with the transfer process. 
8. Communicate with whoever is sponsoring your college tuition about additional financial documents/ funding evidence the four-year college may request to present. 
9. Based on your budget for the next two years, select the most economical/affordable options for your housing, meal plan, classes, insurance, transportation, and/or job opportunities in the future. 
10. Planning your travel and stay for school visits, welcome party, orientations, group/private tours, traveling during your summer break, or earlier arrivals at your future college/university. 
11. Don't need to feel stressed or anxious about this process because Every Single Transfer Student goes through the same steps, not to mention those who are overseas! Just make sure you are doing what you have been told to do by your future college/university and enjoy your summer!

Disney, Here We GO!!

Hi !!! Thank you guys so much for viewing my blog, and I will try my best to share more fun and helpful information about studying abroad at MiraCosta College. During Spring break, I am sure many of you have traveled to many places, and so did our International Club !! Here are some group pictures before we headed to Disneyland.

 

 

 

To view more pictures of our Disneyland trip~please visit our facebook website and "LIKE" us: https://www.facebook.com/InternationalStudentExperience

申请四年制大学的步骤

申请四年制大学的步骤 

亲们，你们好！我最开始来到MiraCosta的时候，就定下了转入加州大学洛杉矶分校和加州大学伯克利分校的目标。当然，能够帮助学生成功进入理想的大学也是社区大学的优势之一。所以我今天就简单的介绍一下转入四年制大学的基本步骤。

1.锁定目标                

在做任何准备之前，我认为对你想要上的四年制大学有一个大体的定位是非常有帮助的。你可以参考以下的因素：

1.位置

对于你未来的学校，环境优美或者学术气息浓重都会使紧张的学习生活有所缓冲。当然，如果你是个party animal，建议你选择周围有相对多的娱乐设施的校区。我一般会强烈建议大家去亲身感受以下学校的实际氛围然后再下结论。我就在暑假期间去了UCLA和UCSD的校区，感觉真的和听别人说的不一样。（对于平常没有时间的同学，可以在春假或者法定节假日的时候结伴去哦，不但人少而且还可以提前在学校官方网站上预约campus tour。）

2.学费 

在你开始梦想着上哈佛或加州大学洛杉矶分校，也许你应该更好地了解一下你的预算。你大学后两年的学费是自付还是父母帮忙付呢？你有申请Financial-aid吗？那么高大上的奖学金呢？不同的学校，他们的学费有可能会相差很多。再加上如果你是一个国际学生，很可能你还要支付22.878美元的nonresidence fee 。所以，在你做最后的决定之前，核对你的预算。

3.主修科目

我建议大家根据自己专修的科目来选择四年制大学，尤其是看对方在针对你所学的领域是否有较高的名誉或者项目。例如，美国加州州立大学就向他们的学生提供了有关商务，会计，生物，护理等的学习项目。在选择学校的时候，请核实对方有你所学的专业，并且会提供有助于你的专业知识的program。

2. 符合与辅导员  

  

当你决定你感兴趣的学校，我强烈强烈强烈建议大家在transfer center和我们的consoler提前预约。如果你是一个国际生，其实在International Office 和在校的辅导员预约面谈也是可以的。根据你的学期目标，辅导员将做出具体的学习计划从而确保你能够在转校之前完成所有的要求科目。登录到Assist.org  你便可以找到更多关于你正在考虑的学校的转学科目要求。

3.实行学期计划

 

与辅导员谈妥后，请务必遵守分配给你的Educational Plan 并且提前注册你学要修的科目。MiraCosta学院在每个学期结束之前就会为学生提供新学期的上课时间表。因此，我强烈建议大家未雨绸缪，在时间表出来之后大体上确定自己下个学期的课程安排并在注册时间开放后第一时间完成注册。（如果不确定要上哪个教授的课，可以咨询在校的同学，辅导员，或者登录RateMyProfessor.com ) Ps：确保与辅导员检查每学期的进度哦！

4.准备你的申请 

 

