Yasmine ElRoweinyEducationUSA Senior Adviser – Egypt

Heba EssamEducationUSA Adviser - Alexandria

Your EducationUSA Team

At AMIDEAST/Egypt

EducationUSA can help you every step along the way.

5 Steps to U.S. Study

1.Research Your Options

2.Finance Your Studies

3.Complete Your Application

4.Apply for Your Student Visa

5.Prepare for Your Departure

Every little piece counts. And every university is different.

The “Application Package” for the U.S.

• Application Fee and Form – Your answers to questions and lists.

• Statement of Purpose and other Essays

• 2-3 Recommendation Letters

• Official Academic Records/Transcripts

• Exams (SAT/ACT, GRE, GMAT) Scores sent from testing agency.

• TOEFL iBT (or IELTS) Results sent from testing agency.

• Writing Samples, Research Papers, Portfolio, Other

• Curriculum Vitae or Resume

• Financial Aid Form and Documents as Proof

• Interview

The Importance of the Personal Essay

U.S. colleges and universities look at application

packages holistically.

The personal essay(s)/statement are the one place

for true student voice.

This is the where your achievements, goals, unique

contributions, and character all come together.

The Importance of the Personal Essay

For Undergraduate programs, the personal

statement shows your personality and how well

you fit the college or university as a whole.

For Graduate programs, the statement of purpose

expresses why you wish to follow a certain course of

study and what your primary goals are in applying

for that particular degree and department.

• Present any past experience in the relative field.

• Explain the triggering point to make you select this field.

• Introduce how you fit into the particular program.

• Emphasize your future goals.

Telling Your Story

Show Them That You

Are an Amazing

Person and Ready for

this Challenge in the

U.S.

Know the Purpose of Each Essay

Read and understand the

verbs in the essay prompts

(analyze, connect, distinguish, describe)

to fully grasp their purpose.

Remember that the university chose

these questions and word limits for a

reason. Stick to them!

Every sentence written must relate to

your answer to their question.

Weak essays make

claims -- and that’s it.

Well-written essays

have an abundance of

evidence in their body

paragraphs.

Show them,

don’t tell them

Exercise #1

Through-line / Who are you?

Past

Plans incl. this program in the U.S.

Present

Vision / Goals

Future

Exercise #2

Through-line/Who are you?

Past

Plans incl. this program in the U.S.

Present

Vision / Goals

Future

Thesis Sentence

The thesis sentence is

• found in the opening paragraph.

• conveys your answer to their question.

• indicates how your main idea will be

supported.

Repeating the prompt is the refuge of

students that lack either originality or

confidence.

To avoid this, answer with insight.

Organize, Organize, Organize

The best essays have a system of organization with an

introduction paragraph, conclusion paragraph, and 2-4 body

paragraphs in-between.

Introduction Paragraph

ending with THESIS Sentence

Conclusion Paragraph

Body #1 Clear Topic

Body #2 Clear Topic

Body #3 Clear Topic

Organize, Organize, Organize

Body paragraphs develop in one of these ways:

Chronologically: in the order of how events happened.

Cause and effect: showing the strategies you have used

and the effects they created.

General to specific: looking broadly through a telescope,

then focusing under a microscope, noticing the small details

contributing to the big picture.

Compare and contrast: starting with what unites ideas

and moving to appreciate the differences between them.

Transition words/phrases connect

sentences and paragraphs.

They help steer the reader.

Transitions indicate time, examples,

exceptions, comparisons, and sequences,

plus a whole lot more.

Examples: since, then, before, hence, likewise,

in brief, therefore, to summarize, consequently,

until that time, ultimately, contrary to, in

conclusion, nevertheless, immediately following,

to illustrate, on the other hand, because, yet,…

Grab the Admission Officer’s Attention

The introduction paragraph should be

designed to attract the reader's attention and

give him/her an idea of the essay's focus.

Think of the opening scene to a movie.

"A good introduction paragraph does many

things. It attracts the reader's interest, states

or points toward the thesis, and takes the

reader smoothly into the body paragraphs." (Brandon, 2005, P.85)

1. I am currently studying at ... (464 times)

2. I have always been interested in ... (309 times)

3. From an early age, I have ... (292 times)

4. _____ is a very challenging and demanding career ... (275 times)

5. For as long as I can remember I have been fascinated with ... (196

times)

Instead of listing what

you have done, talk

about why or how you

did those things.

