你好，
你当然可以出国，没有问题。如果你还是想申请传媒专业的话，由于本科成绩一般，你需要好好考一个GRE，尤其是verbal和写作，因为传媒专业对语言要求还是蛮高的。另外还需要考托福，准备文书、推荐信这些材料。
至于如何准备需要看你定的目标。我把美国大学暴力地分为3类。第一类学校是短期准备无效的学校。这些学校不光要求非常高的标化成绩和GPA，还要求申请者有独特背景。这类独特背景不是短期准备可以达到的，比如你无法在几个月变成钢琴大师，也不能拿一个国际辩论大赛的奖项。第二类学校是好分数＋短期准备有效的学校。这些学校也要求高分数和优秀的背景，但是这类背景是短期可以达到的，比如实习，夏校等。第三类学校是只要你分数够好，基本都可以进。
最后，我之前做过一个关于申请研究生院的workshop。这个workshop一共5节课，全面讲了研究生院申请的所有环节。现在把第一节课的讲义贴上来，应该对你是一个很好的开始。希望对你有所帮助，有问题请再问我 :) Finding Best Fit Colleges: Choosing Programs That Are Right for You The focus of this course is going to be on graduate schools for the Master’s Degree in the college of arts and sciences. We will not be discussing applying to medical school, dental school, business school, law school, or applying for PhD programs. Instead, we will focus on trying to find the right fit school for your master’s degree program. There are three well known maxims of graduate admissions:1. Fit and match trump grades and scores2. Being specific and being flexible leads to admissions3. Your capacity plus your passion leads to admissionsIn this course, we will be focusing on fit and finding the programs and colleges that will best match who you are and what your goals are. We’ll break the discussion down into several parts: Understanding how graduate school works; conducting a search for graduate schools; I. Understanding How Graduate School WorksLet’s begin our class by discussing how graduate school actually works. First, I’d like to share some advice straight from a graduate admissions officer. He shares the following advice as it relates to what you can expect in graduate school and what a typical thought process is like:“I strongly suggest that prospective students be well informed about the many academic and social activities and opportunities available in their prospective graduate programs.Also, in graduate school, students are exposed to a variety of tools, techniques and resources for use in solving problems. This problem-solving process is one that students perfect after participation in varied discussion and projects. However, upon arriving at an "answer" or potential solution, graduate students must decide, based on their studies and research, if that answer or solution best resolves the problem. Therefore, students preparing for graduate studies and research need to be comfortable with ambiguity.” First year master’s students take courses to fulfill degree requirements, just like in undergraduate college. However, the workload is heavier, and the course topics are more specific, and much more is expected of you. At the beginning of the master’s program, you choose (or are assigned) a faculty member who will serve as your advisor. This person will help you develop an academic focus and potential topics for your thesis or final project. As a second year master’s student, you decide on your research focus and in one semester or two, you complete your master’s thesis or final project. If you show promise, you may be encouraged to continue toward a PhD. Because each graduate program at a university admits students directly into specific programs, you *must* specify your field-for example: Ancient History, International Relations, English, Clinical Psychology, mechanical engineering, molecular biology- and the degree for which you want to apply (Master's, PhD, MPH). Again, we will be focusing exclusively on Master’s Degree programs during these courses. If you can't specify your field of interest, and the degree you want, you should really think hard about going to graduate school. Grad school isn't something you have to do, and you should be very comfortable with studying in a pretty specific area for several years. I think it’s a great idea to really spend some time thinking about your decision to attend graduate school, particularly if you are hesitant in any way about what it is you want to study. I would recommend taking some interest inventories on future careers to help bring clarity to the decision about what specific program of study you want to pursue. One simple way to do that is to find careers that use some of your existing skills or current major. While not all students do graduate work in their undergraduate area of study, many do. If your undergraduate major is statistics, do a google search of jobs or careers that use statistics. If your current major is history, search to see potential careers that use a background in history. A career interest inventory can also help you explore options. If you are unable to find any, ask your BosonEd advisor for suggestions.Programs come in many shapes and sizes. Do your research and apply to carefully chosen schools rather than throwing out a lot of applications to schools that might not have exactly what you’re looking for.Remember that within some programs, you can enroll for a master's degree and later choose to pursue a PhD if you are so inclined. Be sure to consider whether the programs you choose offer a master's only or offer PhD programs in your area of study.II. Sampling of Graduate Programs and Fields of StudyIn considering various graduate degrees and programs, it’s good to have an awareness of the variety of programs out there. I’d like to give a brief overview of the major categories