原来并不是想象中那么美好

我也来简明扼要的写下签证。

那个亲切可爱善良英俊的签证官只问了我几个问题 What is your major?Why do you want to go to Grinnell College?So you are in high school now?Which grade are you in? How many schools did you apply to?What do your parents do?前后花时2分钟不到。我准备的所有材料一概没看。

小小的tip:一定要早上早点去，中午去的时候排队超长！~我从中午12点一直排队站到下午4点。OMG!要么下午三点多过去也行~万一不幸人还是很多，买本杂志看看吧，或者自己带本书，可以带进去的。和周围人聊聊也不错~~

For Those of You Who Got Accepted: REMEMBER
To the students that got accepted into your dream schools, top schools, or even a school you're just plain happy to be let into -
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. E& {, r& q- y! r) X7 F5 g8 WFirst of all, congratulations. You worked so hard and deserve this completely. You spent late nights on caffeine, finishing assignments, stressing over tests until you thought you'd rip your hair out, working diligently on community projects, trying to juggle family, social, academic and extracurriculars in the crazy period called adolescence.
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) n6 L1 }7 O2 w* bSadly, tens of thousands of people just like you were rejected, denied and left out in the cold, watching you with pride but also perhaps envy and sadness.: q" R# R' I$ m

7 Y" O) L, t) ^! B9 [REMEMBER THIS - You are extremely, extremely lucky. Do not take your acceptances for granted. Of course you mean your classmates no harm, and you deserved to get in, but take into account how many people were not as lucky as you. : N. o$ `: G/ E; e# y/ I! j
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When you talk to your friends, be sensitive and try not to brag. Try not to lament the travesty of choosing between Yale and Rice. Listen to them, accept them. Don't criticize them or belitte their lack of crisp white packages. Encourage and support them. Remind them they're loved and appreciated, and they'll do amazing things no matter where they go in life.CUUS -- Chinese Undergraduates in the United States2 V( y5 g3 U- l, r& \; m% v
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I've seen many people, on this forum, at my school, etc. forget how lucky they are. They relentlessly quiz each other on where they got in, listing off schools, carelessly sighing and bemoaning their lack of Ivy acceptances. They ponder how "huge" the acceptance pools are in schools they deem less than prestigous. When you tell them your stats, your lack of luck, they look at you, surprised for a second, and return to their moaning.! q! V& E! q3 T7 q: w
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Of course, these people are few and far between. You have every right to talk about your acceptances, to feel proud.
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2 D7 Z5 f$ T% U; \2 o9 W9 G/ eMost successful friends are very understanding and feel grateful, but even the humblest of friends can forget. It's not a criticism of you, those who were accepted. It is simply a reminder to take a step back, consider those around you, and think before you speak. It will not only soothe your friends and classmates, but it will allow you to further appreciate your great success.7 j0 ?: F% t; i/ K0 q- _

0 }# h1 W6 O. Lcuus.cnSo again, congratulations to you class of 2012. Be very grateful, and enjoy!

Freshman year in college is almost over - what I wish I had known before. 0 I3 C+ {, J- j5 d  F
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So, as the title states, I am almost done with my freshman year in college. I attend a top private university and have learned a couple of things that I wish I had considered before. I also include some tips for living at school:
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3 h. r$ X& i. x& {7 M( S1. Do NOT underestimate the importance of an attractive campus. This is where visiting helps. While other aspects of the school may appeal to you more, when it comes to day-to-day living, ugly brick buildings get old fast. It's really nice if your campus has nice landscaping and lots of grass - it's much nicer to look at and it makes activities like Frisbee much more enjoyable.
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+ E  l; T  a% P' F2. SERIOUSLY consider the financial toll that private schools will take on you and your family. I thought about this before when I was deciding between a few excellent in-state schools and my current university, but the dramatic difference in cost didn't really hit me until I had to give every penny I ever saved just for one semester's tuition. Be absolutely certain that expensive schools are right for you (unless money is no problem, in which case you should ignore this completely). If grad school is in your future, you may want to reconsider. All the hidden costs like books and snacks add up fast, and colleges also tend to up the tuition from year to year.
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6 L" J6 U; ~6 ^; n& v9 F3 l3. Small colleges often advertise their small courses and one-on-one contact with the professors. My university is small, and we do get excellent contact with the professors, but there's one thing I didn't realize - going to a small school (especially a private one with a limited endowment) means that classes are not offered as much as they would be elsewhere. There is often only one section or one professor teaching a course, and many courses are only offered every other year or once every three years. It really makes it hard to choose the best possible schedule when the course offerings are limited, so if flexibility is really important to you, be aware that bigger universities may be able to offer many more class times and options.
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0 a+ s; P4 U1 I7 f( L. v) n, f" i3 @4. Decide on living guidelines with your roommate before becoming friends. It's much easier to set rules when you're still getting used to each other as opposed to when you might be good friends and feelings could get hurt.
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6 c" V' R5 F1 a0 r9 e5 |cuus.cn5. The quality of food is more important than you realize. At least as a freshman, you'll likely eat most of your meals during the week on campus, and limited offerings can be really frustrating. When you tour a campus, eat a meal there and scope out the options to make sure you'll be satisfied. Make sure your campus has a variety of different places to choose from. I cannot stress this enough!
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6. My campus is ten miles away from a major city, and it is REALLY nice to be able to get off-campus on weekends. I came from a rural area, and it's great to be able to experience semi-urban living. If you are looking at similarly located schools, ask about public transportation and off-campus options. Believe me, there is nothing nicer than getting a change of pace on weekends. Rural schools may not have such options, so be aware of this when you apply.
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2 ]$ L! v" {, \7 _$ X$ \cuus.cn7. I came from California to the East Coast, and everyone warned me about the cold. They should've warned me about the humidity for the first few months of school! It was ridiculously hot and I only brought a few summer-ish clothes, so I suffered for weeks until the weather finally cooled. Be aware of the weather in your college's area at all times of the year well in advance and pack appropriately.
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7 e% {3 a$ i: h7 ?1 o: b8. I joined my school's ski team, and it's great to have a sport to break up the long winter. Even if you're not athletic, find something to do - theater, dance, pottery, etc., anything to keep you busy in the winter months when not much else is going on.cuus.cn3 X, H2 Q9 p: e  r% K
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9. Take advantage of any event with free food on campus. They're usually fun and it's a great way to score a non-dining-services meal.
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4 N$ _' F7 i8 ccuus.cn10. Last but not least, it's easy to avoid the freshman 15 with a little effort. I've found that working out with friends is much more fun, and playing intramurals is a great way to keep in shape without any serious time commitment. There are also good options at salad bars (usually), so take advantage when the lettuce is fresh.