Friday, July 30, 2010

SCHOLARSHIPS AND ASSISTANTSHIPS AT OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY

Ace! NewsFlash


Oregon State is the only Oregon university to hold the Carnegie
Foundation's prestigious designation reserved for universities with
"very high research activity." OSU also is Oregon's land, sea, sun and
space grant university.

* OSU programs in Engineering, Environmental Sciences, Forestry,
Pharmacy, and a variety of other areas are nationally recognized for
high quality.
* With graduate degree programs in 100 areas, OSU offers exceptional
opportunities for study and research.
* Nearly 1,000 international students are studying at OSU, adding
diversity and richness to the university's academic and cultural life.
* Internships and undergraduate research opportunities offer OSU
students the opportunity to gain actual career-related experience
while in school.
* More undergraduate classes are taught by top professors with
national reputations for research and teaching than at most major
universities.
* Faculty members throughout the university work closely with students
in research, creative projects, university governance, and clubs and
organizations.
* OSU's projected $250 million in funded research this year ranks it
among an elite group of research universities nationally.

For more information about OSU profile visit http://oregonstate.edu/about/.


Scholarships for international students
Oregon State University offers several scholarships and tuition
remission programs that award qualified international students with
partial tuition remission. Some are highly competitive and require a
separate application, while others may be awarded based on your
previous academic accomplishments. Please note the descriptions below
and links to their respective websites.

International Provost Scholarship
Undergraduate students entering the University as freshmen or transfer
students are automatically reviewed for scholarship eligibility.
Eligibility Criteria: Academic Achievement; minimum of 3.5/4.0 average
on high school or university (bachelor's degree level) grades and meet
the English language proficiency requirements for full admission.
Conditionally admitted students are ineligible. Award Amount: $4,000,
$6,000 or $7,000 per year; renewable, subject to academic record. No
separate application is required. For full consideration, an
application for admission, transcripts and test scores, must be
received by April 1st.

International Baccalaureate Scholarship
Undergraduate students who have completed the full International
Baccalaureate diploma with a score of 30 or higher may be awarded a
minimum of $3,000 per year, renewable for up to 4 years.

For more information about scholarships available to international
students at OSU, go to http://oregonstate.edu/international/atosu/scholarships.

International Cultural Service Program (ICSP)
Undergraduate and graduate international students, who have also
applied for admission to OSU, are eligible to apply for the
International Cultural Service Program (ICSP) scholarship. A select
number of academically meritorious international students who have a
demonstrated financial need, speak English clearly, and are prepared
to share information about their country and culture, may serve as the
ICSP scholars at OSU each year. Students receive a partial tuition
award, (approximately $10,000), in exchange for providing community
service throughout the academic year. This is a very competitive
program and many qualified applicants cannot be accepted due to the
limited number of awards and the need for geographic balance and
cultural diversity. Detailed instructions along with the application
form and deadline can be found on the website
http://oregonstate.edu/international/ICSP/ is made only in the spring
for the next academic year.

Oregon State University offers several scholarships and tuition
remission programs that award qualified international students with
partial and sometimes full tuition remission, as in the case of
graduate assistantships. Some are highly competitive and require an
application, while others are automatically awarded based on your
previous grades. Please note the descriptions below and links to
their respective websites.

Graduate Teaching and Research Assistantships
Graduate students may be offered a teaching or research assistantship
that involves working within one's department or possibly elsewhere on
the OSU campus. In exchange for 12-19 hours of service per week, GA's
receive a monthly salary ($600-$1,500 per month), full tuition
remission that is equal to approximately $17,000, and a partial
contribution toward the graduate-assistant- only health insurance
premium. The availability of graduate assistantships varies greatly by
department. You may indicate your interest in an assistantship on
your application for admission. You may also contact your prospective
department directly for more information.

Supplemental Oregon Laurels Graduate Scholarship
Nominees must be resident or nonresident graduate students, domestic
or international who have proven themselves to be academically
talented. New and continuing graduate students in degree programs will
be considered for Supplemental Oregon Laurels Scholarships. Recipients
will be required to enroll for a minimum of 12 credits each term of
the award.
Scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic qualifications as
evaluated from one's GPA during the last 90 hours of undergraduate
work, one's GPA on courses taken after the first baccalaureate,
performance in the current degree program (if nominee is a continuing
student), letters of recommendation testifying to the student's
academic ability, and GRE or other standard test scores, when
available. Evaluation will be made by the Dean of the Graduate School.