of graduate programs that offer master’s degrees. Keep in mind, this is not exhaustive, but it might give you some ideas you hadn’t previously considered. This list includes some ideas of degrees as well as any special admissions requirements apart from the standard, which I will talk about in the next course, Components of the Application.Various Type of Programs:1. Art, Design and Architecture- Masters of Architecture can take up to three years to finish, but it could be completed in two, and culminates in a thesis and oral and written exams. MFA will typically be two years, and will culminate in a presentation of work produced.Degrees could be in: acting, arch history, arch, art conservation, art history, dance, drama and dramatics, theater arts, fashion design, film/cinema, graphic design, industrial design, jazz studies, interior arch, landscape arch, music, music performance, play/screen writing, and studio arts.Typical admissions requirements are live auditions, portfolio, or play/screen writing samples (full length work).For arch, postgraduate licensing varies by state.2. Biology and Life Sciences- MS takes 2-3 years, and culminates in written exam as well as a thesis with an oral defense. Areas of study would include biochem, biology, ecology, neurology, pharmacology, toxicology, and zoology. Typically, requirements for admissions will be standard plus possible GRE subject tests, which we’ll talk about more in my third course on tackling the “to do” list.3. Communications, Journalism, Media Studies- companies like google, Facebook, etc. look for people to distinguish themselves, and an advanced degree provides such an edge. Areas include advertising, broadcast journalism, comm and media studies, speech comm and rhetoric, digital and multimedia, health comm, journalism, mass comm, PR (public relations), publishing, and RTV. If you want to report news, look at journalism. If you want to study forms of comm, look at various comm programs. MA are more common than MS in journalism. Some programs are interdisciplinary, so if you’re interested in a more integrative program, look for key-words such as “interdisciplinary”. Most programs take 1-2 years. Writing samples will likely be required, and experience in the field is important. Even blogging is a great way to get experience.4. CS- areas of study include AI (artificial intelligence), CE (computer engineering), CIS (computer information science), CS, CSE (Computer Science and Engineering), IS (Information Science), IT (information technology), MIS (management information systems), SE (software engineering) and multimedia/web/games. Look for programs that are up to date using the latest programming languages. Typical degree takes 1-2 years. No certification necessary, but those who are technicians may opt for certification specialties after graduation.5. Ed and teaching-Lots of areas! Adult, bilingual, subject specific, admin, and so on. MS or MEd and MA usually require thesis based on classroom research. Most are 1-2 years. Admin requires practicum or research project. Admissions require teaching experience, though many programs incorporate student teaching into the masters, which may lengthen the program.6. Engineering-again, lots of areas of engineering. Most MS are 1-2 years, and require strong STEM background. They may require subject tests. Licensing may be required depending on the job you're seeking post-grad. It varies by state.7. Environmental science- areas of study include environmental studies, environmental science, fishing, forest management, forest science, water or hydrological studies, urban forest, natural resources and more. Students can receive an MA or MS in Envir studies, but an MS in most other areas. Some will require u/g work in related fields. 16 states require licensure for foresters. Some states require licensing for hydrologists, geoscientists.8. Health care/public health includes such areas as nursing, audiology, biostatistics, comm dis, and exercise physiology. Graduate degrees are required for many careers in health fields. CPR certification may be required, as well.9. Humanities and cultures include classics, classical languages, all cultural studies, literature, religious studies, and general studies. Most are 1-2 years and require a thesis and exams. Linguistics can be an MA or MS and can be class-based or thesis based. The literature GRE might be required for some majors. No certification is necessary unless a student would be teaching at non-univ. Level, in which case a secondary teaching credential would be necessary.10. Math and statistics includes-analysis, applied math, comp math, math stats and prob, stats, algebra, discrete math, geometry, logic, and topology. MA or MS is 1-2 years. The math GRE Subject test is likely, and a minimum gpa likely.11. Physical and earth sci- physics, astro, chem, geochem, geology, oceanography, hydrology. Most research jobs require PhD. Masters take 2-3 years. Might require subject tests. Masters plus state cert. required for teaching at HS or CC level.12. Psychology-clinical, clinical social work, ed psych, experiment psych, school psych, SW. More research focus requires PhD. Teaching and practicing or MSW will be 