美国留学指南院新生手册英文版

aguidefor

Students

International

1.AbouttheUnitedStates/p.1

1.1StudyintheUS/p.1

1.2USAShortFacts&Figures/p.2

1.3InthisStudyintheUSguide/p.2

2.USAEducationSystem/p.3

2.1PrerequisitestoUSSchools/p.3

2.2GradingSystem/p.4

2.3CreditSystem/p.5

2.4SemesterSystem/p.6

3.USAEducationInstitutes/p.7

3.1StateUniversities/p.7

3.2PrivateUniversities/p.8

3.3CommunityColleges/p.9

4.USCourseTypes/p.10

4.1StudyOptionsintheUnitedStates/p.10

5.USStudyCostsandAccommodation/p.11

5.1StudyCostsintheUnitedStates/p.11

5.2StudentAccommodationintheUntiedStates/p.12

6.USAStudy&WorkPermits/p.13

6.1VisastoStudyintheUS/p.13

6.2StudentWorkPermitsintheUnitedStates/p.14

7.CityGuide:Boston,Massachusetts/p.15

8.CityGuide:NewYorkCity,NewYork/p.16

9.CityGuide:LosAngeles,California/p.17

10.CityGuide:SanFrancisco,California/p.19

11.CityGuide:Chicago,Illinois/p.20

12.CityGuide:Austin,Texas/p.21

13.CityGuide:Miami,Florida/p.22

14.AboutE/p.23

1.AbouttheUnitedStatesofAmerica

1.1StudyintheUSA

1.1StudyintheUSA

1.2AbouttheUnited

States

1.3USAShortFacts&

Figures

1.4InthisStudyinthe

USguide

TheUnitedStatesisanationoffiftystatesthattogether

makeuponeofthemostexcitinganddiversecountries

intheworld.Withvibrantcitiesandexpansive,beautiful

nature,theUnitedStateshassomuchtoofferanystudent

lookingforanewexperience.Foronething,thequalityof

educationintheUSisoneofthebest,andtherearecount

lessopportunitiesforstudentstopursuewhichevercourse

ofstudytheychoose.Inaddition,studentsintheUnited

Stateshavetheopportunityforuniqueexperiencesinan

amazingcountrythatisunlikeanyotherintheworld!

1.2AbouttheUnitedStates

ThemainlandoftheUnitedStatesislocatedinNorthAmer

icabetweentheAtlanticandPacificOceanstotheeastand

west,andborderedbyCanadaandMexicotothenorthand

south.Withapopulationof308million,theUnitedStatesis

the3rdlargestnationintheworldbynumberofpeople.

TheUnitedStateshasbeeninhabitedforthousandsofyears

byindigenouspeople–NativeAmericans–originatingin

Asia.Europeansbegantoinfiltratethecontinentinthe

1400s;gradually,theUSAbecamealandofdiversity,with

peopleflockingtoitfromallovertheworldinhopeofmak

ingnew,betterlivesforthemselves.

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Today,theUnitedStatesisathrivingandsuccessfulnation

offriendlypeople;incrediblenaturalwonderssuchasthe

GrandCanyon,YosemiteNationalPark,andNiagraFalls;

andavarietyofcultureswhichhaveinfluencedthenation’s

uniquedevelopment.Therearethousandsofhigh-quality

educationalinstitutionsintheUSAwithprogramsinevery

subject.

1.3USAShortFacts&Figures

Capital:Washington,DC

Government:DemocraticRepublic

DeclaredIndependence:fromGreatBritainonJuly2,1776

Area:3.79millionsquaremiles/9.83millionsquarekilome

ters

Population:308million

GDPpercapita:$47,400

Currency:$USdollar

Callingcode:+1

1.4InthisStudyintheUSguide

StudyingabroadintheUnitedStatesincludesbothabroad

spectrumofeducationaloptionsandagreatopportunityto

experiencenewthings.Yougettoknowanewculture,you

becomefluentinanewlanguageandbestofall–youbuild

memoriesthatlastalifetimeandmakefriendsfromallover

theworld.

Butbeforeyoumakeupyourplanstoheadoutforthe

States,itisimportanttohavealltheinformationyouneed

foranamazingexperienceinthisnewandexcitingcountry.