Address Any Relevant Weaknesses

• Talk about one or two “red flags” or anything in

your file that will make the admissions officer

question your capacity. Keep this part short.

• Describe skills, experience and plans to

overcome a related challenge should it arise in

the future.

• Stay positive and proactive. Rather than

complaining about your circumstances or

blaming others, show evidence of your action

and resilience. 80/20 Rule

Do not get too personal

about religion, politics, or

your lack of education.

Every one gets one God, no more.

End Strong

The conclusion paragraph brings

closure to the reader, summing up your

points or providing a final perspective on

your topic. Never introduce a new topic.

“Your concluding paragraph should give

the reader the feeling that you said all

you want to say about your subject." (Brandon, 2005, P.87)

Writing Counts

Brainstorming Clustering Free Writing

Avoid Common Writing MistakesContractions (it's, she'll, didn’t,): Use the full form.

Slang or Colloquial language (kid, a lot of/lots of, cool).

Ambiguous and overused words (meaningful, community,

beautiful, challenging, invaluable, rewarding)

Phrasal Verbs and Vague words (get away with, put in,

went, nice, thing): Your writing needs to be more precise

and vivid.

Words you are unfamiliar with / Trying to impress

Overuse of brackets or exclamation marks; direct

questions to the reader; use of “etc.”

Run-on sentences or unchanging sentence structure

Mistakes in spelling, punctuation, capitalization and

grammar

Repetition of ideas, words or phrases

Use technical terminology

where appropriate. Write

clearly and interestingly,

yet also speak in a voice

appropriate to your age

and field.

Punctuation is Important?

Punctuation is Important!Comma ,

Colon : and Semi-colon ;

Period .

Dash – and Slash /

Parenthesis ( ) and Brackets [ ]

Question mark ? and Exclamation mark !

Quotation marks “ ”

Continued..

CapitalizationProper names of people, places, and things.

Which one of the following is correct?

A. I attended Cairo university faculty of Arts.

B. i attended cairo university faculty of arts.

C. I attended Cairo University, Faculty of Arts.

D. I attended cairo University faculty of arts.

Remember that the essay should be all

your own work, and not plagiarized

The Copy-Catch System checks each

statement against a vast library

to find similarities.

It simply is not worth trying to

copy any part of your essay!

Time for Review

Time for Review: Have a strong thesis that answers the prompt.

Organize, Organize, Organize: Use transitions to steer the reader.

Grab the reader’s attention.

Show them, don’t tell them. Talk about Why and How, rather than What.

Do not repeat information found elsewhere in the application package

unless you use it to illustrate a point or develop it further.

Address any relevant weakness, but do not emphasize the negative.

End strong.

Never plagiarize.

Proofread for spelling and mechanical errors.

Excerpt of a Winning

Undergraduate Essay:

The clock was remarkably slow as I sat, legs tightly crossed, squirming at my desk. “Just raise your hand,” my mind pleaded, “ask.” But despite my urgent need to visit the restroom, I remained seated, begging time to move faster. You see, I was that type of kid to eat French Fries dry because I couldn’t confront the McDonalds cashier for some Heinz packets. I was also the type to sit crying in front of school instead of asking the office if it could check on my late ride. My diffidence was frustrating. My parents relied on me, the only one in the family able to speak English, to guide them, and always anticipated the best from me. Mustering up the little courage I had, I sought ways to break out of my shell…

I became proud and confident. Moreover, I became eager to play my role in the family, and family relations strengthened. Now I’m the kid up at the white board; the kid leading discussions; and the kid standing up for her beliefs.”

Excerpt of a Winning Graduate Essay:

I would like to be a leader in the field of epidemiology. I have worked toward this goal by co-authoring an epidemiology course manual with my former professor, publishing articles for both professional and public audiences, and completing advance coursework in epidemiology, statistics, and biology. Some of my objectives for graduate school are to collaborate with UCLA faculty on research projects and to publish information in professional journals as well as public-oriented media types. Moreover, I would like to continue producing classroom resources for epidemiology faculty and students.”

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@EducationUSAEG

Thank you and Good Luck!

EducationUSACairo@amideast.org EducationUSA-Alexandria@amideast.org

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