根据你要申请的学校，我建议大家提前确定其对外开放和关闭网上／书面申请的具体日期。举例来说，UC学院开放网上投递申请程序的时间使11月1日，并在十一月底结束其对于来年秋季转学生的申请。此外，许多学校都有在线系统。 除了邮寄给这些高校自己的信息外，学生还可以在网上直接上传和更近个人信息。MiraCosta专门对学生提供了针对UC 和CSU 学校的Transfer Workshop以便帮助学生完成申请界面和个人简介。更重要的是，确保你在填写这些申请信息的之前和之后都与辅导员进行交流。  

5.提交和更新   

在正确填写了申请材料之后，请不要一直拖到最后才提交。请注意，根据你申请的学校，最后的截止期限可能会有所不同。 

6.祝你交好运哦！ 

Happy Chinese New Year !!

Hi, today is the Chinese New Year 2015! I hope you guys had a chance to stop by our Chinese New Year Celebration last Thursday, here is the link to visit some awesome pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/miracosta_college/16264866038/in/photostream/

Please feel free to greet others with a Big Smile and Happy New Year !

Steps to Apply for A Four-Year University

Hello, everyone! One of the advantages of a community college is option to get in to very good universities.  I started at MiraCosta with the goal to attend UCLA and UC Berkeley.  I am going to cover the general steps to apply for transfer admission at a four-year university or college.

1. Find Targets                 

Before you take any actions, it is always important and helpful to locate which school or college you want to transfer to. You can make decisions based on the following factors:

2. Location

You want your future school to have a beautiful view or a comfortable environment for academic studying. It also helps if the school is located at an area that has entertainments for after school hangout. I highly recommend a trip to the school to actually see and experience yourself whether you are fond of the school or not.

3. Tuition 

Before you start on dreaming about Harvard or UCLA, maybe it's better to check out your budget. Are you paying for the next tow years of school by yourself or from your parents? Do you have a financial-aid plan? What about scholarship? Depending on individual school, there might be a significant amount of change in turns of tuition fee. If you are an International student, it is likely that you are going to pay an addition nonresidence supplemental fee of $22.878. So CHECK YOUR BUDGET and do some research before you make your final decision.

4. Major

You want to choose a school that has 
high reputation for its program in the major that you are studying right now. For instance, California State University offers variations of programs for business, accounting, biology, nursing, and so on. Based on your major and what the school can offer you, you want to make sure that the school you are thinking about has your major and also a good program that complements your major.

5. Meet with a Counselor  

  

After you decide the schools that you are interested in, I highly highly highly recommend you to make an appointment with a consoler at the transfer center, or if you are an International student, you want to sit down with a counselor at our International Office. Depending on your education goal, a consoler will make specific plans in order to compete your transfer major requirements for the schools you are going to apply to. Go to Assist. org and find out more about your major requirements for the colleges you are thinking about.

6. Follow your Educational Plan 

After meeting with a counselor, you are expected to follow the educational plan assigned for you. Remember to register classes on time to unsure your enrollment. MiraCosta College offers students new class schedules for the upcoming semester towards the end of every term. Therefore, I highly recommend students to plan ahead what they want to take next semester and map out their schedules even before the online enrollment opens.  Make sure to check your progress with a counselor every semester in order to ensure you are on the right track.

7. Preparing your application 

 

Depending on which school you are going to apply, you want to know the specific dates for the application drop-in season. For instance, UC schools normally open up their online application sections on November 1st and close them at the last day of November for students who want to study the fall semester new year. Also, many schools have online systems where students can update their information online instead of mailing directly to these colleges. Note the transfer workshops offered at school about UC or CSU applications and personal statements. More importantly, you want to sit down with a transfer counselor before and after you fill out your applications.  

8. Submit and update  

After you have correctly filled out your applications, you want to submit them before the deadlines. Note that depending on the schools you apply to, the deadlines may vary. 

9. Good Luck! 

Welcome back!

Hi, everyone! How exciting that school just started! I am sure many of you have lots of homework already at this point. I just want to welcome everybody for a new semester at MiraCosta College~ Good Luck!