Readmoreaboutthedifferenttypesofhighereducational

institutesavailableintheUS,popularcitieswhereinterna

tionalstudentscanchoose,andafewpracticaldetailsyou

shouldconsiderduringyourpreparationsforstudyinginthe

UnitedStates.

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2.USAEducationSystem

2.1PrerequisitestoUSSchools

2.1Prerequisitesto

USSchools

2.2GradingSystem

2.3CreditSystem

2.4SemesterSystem

AcademicPrerequisite

Admissionrequirementsvarybetweenuniversitiesandcol

legesintheUnitedStates.Younormallymusthavegraduat

edfromsecondaryschool(calledhighschoolintheUS).You

mustalsofulfilltherequirementsforthespecificeducation

coursetowhichyouareapplying.Inaddition,mostschools

requireresultsfromatestliketheSATReasoningTest(Scho

lasticAssessment/AptitudeTest),whichisastandardized

testforuniversityadmissions.

LinguisticPrerequisite

SomeschoolsintheUSacceptthatyouhaveobtainedcer

tificatesatsufficientlyhighstandardinEnglishfromsecond

aryschool.Otheruniversitiesrequirethatyoucompletea

TOEFL(TestofEnglishasaForeignLanguage)orIELTS(Inter

nationalEnglishLanguageTestingSystem)testtoproveyour

Englishskills.

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2.2GradingSystem

AlmosteverythingyoudoforaclassintheUnitedStates

willeffectyourgrade:examinationsandtests,essaysor

writtenassignments,laboratoryreports,studiowork,class

attendance,andclassparticipation.

ThegradescaleisusuallyfromeitherAtoFor0-4.Foreach

grade,youneedcertainpercentages.Forexample,togetan

A(or4)onatest,youusuallyneedtocorrectlyanswer90-

100%ofthequestions,togetaB(or3),youneed80-90%,

andsoon.Othercommongradesare:

·I=incomplete

·W=withdrawal

·Audit=enrollinthecoursefornocreditorgrade,but

attendclassandcompleteassignments

·Pass/Fail=enrollinthecourseforeitheraPassoraFail

grade

·Pass/NoCredit=enrollinthecourseforeitheraPassor

aNoCreditgrade,withnonegativepoints

Examinationsareusuallygivenonceinthemiddleofthe

termandonceattheend.Professorsoftengiveshortquiz

zesortestsinbetween,withorwithoutnotice.Manytimes

youmustwritearesearchpaperorcompleteaprojectas

signmenttowardyourfinalgrade.

Gradepointaverage(GPA)isacommonmeasurementof

gradeinuniversitiesandcollegesintheUnitedStates.The

scaleisfrom0to4.0;studentswitha4.0GPAhaverecieved

thehighestgradeoverallineveryclass.

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2.3CreditSystem

EachcourseyoutakeatauniversityintheUSAiscountedas

acertainnumberofcredits,alsocalledhoursorunits.You

normallyneedbetween130and180creditstograduate.

Onecreditisequalto50minutesofclasstimeperweek;

completingaclassthatmeets3timeseveryweekisequal

toearning3credits.Full-timestudentsusuallyearn15cred

itseverysemester.Studentsareassignedanacademicadvi

sorattheschoolwhohelpsplantheircreditsandcourses.

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2.4SemesterSystem

MostschoolsintheUSAhaveatwo-semestersystem,each

semesterlastingforroughly15-17weeks.Thefallsemes

terusuallystartsinlate-AugustorSeptember,andfinishes

justbeforeorafterChristmas.Thespringsemesterbegins

inearly-tomid-JanuaryandrunsuntilMayorsometimes

June.

SomeschoolsintheUnitedStatesuseasemestersystem

calledthequartersystem,eachquarterlastingforabout10

weeks.Therearealsoschoolswhichschedulethree-semes

teracademicyears,whereeachsemesteris10-12weeks.