College and Departmental Scholarships
Eligibility criteria and award amounts vary by college/ department
based on availability of funding. Student may be asked to provide
additional information to departments. Check department websites for
further information.

More information on opportunities for international students at OSU is
available at: http://oregonstate.edu/admissions/international.php .



*** Ace! is a member of the EducationUSA global educational advising network affiliated with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State. We provide free EducationUSA counseling services to students in the northern provinces of Thailand; our faculty of U.S.-trained Test Prep Experts can help you with cost-effective result-driven training programs for SAT-1, SAT-2, TOEFL, GRE, GMAT, GED, AP, IB, TOEIC, IELTS etc ***

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

INTERNATIONAL SCHOLARSHIPS AT CARROLL COLLEGE OF MONTANA

Ace! NewsFlash



Carroll College of Montana is a private, Catholic, liberal arts and
pre-professional college in Montana's capital city of Helena. Carroll
College has earned top national and regional awards for its academic
programs, including its flagship biology, civil engineering, nursing,
and mathematics departments. Graduates enjoy excellent job placement
nationwide and admissions to the most selective graduate schools.
Carroll College of Montana offers a comprehensive curriculum, which
combines liberal arts, professional studies and a dedication to
cultural understanding, spiritual awareness and social action.
Carroll graduates emerge as creative problem solvers and engaged
citizens with the character and courage to succeed as tomorrow's
leaders. We welcome students of all faiths to Carroll College. Our
dedicated faculty and staff are committed to preparing students for
careers while providing for the intellectual, spiritual, moral,
personal, and social development of each student. We offer outstanding
academic programs and our small size, safe campus, and wonderful
location create a special place in which to study. Professors at
Carroll are leaders in their fields, winning prestigious Fulbright
Scholarships and awards from the National Endowment for the Humanities
and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Scholarships for International Students
Carroll offers generous academic scholarships. All prospective first
year students who have applied and been admitted to Carroll are
automatically considered for the following guaranteed minimum
scholarships and awards based on official secondary school transcripts
and test scores (SAT or ACT).

First Year Scholarship Levels Are:
- Presidential $11,500
- Trustee $10,000
- All Saints $8,000

Scholarship decisions are made in mid-February. For consideration,
please apply to Carroll by 15 February for entrance in August and by
15 October for entrance in January.

More information for International Students is available at
www.carroll.edu/academics/international/istudents/


*** Ace! is a member of the EducationUSA global educational advising network affiliated with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State. We provide free EducationUSA counseling services to students in the northern provinces of Thailand; our faculty of U.S.-trained Test Prep Experts can help you with cost-effective result-driven training programs for SAT-1, SAT-2, TOEFL, GRE, GMAT, GED, AP, IB, TOEIC, IELTS etc ***

PACIFIC UNIVERSITY OFFERS SCHOLARSHIPS TO INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

Ace! NewsFlash

Pacific University offers small classes with over 50 areas of study and several
powerful ESL programs. Average university academic class size is 19
and average ESL class size is 12. Professors are interested in students,
and they are easy to meet after class for advice and help.

They are a private university offering LARGE SCHOLARSHIPS for
international students. After scholarships, tuition cost is about
the same as a public university. This means you can get a high-quality
private university education at about the same cost of a public
university. The Career Center can help you find INTERNSHIPS before
graduation and full-time PAYING JOBS after graduation (limited to 1
year by US immigration) . You can apply for part-time jobs on campus.
This will help you save a little money. It will also help you improve
your English and meet people.

Undergraduate Scholarships
Pacific offers AUTOMATIC SCHOLARSHIPS to all international
undergraduate students based on your high school or college scores at
the time of admission.

The scholarship ranges from US$ 6,000 to US$ 9,000 per year.

Your scholarship award is PER YEAR for FOUR YEARS. You do not need to
apply separately for these scholarships. They are automatically
awarded to all admitted students. We will show the scholarship amount
on your acceptance letter and I-20.

While studying at Pacific, you must have a Pacific GPA of at least 2.0
(average score) to keep your scholarship.
These scholarships are only for UNDERGRADUATE students (both Freshman
and Transfer Students). They do not apply to graduate level students.