2 year programs. Psych subject test req. Private practice requires certification.13. Public affairs and policy- Comm organization, public admin, public policy, human services. Most pursue MPA. These will be 2-4 years. Some programs require work experience.14. Social sciences-anthro, archaeology, criminology, geography, econ, IR, Poly Sci, sociology, SS general, urban studies. Can be MA or MS. Typically 2 years or 30 hours of coursework. Some programs allow work on masters at same time as PhD. Some programs require f. lang proficiency and work experience. Some require writing samples.III. Conducting a Search for Graduate Schools-What to Look ForWhen choosing schools, I would encourage prospective students to make every effort to contact students enrolled in the program they are considering to learn about their experiences. It can be helpful not only when making this decision, but in making sure the program aligns with your future goals.”In some fields, it may be important to consider the prestige of the institution and/or the professor with whom you want to conduct your research. However, be leery of choosing a graduate school based on just one professor. Professors go on sabbatical, so it’s good to find 2-3 professors of interest in a program. Fit is important. Your advisor may well be the one to get you those jobs by writing recs and helping you network. The best scholarly work on your topic may be coming from a person at an institution ranked well below the top 10 or 20. However, academics understand this, and they will respect you coming from that advisor, as opposed to a program that doesn't fit your interests as well. They will wonder, "Why did he go there?"The permutations are rather endless. An advisor that's doing work close to what you want to do can advise you better and give you better recs for job hunting. Yes, fit matters - a lot. You should be more interested in which programs are well-respected in your field (and relatedly, which programs have professors doing research that really gets you excited) than in conventional notions of undergraduate prestige. Some of the best schools in your discipline might be at "prestigious" universities, but some are probably not. Some fields that require state-based licensure such as speech language pathology, various areas of education, and counseling among others, might cause you to consider the location of your program for the best possible preparation. Some of the criteria that might be relevant to you in your search include the following list:Specific field of studyLocation of collegeSpecific professors and advisorSize of programOpportunities after collegeMake up of student bodyPrestige of programAdmissions rateSpecific coursework in the programStrength of faculty/Teaching focusSense of communityAverage classroom sizeIV. Resources for Building a List of Schools:Here is a good starter list of resources for finding college programs that might be a good fit for you.1. professors2. alumni3. Peterson Ray & Company and Peterson guides; they have specialty guides for many areas (biological sciences, humanities/arts, etc.) 4. Specialty guides such as graduate study in psychology5. Academic journals and citations in the journals might lead you to specific professors of interest, which will lead you to specific programs6. Parents, parents friends, your friends' parents7. Educational journal rankingsDon't be shy. Poll all your contacts for good recommendations. Begin with a list of 20+ schools before narrowing it down. When you talk with someone, ask questions:How did you get into your field?What education or credentials are required for continued advancement?What was different than what you expected? Any myths you want to shatter for me?What advice would you give a young person interested in this field?Which grad schools do you think are best/good and why?Do you have any contacts for me?Another way is to use google with specific terminology: baseball statistician, Egyptology, data analytics and forestry, and so forth. Be smart about rankings and use them as only one piece of information. It’s important to know that schools as a whole don't have reputations, only programs do, so don't be fooled by the name of the school. It's all about the program in graduate school. Don't confuse reputation with academics. Accreditation does matter, however.In summary, here are the five categories to explore options for graduate programs:AcademicsThe peopleThe localeThe costAdmissions rateBottom line: don't lock into a "first choice" school. Be smart. Where to Begin Your SearchThere are a number of graduate school search engines that can help you begin your search. The first three can be used without creating an account, and therefore, in my opinion, are superior to websites that require a lot of information from you, the student, before you can use them.Petersons:Best Graduate School Search at Petersons.comPrinceton Review:Grad Program Search | The Princeton ReviewQS:http://www.topuniversities.com/coursesGraduate Guide:Graduate School Search | U.S. and Canada | GraduateGuide.comThere are a number of other search engines that might be helpful, but you will need to create accounts for each of them. Here are just a