The‘years’atAmericanhighereducationalinstitutionsare

asfollows:

·

·

·

·

Freshman:1styear

Sophomore:2ndyear

Junior:3rdyear

Senior:4thyear

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3.USAEducationInstitutes

3.1StateUniversities

3.1StateUniversities

3.2PrivateUniversi-

ties

3.3CommunityCol-

leges

Stateuniversities,orpublicuniversities,arefoundedand

subsidizedbyUSstategovernments.Thesedynamicand

excitingeducationalinstitutionscloselyidentifywiththeir

state,andoftenhaveuniquelocaltraditionswhichconnect

themtothecommunity.

StateuniversitiesintheUnitedStatesusuallyhavealarge

numberofstudents–sometimestensofthousands–and

offerdegreesinhundredsofsubjectareas.Thiscategoryof

schoolsproducesthehighestnumberofgraduatedegrees

intheUnitedStates,andasignificantnumberofunder

graduatedegreesaswell.Manystateuniversitiesarevery

involvedinresearch,andmayadvanceknowledgeandtech

nologyonalocal,national,oreveninternationallevel.

StateuniversitiesintheUSAcanbelocatedanywhere,from

large,bustlingmetropolisestotinytownswithmorestu

dentsthanpermanentresidents.Thereareoftenmultiple

campuseslocatedthroughoutthestate,andsometimes

multiplestateuniversitysystemswithinastate.

ThetuitioncostsatstateuniversitiesintheUnitedStates

areusuallylowerthanthoseofprivateuniversities.Interna

tionalstudentspaythesametuitionasthestudentsfrom

outofstate.

Stateuniversitiesarethemostpopulartypeofschoolin

theUSAforinternationalstudents.Theyoftenhaveestab

lishedservicesandsupportaimedathelpinginternational

studentsadjusttotheirneweducationinanewcountry.

Dependingontheuniversity,thesemayincludecounseling,

immigrationandvisaadvising,workshopsonintercultural

understanding,andEnglishasasecondlanguagecourses.

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3.2PrivateUniversities

PrivateuniversitiesintheUSAarehigh-quality,exciting

educationalinstitutionsfundedbyacombinationofdona

tions,tuitionfees,researchgrants,andgiftsfromalumni.

Privateschoolsarenormallysmallerandtuitionfeesare

oftenhigherthanatstateuniversities,butallstudentspay

thesameamount.

BecauseprivateuniversitiesintheUnitedStatesdonotde

pendonstatefunding,theyhavegreaterfinancialflexibility.

Withinresearchdepartmentsatprivateuniversities,there

isgreateropportunitytoexplorenewideasandtakebold

stepsinthelatestdevelopmentsofthefield.Thisisencour

agingforstudentswithinthatfield,whoaresupportedin

takinginitiativetowardnewfrontiers.

Inaddition,thefinancialflexibilityofprivateuniversitiesin

theUnitedStatesmoreeasilyallowsthemtoestablishin

ternationalportalsforteaching,research,andservice.This

allowsthetopmindsfrommanynationstocollaborateon

ideas,research,andlearning.

PrivateuniversitiesintheUSAhaveareputationforhigh

academicstandards,whilefosteringasenseofclosecom

munitywithsmaller-scalecampuses,facilitatingeasyinter

actionacrossdifferentdisciplines.

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3.3CommunityColleges

CommunitycollegesintheUnitedStates,sometimesalso

calledjuniorcollegesortwo-yearcolleges,aresmall,com

munity-basedinstitutionsthatworkcloselywithsecondary

schools,communitygroups,andemployers.Theyarethe

largestandfastest-growinghighereducationinstitutionin

theUSA,andofferawidevarietyofeducationprograms.

Communitycollegescanbothbeprivateorpublic,and

providetwo-yearassociatedegreeprograms.Theyareoften

thoughtofasthegatewaytohighereducationintheUnited

States,asitiscommonforstudentstotransferfromacom

munitycollegetoafour-yearcollegeoruniversityaftertwo

yearstocompletetheirbachelorsdegree.Thistransferis

madeeasybythe‘2+2’articulationsystem.Articulation

agreementsexistbetweencommunitycollegesandfour-

yearcollegesanduniversities,allowingcreditearnedat

communitycollegetobeputtowardthestudent’sfuture

educationprogram.

