Archive for October, 2010
Applying to US colleges
Wednesday, October 13th, 2010The application process to American universities requires much research, preparation and hard work.
IT is not an easy process to apply to a university in the United States.
For one thing, there is no centralised admissions agency like our UPU (Universities Admission Unit) or the United Kingdom’s UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service).
For another, applicants have to take specific tests like the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test), TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) and GRE (Graduate Record Examination), on their own as part of the entry requirements for undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.
Each US university — or college, as they are called there — also has its own application fee, and requires essays on certain topics as part of the admissions process. Continue here
If you want to study in the USA, you should first visit an EducationUSA center. Find one here.
If you have more questions about life in the USA, please fill out this form here! We’ll send you local information specific to your projects.
The Classroom – Learning English
Wednesday, October 13th, 2010Hello,
We hope you are doing well.
One of our favorite English Learning portals, VOA Learning English, just released a great resource called The Classroom.
The Classroom is completely interactive and designed to teach English vocabulary, grammar, spelling and parts of speech.
The Classroom has English Learning programs an interactive wordbook and an interactive American idiom dictionary. The Classroom also has the EFL Teaching community. VOA will offer a new English lesson to teachers all over the world every week! This area will also have interactive activities as well as videos and lesson plans you can download. Discover the site here
Let us know what you think.
Expat Journey from Martinique to the U.S.
Tuesday, October 12th, 2010Hello,
I hope you are enjoying your week.
Some month ago, I had the pleasure to be interviewed by France 5, a French National TV Network.
They were filming one of their most famous documentaries called “Echappées Belles” in California. The documentary consists of several French people who spoke about their American dreams and their experiences in California.
In the video below, I talk about my American Dream. I explained that I left my corporate job at HP France to move to Los Angeles as an international student. I wanted to improve my English language skills, learn about the American way of doing business and eventually start my own. More importantly, I was in search of making meaningful changes in my life in order to add value to my own existence while possibly making a positive difference in the lives of others.
I also mentionned the company that I founded, “U in the USA”, which simplifies international students’ and foreign exchange visitors’ lives, helps them interact more effectively with Americans, and assists them in achieving their goals. We encourage our students to take advantage of our services to create connections and even make lifelong friends.
I thank you for allowing me to enhance your American experience.
Enjoy the video.
Jean-Marc Dedeyne
What do you think about my French accent?
Don’t Miss the Green Card Lottery!
Sunday, October 3rd, 2010Hello,
I hope you are having a great weekend.
I am writing you tonight to give you a heads up about an American program that you don’t want to miss.
This program is called Green Card Lottery or Diversity Lottery Program. It starts in just two days.
I played the lottery three years in a row, and thankfully I was selected in May 2009. Ultimately, I received my Green Card in the mail in August 2010.
Thanks to GOD who allowed me to become Permanent Resident of the United States, and who provides me health, determination and confidence to live my dreams.
Let me now tell you how you can play.
What is the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program?
The Congressionally mandated Diversity Immigrant Visa Program makes available 50,000 diversity visas (DV) annually, drawn from random selection among all entries to persons who meet strict eligibility requirements from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States. The first program took place in 1995. A computer randomly selects individuals from among all qualified entries.
When does the program start?
The online registration will begin noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) (GMT -4), Tuesday, October 5, 2010, and ends noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) (GMT -4), Wednesday, November 3, 2010. All entries must be submitted electronically during the registration period, when applicants may access the Electronic DV Entry Form DS-5501 at http://www.dvlottery.state.gov. Paper entries will not be accepted. All entries by an individual will be disqualified if more than ONE entry for that individual is received, regardless of who submitted the entry.
Who is qualified?
The law and regulations require that every diversity visa entrant must have at least a high school education or its equivalent or have, within the past five years, two years of work experience in an occupation requiring at least two years’ training or experience. To learn more about qualifying occupations, see the Diversity Visa Instructions Frequently Asked Questions and the List of Occupations webpage
How many people play?
Last year, 50000 applicants were selected at random from over 12.1 million qualified entries (16.5 million with derivatives) received during the 60-day application period. See DV Lottery Results to learn more
Which countries are eligible to play?
To enter the DV lottery, you must be a native of one of the listed countries. See List Of Countries By Region Whose Natives Qualify.For DV-2012, natives of the following countries1
For your information, for the DV-2012, natives of the following countries are not eligible to apply because the countries sent a total of more than 50,000 immigrants to the United States in the previous five years:
BRAZIL, CANADA, CHINA (mainland-born), COLOMBIA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, ECUADOR, EL SALVADOR, GUATEMALA, HAITI, INDIA, JAMAICA, MEXICO, PAKISTAN, PERU, PHILIPPINES, POLAND, SOUTH KOREA, UNITED KINGDOM (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories, and VIETNAM. Persons born in Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, and Taiwan are eligible.
How much does it cost?
Electronic lottery entry in the annual DV program is free (there is no fee). The U.S. Government employs no outside consultants or private services to operate the DV program. Any intermediaries or others who offer assistance to prepare DV entries do so without the authority or consent of the U.S. Government. Use of any outside intermediary or assistance to prepare a DV entry is entirely at the entrant’s discretion. A qualified electronic entry submitted directly by an applicant has an equal chance of being randomly selected by the computer at the KCC, as does a qualified electronic entry received from an outside intermediary on behalf of the applicant. However, receipt of more than one entry per person will disqualify the person from registration, regardless of the source of the entry.
How can you play?
Step 1 : Visit the official Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery site here
Step 2 : Download and study diversity visa lottery instructions on the site. The manual is also available in Armenian, Indonesian, Japanese, Romanian, Russian and Uzbek.
Step 3 : Submit electronic entry at http://www.dvlottery.state.gov
Best of Luck.
Jean-Marc Dedeyne
If you had won the Green Card Lottery, tell us about your experience.