couple:www.gradschools.com Grad School Search EngineI also recommend using US News (free version). It’s a simple way to see rankings of various graduate programs, if rankings are important to you, and it gives you a starting point.The Best Graduate Schools in America, RankedHere’s kind of a neat little tool specific to UCLA. You can see the admit rate for the various graduate programs: UCLA Graduate ProgramsMany schools have this sort of statistical data available on their websites. When using a search engine, here is a simple formula for gathering as much information as possible:Go to the university’s website---- to the Department home page--- to Specific Labs or sub-departmental specialty areas---to individual Faculty home pages---to advisees, i.e. currently enrolled Grad Students. In the process, you can learn a lot about how the school functions and how much information is available to you before making contact directly with people.ALWAYS research the programs you're considering, and contact the Director of Graduate Studies in that department. Be sure to include making personal connections as part of your research process. While you can gather a lot of good information from college websites, it’s critical for you to phone, email or visit the schools/programs under consideration. It’s important to make connections beforehand with the professors in order to ask questions about the program and how it will support your work and goals. Likewise, try to connect with current graduate students at the school. This will give you a much better picture of what the atmosphere is actually like. If you’re unable to visit, definitely contact the department of interest, and ask to be put in touch with graduate students. Get comfortable with calling, emailing and even skyping. Remember that there will be plenty of international graduate students, so there is no reason to feel self-conscious if your English isn’t perfect. When you ask questions, approach professors, advisors, admissions, and so on, make sure you’re asking questions that can’t be answered from the website. Your BosonEd adviser will help you formulate target questions for each college/program of interest.You will also want to research specific professors and advisors of your potential programs/colleges. Find out about their reputation. Google is your friend as is Rate My Professor. Contacting current students is another excellent way to get inside information into specific programs and courses. Come up with a list of questions to ask colleges, current students, advisors, and professors of programs of interest. It’s important to do your homework before reaching out to people who may potentially be judging you in the future for admissions, so communicate intelligently and effectively.Of course you will want to contact international students on campus as well as any on campus outreach programs for international students. You can also find out how friendly the atmosphere is for Chinese international students. The more information you can gather, the better decisions you can make. You can actually begin to gather information on international students at specific American colleges is to start with your local college. Have they sent students to your particular colleges of interest, and even more importantly, specific fields of study? If so, what are their impressions? Go to your career center and ask for references to older students who’ve applied to American colleges in your area of study. This is the data gathering stage, and you want to collect as much information as you can, so as to make informed decisions about which programs you will be applying to.In summary, let’s review the big picture with three main ideas. 1. The first main point is for you to develop a list of what’s important to you in your search for the right fit graduate program. Your list of what’s important will depend on many factors including the programs of interest, your personality, specific factors that rank high on your list of what’s important, and so on. Don’t be dismissive of factors that aren’t important to others, but are important to you (such as size or geographical location). *You* are going to be the one attending the college, not someone else, so it’s important to be true to yourself.2. The second main idea is to come up with a list of schools that fit your criteria using some of the resources mentioned in this class. This list will not only take a while to compile, but will no doubt morph and change over the course of six months. Schools regularly get added to and dropped from lists. That’s ok! Better to have schools that you really want on the list than to apply to school that you feel lackluster about.3. The third main idea is to reach out to potential schools in order to get as much information as possible in order for you to refine your college list. This reaching out includes contacting admissions, heads of departments, specific professors, and students in the program. The more information you have, the better informed decision you will make.Your BosonEd advisor will be working with you along the way to help insure that you can find your best fit graduate programs.
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