CommunitycollegesintheUnitedStatesaretheidealhigh-

quality,accreditedinstitutionforstudentstostarttheir

highereducationinasupportiveenvironmentbeforecon

tinuingtheirdegreeelsewhere.Classsizesareusuallyrela

tivelysmall,andthefocusisontheneedsofeachindividual

student.Inaddition,communitycollegesprovidestudents

withassociatedegreeornondegreecareertraining.

Internationalstudentscanfindanumberofbenefitsin

enrollingatacommunitycollegeintheUnitedStates,such

asimprovingEnglishlanguageskillsthroughavarietyof

Englishasasecondlangaugecourses,andbuildinganun

derstandingofAmericancultureonacommunitylevel.An

otherbenefitisthesignificantlylowertuitioncostofcom

munitycolleges,whichhelpsstudentssavemoney.

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4.USACourseTypes

4.1StudyOptionsintheUnitedStates

4.1StudyOptionsin

theUnitedStates

IntheUnitedStates,theterm”college”referstoafour-year

undergraduateschoolwherestudentsearnBachelorsde

grees.Collegescanbepartofauniversity,whichisaschool

offeringbothundergraduateandgraduateprograms.Within

eitheroftheseeducationalinstutitionsintheUS,youcan

choosebetweenthreedifferentopportunitiestostudy.

1.StudyAbroad–Hereyoutakeafewfree-standingclasses,

andstudyataschoolforoneortwosemesters.Notallof

theuniversitiesintheUShavethiskindofopportunity;itis

besttocontacttheschooltogetmoreinformation.Atsome

universities,youapplytotheclasseswhenyouapplytothe

school,butformostuniversities,youchooseyourclasses

whenyouarrivetostartyoureducation.

2.Undergraduate–Youstudyforacompleteeducation

whichisnormallythreetofouryearslong.Mostundergrad

uate,orBachelorsdegreesintheUSrequirecompletionof

120credits,amountingto15hoursofcrediteachtermfor

full-timestudents.Upongraduationofanundergraduate

educationprogramintheUnitedStates,studentsearna

BachelorsDegree.

3.Postgraduate–thistypeofdegreeisaimedatstudents

whohavealreadyearnedaBachelorsDegree.APostgradu

ateorMastersdegreeallowsyoutopursueanin-depth

studyofaspecifictopicofyourchoice.Studentswhocom

pletethepostgraduateeducationearnaMastersDegree,

whichusuallytakesthreetofoursemesterstofinish.

Itcantakealongtimeforaninternationalstudenttobe

acceptedtoauniversityorcollegeintheUSA.Thereisalot

ofpaperworktofillinandtherearemanychoicestomake.

Itisrecommendedforyoutostartplanningearly,atleasta

yearbeforeyouwanttostudyabroadintheUnitedStates.

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5.USAStudyCosts&Accommoda

5.1StudyCostsintheUnitedStates

tion

5.1StudyCostsin

theUnitedStates

5.2StudentAccom-

modationinthe

UnitedStates

BoththetuitioncoststostudyintheUSAandlivingcostsvary

considerablybetweendifferentuniversities/colleges,educa

tionsandcities.Tuitionisusuallybetween$5,000and$50,000

peryear.Costsforfoodandlivingarenormallybetween$5,000

and$11,000dollarsperyear.Inadditiontopayingtuition,you

needmoneyfortravelling,courseliterature,andpersonalex

penses.

Theseexpensesmaybedaunting,butthereareanumber

ofsupportsystemsinplaceforstudentstogetfinancialas

sistance.Thousandsofstudentsgetfundingforcollegeinthe

USAthroughgrantsandloans.Loansareamountsofborrowed

moneythatmustbepaidbackwithinterest(interestratesare

usuallylowforstudents).Grantsaregiftsofmoneywhichdo

notneedtobepaidback.However,grantsoftenhavestipula

tionssuchasmaintainingacertaingradepointaveragetokeep

themoney.

Manystudentsmayalsobeeligibleforscholarships,which

mustbeearned,whetherthroughacademicmerit,athletictal

ent,orcivicperformance.Becautiousoffraudulentscholarship

agencies,whichoftenchargeafeeinexchangeforinformation.