Please feel free to contact them at intladmissions@pacificu.edu.

Pacific

*** Ace! is a member of the EducationUSA global educational advising network affiliated with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State. We provide free EducationUSA counseling services to students in the northern provinces of Thailand; our faculty of U.S.-trained Test Prep Experts can help you with cost-effective result-driven training programs for SAT-1, SAT-2, TOEFL, GRE, GMAT, GED, AP, IB, TOEIC, IELTS etc ***

Sunday, July 25, 2010

New Sounds in Chiang Mai’s Ancient Alleys

Ace! NewsFlash


At Heaven Beach, a club in Chiang Mai, Thailand, the Thai band Nyok provided the beat for dancers.

WITH cinderblock walls, a dirt floor and a sign warning against dancing and “boom-boom” in the mezzanine, Heaven Beach, a club in Chiang Mai, Thailand, will never be accused of design excess. Then again, the predominantly young posse of foreigners and natives moshing to the energetic metal, grunge and rap sets by the Thai band Nyok aren’t there for the décor.

This doorless dive — more barn than bar, really — in the seedy backpacker quarter within the crumbling walls of Old Chiang Mai might be the last place you’d expect to hear guitar solos as spectacularly executed as those performed by Lek Surindon, Nyok’s self-taught lead guitarist. But Heaven Beach (48 Building 7, Ratchawithi Road; no phone) and its popular house band offer just a taste of the vibrant and diverse live music scene that’s taken hold in this laid-back northern city. “Ten years ago all you heard in Chiang Mai was Thai pop and reggae,” said the blues guitarist Mai Wiangthong, 28, while tuning up ahead of a set at La Brasserie, another music club. “But over the last few years it’s been changing for the better.”

Thanks to cheap Internet downloads, a growing number of foreign residents and improved college music curriculums, the city’s youth have been experimenting with a wider range of musical styles. When Chiang Mai’s Woranan School of Music, with classes in jazz, pop, blues, rock and classical music, was founded five years ago, 10 students enrolled; now it has more than 150. (Earlier this month, the government of Thailand, citing continued instability, extended astate of emergency for three months in over a dozen provinces, including Chiang Mai, giving officials broad powers to restrict political meetings and detain suspects. But businesses remain open and life goes on.)

The area’s growing crop of clubs offers different vibes and diverse sounds, showcasing all-Thai and Thai-farang bands (bands with musicians of mixed nationalities; farang means “foreigner” in Thai) performing original songs and creatively reimagined covers.

With a low ceiling and seats set close around the stage, La Brasserie (37 Charoenrat; 66-53-241-665), one of the city’s first live music venues when it opened almost 20 years ago, favors acoustics over style. Took Charenporn, the owner, as well as a blues and rock powerhouse known for spontaneous, Hendrix-inspired guitar solos, is the bar’s main draw, but there’s other talent here, too. Mr. Wiangthong alternates opening slots with Boy Blues Band, fronted by a Woranan instructor steeped in Chicago blues, whose growling baritone is the perfect foil for his stinging guitar.

Jazz enthusiasts will gravitate to North Gate Jazz Co-op (Sri Phoom Road; no phone), a neighborhood spot with tables spilling onto the pavement from its tiny storefront. Tuesdays are devoted to open jam sessions — “not always good, but always interesting,” in the words of Peter Vandemoortele, a Payap University jazz instructor whose trio plays at the Co-op. On one Saturday, the band Bong Lan combined saxophone, drums and keyboard with khene (a free-reed Thai mouth organ) and seung (a four-stringed guitar) to produce Thai-Western jazz fusion.

The newest addition to the scene is The Box (5 Nimmanhaeminda Road; no phone), a jewel-like glass cube on a trendy shopping and dining strip near Chiang Mai University; it features outdoor tables, a lounge area and mezzanine seating. Just a few months old, The Box is still finding its niche — it seems to favor jazz trios, with a smattering of smooth jazz-pop acts.