Thereisalsofinancialaidavailableforinternationalstudents,

oftenforeducationatagraduatelevel.

Werecommendyoutodoapersonalcalculationofallthecosts

tomakesurethatyouhaveenoughinyourbudgetbeforeyou

arriveintheUSA,andbeginresearchingsourcesoffinancialaid

wellinadvance.

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5.2StudentAccommodationintheUnitedStates

Therearethreeaccommodationoptionsforstudentsinthe

UnitedStates:

*On-campusaccommodation:youliveontheschool’s

campusinastudentroomorstudentapartment.Thisac

commodationcanbemoreexpensive,butyougettoknow

alotofstudentsveryfast.On-campusaccommodationcan

begoodforyourfirstyearatschooltobeapartofcampus

lifeandmeetotherstudents.Mealsmayalsobeincludedin

on-campusaccommodation.

*Off-campusaccommodation:Youhireaprivate/shared

apartmentoutsideofcampus,usuallyforalowerpricethan

livingon-campus.TheInternationalOfficeattheuniversity

canusuallyhelpyouwithinformationaboutprivateapart

mentsandwheretolookforthem.Itcanalsobeusefulfor

temporaryaccommodationinthefirstfewweeksuponar

riving.

*Hostfamilyaccommodation:Thisaccommodationalter

nativeisonlyofferedbyafewuniversities.Itismoreexpen

sivecomparedtolivingoff-campus,butgivesyoutheextra

supportofafamilyandingrainsyouinAmericanculture

quickly.

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6USAStudy&WorkPermits

6.1VisastoStudyintheUnitedStates

6.1VisastoStudyin

theUnitedStates

6.2StudentWork

PermitsintheUnit-

edStates

ItistheAmericanEmbassythatissuesstudentvisastothe

UnitedStates.AsobtainingavisatotheUSAcanbealengthy

process,itisadvisabletosubmittheapplicationwellaheadof

thedatebywhichyouneedentryforyoureducationcourse.

However,notethatEmbassiescannotissueyourstudentvisa

morethan120daysinadvanceoftheeducationcoursestart-

ingdate.Studentsmaynotenterthecountrymorethan30

daysbeforetheirstudystartdate.

ToqualifyforastudentvisatotheUnitedStates,youmust

havearesidenceabroad,andtheintentiontoreturntothat

residenceuponcompletionofyoureducationprogram.You

mustalsohavesufficientfundstosupportyourcourseofstudy.

Formoreinformationabouthowtoapplyforastudentvisato

theUSA,pleasecontacttheAmericanEmbassyinyourcountry.

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6.2StudentWorkPermitsintheUnitedStates

Asanundergraduateorpostgraduateinternationalstudent

studyingintheUnitedStates,employmentispossibleona

part-timebasisforupto20hourseveryweek.Duringthe

firstyearofeducation,studentsmayonlyworkon-campus,

suchasattheschool’sgym,cafeteria,bookstore,orlibrary.

Workingfor10to15hoursperweekmaybeenoughto

coverbooksandpersonalexpenses,butwillnotcoverthe

majorityofeducationcosts.

AfterthefirstyearofeducationintheUSA,youmayapply

forapositionasaresidentialassistant(RA).AnRAoversees

studenthousing,actingasapointofcontactforanyques

tionsorissuesstudentsmayhave.Inreturn,theRAispaid

withfreeaccommodation,andpossiblyamealplanand/or

smallsalary.InadditiontobeinganRA,studentswhohave

completedtheirfirstyearmayapplyforCurricularPractical

Trainingwhichallowsstudentstoworkasaninternorina

work/studyprogramoff-campusforupto20hoursevery

week.IfyouaremarriedandstudyingintheUSonaF-1

studentvisa,yourspousemaynotwork;ifyouarestudying

onaJ-1studentvisa,yourspousemayacquireatemporary

workpermit.

UpongraduationfromyoureducationcourseintheUSA,

youmayapplyforanOptionalPracticalTraining(OPT),

whichgivesyoutheopportunitytoworkintheUnited

Statesfor1yearafteryourfinalexaminationinafieldre

latedtoyourmajorareaofstudy.AnOPTmaybeextended

iftheemployerapprovesyoutocontinueyourworkinthe

UnitedStates.