*** Ace! is a member of the EducationUSA global educational advising network affiliated with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State. We provide free EducationUSA counseling services to students in the northern provinces of Thailand; our faculty of U.S.-trained Test Prep Experts can help you with cost-effective result-driven training programs for SAT-1, SAT-2, TOEFL, GRE, GMAT, GED, AP, IB, TOEIC, IELTS etc ***

At Johns Hopkins, New Life for a Landmark

Ace! NewsFlash

Gilman Hall

A skylight covers what was once a light well in the 1915 Gilman Hall at Johns Hopkins U. (Chronicle photographs by Lawrence Biemiller)

Baltimore — Frances Halsband says the most exciting moment in the just-completedrenovation of Gilman Hall, the 1915 centerpiece of the Johns Hopkins University’s Homewood campus, was realizing that a long-neglected light well could become an atrium—a gleaming, contemporary heart for a Georgian landmark—and that nearly forgotten library stacks could be removed and replaced with faculty offices that would have views into the new space. The project, which cost $59-million for construction and $73-million over all, brings together 10 humanities departments under a single roof at the same time that it gives students an appealing new social space with an adjoining coffee shop.

Gilman Hall

But Ms. Halsband, of Kliment Halsband Architects, didn’t settle for a simple atrium: The big social space is actually at the atrium’s second level, resting on the ceiling of a new museum for the university’s archaeology collection. The museum is a one-story box rising from the atrium’s floor, and daylight pours down all around it. The box’s walls, in turn, are double-sided glass display cases in which items from the collection can be put on view, and through which people walking around the box will be able to glimpse those inside.

The atrium’s 60-foot-square skylight, meanwhile, is a minimalist marvel of compression members, tension cables, stainless-steel clamps, and double-insulated glass panes. It is intended to honor the university’s engineering tradition, Ms. Halsband says, as well as to amaze the engineering students. To amaze everyone else, the university commissioned the artist Kendall Buster to create giant fabric sculptures inspired by vessels from the archaeology collection. The work, called "Vessel Field," hangs from the skylight to enliven the atrium’s interior.

The renovation, which closed the 146,000-square-foot building for two years, simplified and rationalized circulation within the building, and in the process added significantly to the area available for offices, classrooms, and seminar rooms. Central air conditioning and better access for handicapped users are other long-overdue improvements. Minor repairs were made to the building’s exterior and to some of its older public spaces, including the original library reading room. The renovated building is expected to earn LEED silver certification.

Named after Daniel Coit Gilman, the university’s founding president, Gilman Hall was among the first buildings constructed on the Homewood campus after the university moved out from downtown. It was designed by the firm Parker Thomas and Rice.

Gilman Hall

A faculty member's office on an upper floor has this view of "Vessel Field" and the atrium.

Gilman Hall

The Hutzler Reading Room, known as "The Hut," is a holdover from Gilman Hall's early years, when it housed the university library.

Gilman Hall

As the renovation was being planned, many Gilman Hall occupants said they loved the building's oval staircases. The originals were lost in the makeover, but new oval staircases were put in.


    *** Ace! is a member of the EducationUSA global educational advising network affiliated with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State. We provide free EducationUSA counseling services to students in the northern provinces of Thailand; our faculty of U.S.-trained Test Prep Experts can help you with cost-effective result-driven training programs for SAT-1, SAT-2, TOEFL, GRE, GMAT, GED, AP, IB, TOEIC, IELTS etc ***

    Foreign-Student Enrollments in U.S. Rise Despite Global Recession

    Ace! NewsFlash

    The enrollment of foreign students at American colleges climbed in the most recent academic year, according to new visa data, confounding expectations that international-student numbers would drop because of the worldwide financial crisis.

    The analysis of visa figures from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, in a report out on Thursday by the National Science Foundation, shows foreign enrollments in American colleges increased by 3 percent in the fall of 2009, to 586,000. The NSF report provides the most up-to-date picture of international-student trends.

    New enrollments in science and engineering grew by 4 percent, a larger increase than in recent years, but for the period from 2006 to 2009, science and engineering students accounted for a steady share of the foreign-student population, 44 percent.

    However, the number of first-time international students in graduate-level science and engineering programs dropped 2 percent from 2008 to 2009, suggesting that there could be smaller increases in foreign graduate enrollments in future years, the report's authors note. That supports some troubling findings from the Council of Graduate Schools, whose survey of universities last fall found new foreign graduate enrollments unchanged.