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7.CityGuide:Boston,Massachusetts

ThecityofBoston,locatedinthestateofMassachusetts,isoneofthe

mostpopularplacesforinternationalstudentstoenrollineducation

coursesintheUnitedStates.Thismagnetforstudentsisabustling,

excitingcitywithhundredsofuniversitiesofferingeveryeducation

courseimaginableforallscholarsfromlocalstointernationals.

BostonisthecapitalofMassachusetts,andasNewEngland’seco-

nomicandculturalhub,istheunofficialcapitaloftheregion.Itis

locatedonShawmutPeninsulaonBostonHarbor,andishometo

roughly645,000people.ThegreatermetropolitanareaofBoston,

however,ismuchbigger,withabout4.5millionpeople,makingitthe

10thlargestmetropolitanareaintheUS.

ThereissomuchtodointhebeautifulcityofBoston.Asoneofthe

firstEuropeanestablishmentsintheUnitedStates–foundedbythe

Puritans–Bostonhasalonghistoryofrevolutionandpatriotism,

politicsandtradition,whichcanbefollowedbywalkingthe2.5-mile

FreedomTrailpastlandmarkslikeBostonCommon,thePaulRevere

House,thesiteoftheBostonMassacre,andFaneuilHall.Thereare

alsoplentyofmuseumsincludingtheInstituteofContemporaryArt,

theMuseumofScience,theMITMuseum,ortheKennedyLibrary

andMuseum.

Bostonisasports-fanaticshaven;thecitycomesaliveforgames,

whetherfortheKnicksbasketballteam,theBruinsicehockeyteam,

ortheRedSoxbaseballteam.

DowntownBostonisquitecompact,makingiteasytoexploreon

foot.CrosstheCharlesRiverandvisitCambridgeforatasteofIvy

Leaguelifeattwooftheworld’sfinesteducationalinstitutions:the

MassachusettsInstituteofTechnology(MIT)andHarvardUniversity.

Bostonisalovelycityfullofexcitingactivityforstudentswithany

andallinterests.Itscoldwinterswarmuptogorgeoussummerswith

manyparkstoenjoyapicnic,andtheriverandharbortogosailing

orswimming.Studentswillfindeverythingtheycanimaginefroman

education–academically,socially,andculturally–inBoston.

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8.CityGuide:NewYorkCity,NewYork

TheBigApple,Gotham,TheCitythatNeverSleeps–alloftheseare

nicknamesforNewYorkCity.Studentscomefromallovertopursue

theireducationinoneofthemostexcitingcitiesintheworld.New

YorkisthemostpopulatedmetropolitanareaintheUnitedStates;8.4

millionpeoplecallithome.

Firstfoundedasatradingpostin1624bytheDutch,NewYorkCity

wasoriginallycalledNewAmsterdam.In1664,thesettlementwas

takenoverbytheEnglish,whorenameditNewYorkaftertheDuke

ofYork.Since1790,NewYorkhasbeenthelargestcityintheUnited

States.

Today,NewYorkCityconsistsoffiveboroughs:TheBronx,Brooklyn,

Queens,StatenIsland,andManhattan.Manhattanisthemostfamous

borough,hometoTimesSquare,Broadway,WallStreet,Chinatown,

andRockefellerPlaza.Withintheseburoughsisenoughactivitytofill

alifetime:theatres,museums,parks,parades,historicalsites,gar

dens,dance,opera,galleries,restaurants,clubs,andbars.Students

fromallovertheworldwillfindwhatthey’relookingforinNewYork.

TherearealsoopportunitiesinNewYorktoescapecitylifeonaweek

endgetawaytoLongIslandwithitsbeautifulbeachesandlaid-back

atmosphere.OrvisitthemountainsofnorthernNewYorkstatefor

skiinginthewinter,hikinginthesummer,orenjoyingthebeautiful

changingoftheleavesintheautumn.

TheCityofNewYorkhasroughly110universitiesandcollegeslocated

withinitsboundaries,andisoneofthemostpopularplacesforstu

dentstocomefortheirhighereducation.Thereareanumberofboth

publicandprivateuniversitiesofalldifferentsizesandspecialtiesin

NewYorkCity.Inaddition,thereareschoolsspecifictocertainsub

jectssuchasreligion,dance,orthevisualarts.

NewYorkCityisanexcitingplacefullofadventureandactivityatany

timeofdayandishometomanyprestigiouseducationalinstitutions

wheremotivatedstudentsthrive.

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9.CityGuide:LosAngeles,California

StudyingabroadinLosAngeles–theCityofAngels–isanexciting,

once-in-a-lifetimeopportunitytoexperiencelifeinavibrantmetropo

lis.LosAngeles,oftenreferredtoasLA,isthemostpopulatedcityin

California,andhasthesecondbiggestpopulationintheUnitedStates

afterNewYork.Withonly141inhabitantsin1841,theLAoftoday

has3.8millionpeoplespreadover80districtsandneighborhoods.

ThegreaterurbanareaofLosAngelesisthelargestintheUS,and

includesawhopping17.8millionpeople.

LosAngelesisknownastheEntertainmentCapitaloftheWorld.How

ever,itisnotonlyfamousforitscelebrititesandHollywooddistrict;

LAisalsoaninternationalcenterfortrade,education,technology,

media,culture,science,andfashion.

ThecityofLosAngeleswasfirstfoundedin1781bySpanishgovernor

FelipedeNeve.40yearslaterintheMexicanWarofIndependence,

LAendedupinterritoryownedbyMexico.Only7yearslater,in1848,

itwaspurchasedbytheUnitedStatesintheTreatyofGuadalupeHi

dalgo,andhasremainedapartofCaliforniaeversince.

LosAngelesisoneoftheworld’smostpopulartouristdestinations,

andranksasthe2ndmostvisitedcityintheUSAforinternational

travelers.It’seasytoseewhysomanypeoplecometovisitLAeach

year.YoucanvisittheHollywoodBoulevardWalkofFame,withstars

pavingthesidewalkinhonorofpeoplewhohavecontributedtofilm,

music,orthestage.TheHollywoodBowlAmphitheatreisanother

majorattraction,anaturalamphitheatreinthefoothillsoutsideofLA

whereseverallegendarymusicianshaveperformed,includingFrank

SinatraandTheBeatles.LosAngeleshasanincrediblezoo,andhun

dredsofexcellentrestaurants,bars,andclubs.Therearemoviestudio

andtelevisiontours;GriffithPark;amusementandthemeparksin

cludingDisneyland;andtheLaBreaTarPits.

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WithitsMediterraneanclimate,LosAngelesmaintainswarmtem

peraturesthroughouttheyear,whichriserelativelyhighinthesum

mermonths.Thismeansthereisplentyoftimetoenjoythebeautiful

beachesalongthecoastlineofsouthernCaliforniainandaroundLos

Angeles,includingSantaMonica,VeniceBeach,LagunaBeach,and

Malibu.

LosAngeles,Californiaisanideallocationtopursuehighereducation,

andhasdozensofhigh-qualityeducationalinstitutionsforstudents

whoareinterestedinstudyinganysubject!

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10.CityGuide:SanFrancisco,California

ThecityofSanFranciscoisknownforitscoolsummerfog,eclectic

mixofVictorianandmodernarchitecture,andsteephills.Itisacity

ofnaturalbeauty,locatedinNorthernCaliforniaonthepeninsulabe

tweenthePacificOceanandSanFranciscoBay.Atotalof3.1million

peoplelivewithinthecitybordersofSanFrancisco.

SanFranciscostartedasafortestablishedbytheSpanishin1776next

towheretheGoldenGateBridgeistoday.Fordecades,thecityre

mainedrelativelysmall.Then,in1848,theGoldRushdrewthousands

ofpeopletoCaliforniainhopesofstrikingrich.ThepopulationofSan

Franciscojumpedfrom1,000to25,000people.Thisestablishedthe

cityasafinancialepicenternotonlyonthewestcoast,butalsointhe

entireUSA.SanFransciscotodayishometomanyfinancialinstitu

tions’headquarters,andisalsofilledwithmanysmallbusinesses.

Inadditiontobeingabusinesscenter,SanFranciscoisahub