    Although about equal numbers of all foreign students are in undergraduate and graduate programs, graduate students far outnumber undergraduates in science and engineering. The number of first-time international students in undergraduate science and engineering programs climbed 5 percent in the last academic year.

    The figures suggest that findings of more-robust growth on the undergraduate level, first identified in the annual "Open Doors" report published last fall by the Institute of International Education, are holding. The earlier report, which highlighted data from the fall of 2008, said enrollment grew far more strongly at the undergraduate level, jumping 11 percent, than at the graduate level, where enrollments climbed a little more than 2 percent. If the trend continues, undergraduate foreign-student enrollments could surpass those at the graduate level.

    Over all, the enrollment of foreign science and engineering students increased from China, India, the Middle East, and Africa, but there were dips in students from Europe, Central and South America, and Canada. Numbers of first-time international science and engineering students, particularly those from India, declined.


    *** Ace! is a member of the EducationUSA global educational advising network affiliated with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State. We provide free EducationUSA counseling services to students in the northern provinces of Thailand; our faculty of U.S.-trained Test Prep Experts can help you with cost-effective result-driven training programs for SAT-1, SAT-2, TOEFL, GRE, GMAT, GED, AP, IB, TOEIC, IELTS etc ***

    In UCLA, a University Tries to Enroll Students that Reflect a Diverse California

    Ace! NewsFlash



    Which college in the United States gets the most applicants? It’s not Harvard or Yale; it’s the University of California, Los Angeles.

    The urban campus, the most selective in the 10-campus system, received 57,578 freshman applications for fall 2010, though less than a quarter of those got in. Systemwide, a record 100,000 students applied as freshmen this year, according to a new admissions report presented by the university this week.

    But for a public school in a state that faces significant challenges in financing higher education, numbers like U.C.L.A.’s are a mixed blessing. The sheer volume of applicants creates real roadblocks in maintaining what the university sees as a diverse undergraduate population, as well as giving each applicant a fair and holistic review in the admissions process, according to the report.

    Ideally, the university system aims for its student body to reflect the racial and socioeconomic makeup of the state of California. Yet the comprehensive seven-year report revealed that admit rates for African-American freshmen has fallen by about 5 percent since the 2003-4 academic year, and while the state’s Latino population has vastly increased, its representation at the university has remained fairly flat.

    This is a problem that needs mending, according to the university.

    Professor Sylvia Hurtado, director of the Higher Education Research Institute at the university and the author of the report, emphasized the importance of halting the “disturbing trend” of minority students being slighted in an increasingly selective admissions pool.

    “I do think we need a strategic intervention to stop the decline,” she said.

    That intervention would consist of more vigorous outreach to underserved communities, as well as a different weighting system for admissions. Ms. Hurtado, who was previously an admissions officer at Princeton and M.I.T., is advocating that the university weigh applicants’ academic accomplishments and personal achievements on equal levels, that outstanding freshman achievements are documented and reported by the university and that all applications are read through in their entirety (currently, about 72 percent undergo guaranteed full review).

    As enrollment constricts and admission becomes more selective, it has been more difficult to ensure that all students the University of California believes deserve a spot are admitted. While the university is meticulous in the amount of data it compiles on the state’s high schools in an effort to understand each applicant’s background and learning context, it still has few venues to single out students who have overcome significant obstacles in their lives, Ms. Hurtado said.

    And even the steps that have been taken successfully have not been that reassuring, she added. At the University of California, San Diego, home of the notorious “Compton Cookout” and other racially-tense moments earlier this year, many minority students who were admitted for the fall received personal congratulatory phone calls from the campus’s chancellor and the director of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography to help sway their choice. The result was an increase in African-Americans who accepted their offers of admission, to 68 students from 51 students.

    After examining the numbers, the university president, Mark Yudof agreed that despite the economic climate some reform in the realm of admissions was necessary.

    “It’s flat-out worth it,” he said. “We just need to bite the bullet and do it.”


    *** Ace! is a member of the EducationUSA global educational advising network affiliated with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State. We provide free EducationUSA counseling services to students in the northern provinces of Thailand; our faculty of U.S.-trained Test Prep Experts can help you with cost-effective result-driven training programs for SAT-1, SAT-2, TOEFL, GRE, GMAT, GED, AP, IB, TOEIC, IELTS etc ***