Last Friday, I screwed up a test. However, the thing I care most is what I need to prepare had prepared. However, the result did not go on my way. Maybe, I just did not prepare well enough to succeed the exam. There are two exams in the next week. I hope there is no other excuse in those tests. I hope I prepare every piece of material in this week.

An example to integrate infomation with EXCEL

Admission from GATECH

Result: Georgia Tech –MSIE

Pending: Purdue –MSIE

Decision: Georgia Tech –MSIE
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General Test:
GRE (V/Q/A): 500/790/3.5 @ June, 2006
TOEFL IBT: 98 (29/25/17/27) @ Mar, 2008
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Background:
BS in
Industrial and Information Management
Electrical Engineering
Double Major, NCKU
GPA: 3.79
Publication: none
Reference letter: Three from NCKU faculty
Award: 書卷*3, 校內微積分競賽 rank top 1%, 其他大大小小獎學金*7
Work experience: almost none
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心得:
我下定決心要出國的時間很晚, 一直到大四暑假才開始準備出國, 在那個暑假才去台北補方老師的GRE, 也因此利用雙主修的關係多留一年來準備GRE, 方老師的字彙課真的覺得很有用, 本來我英文不是很好, 又要背一卡車的GRE單字, 一開始的挫折感真的很重, 還好方老師一些口訣和字根字首的技巧讓我學到不少背單字的訣竅, 不過因為我真的對自己的英文沒什麼把握, 所以補完一個暑假後又準備一年才去考GRE, 期間除了方老師的教材外, 我又利用方老師的單字技巧看了兩本單字書, 雖然準備一年, 不過考試那天還真的很緊張, 很巧的事, ETS 監考的老師竟然是我高中英文老師, 看到他就無限感慨, 因為我高中英文都在及格邊緣阿, 要是當年努力多一點在英文上, 考GRE的過程就不會那麼辛苦了, 當時心裡就在想(老師…我要在你面前一次洗刷我高中三年英文不好的恥辱阿), 六月考完GRE後就要去當兵了, 因為正逢托福要轉型成IBT所以就沒先去考, 這是不得以的, 有心出國的人應該要當兵前去考, 現在又只要當11個月的兵, 先考好真的放心好多, 當兵期間真的很不穩定, 本來以為可以念書, 其實怎麼可能讓你那麼爽, 只有在休假期間來溫習單字, 畢竟托福還沒考, 就這樣撐過了14個月的兵期, 當完兵後, IBT有聽說讀寫, 加上當兵期間的退化, 我又花了兩多月去市面上買書來準備, 我是買Barron和知音的教材, 兩個都不便宜, 不過仗在之前打過GRE, 就以為自己有練過, 不怕托福, 不過第一次因為不太熟悉ETS的軟體加上有點緊張, 我認為最有把握的 reading竟然給我出鎚只拿20分, 所以只好再戰三月, 考完後就是準備資料了, 基本上我目標是US NEWS. top15 IE program 的學校, 因此我用excel去整理每間學校要的資料和帳號、密碼, 這樣自己比較不會亂, 基本上personal statement和C.V. 我是有去GOOGLE一下大家都是怎麼寫的, 綜合一下融合出自己的STYLE, 我覺得重點是SOP, 因為你要讓他從中了解你這個人, 像GATECH就只要SOP類的東西, 別的學校就要SOP和personal statement, 因此我的策略是去依不同學校, 依照他們的研究領域去寫SOP, 當然有些人會去真對某些老師去寫, 我是想說不是申請博班, 因此沒特別這樣寫, 在SOP中, 我有提到以後會繼續往 PH. D去發展, 因此就寫滿多自己以後想做的方向, 感覺我是把申請Master的SOP當成是申請PH.D在寫, 後來回成大拜託老師寫推荐信時, 他們說他們當時也這樣寫, 不過他們真的是要去念博班!!我申請的策略本來是目標在2009 Fall, 但是在看學校的過程發現有些學校有spring的program, 所以就先投兩間看看, 主力本來是放在Fall的, 現在就不用去花一堆錢去投了, 不然一間學校的申請成本要7000台幣(包括申請費, 加發GRE, TOEFL和快遞費), 現在拿到admission後, 真正的忙碌才要開始, 希望各位後進們都有申請到自己想去的學校。

Day one

This is my memo of career. I will use this blog as a record of my first job.

After twenty five years as a student, I finally become an incumbent, one of million workers in this world. I am not sure I should be happy or sad, because it is a challenge for me for two reasons. First, I have to learn as soon as possible in these months. My colleagues are graduated from graduate schools; however, I, from undergraduate, have to work harder in order to catch boss's attention. At least, I hope my performance will not humiliate the supervisor, who interviewed me. Second, the company is a big one where there are many rules and regulations around working area including ethnics. The promotion is based on how many years people work for the company. As this result, there is a dilemma for me; that is even I work very efficiently, I still "respect" my senior colleagues.

What is more? This job is not my final terminal, but it is an interim of my further education. In the following year, it is very important to balance my job and the self-studying English. Further, I will have to complete the applications of every graduate school in time. I think it will be a tough time to accomplish these things, but as my girl friend said, if you can not behavior as a great man, how will you be a real one. There are many unreasonable words from her mouth, but this one contains much meaning.

Finally, it was an easy day today, just lectures and videos. I will face the real stuff tomorrow, the real situation I will face in this year. I hope I can get around with it and find the joy in it as usual.

Competition For Studying Aboard

As the competition in the world is increasing, people are forced to gain more advantages to succeed in their works. People who study aboard think they can gain some extra advantages from their foreign education. In fact, they indeed have benefits after graduating from foreign schools.

First of all, people studying aboard must go to the countries where the specific terrain of profession is preoccupying in the world. Students want to learn the most advanced knowledge and skills in these countries and take the advantage of it when they return to their home countries. Because their knowledge is regarded better than people who study in the home country, the companies are likely to give them better pay. In my country, Taiwan, for example, people who study aboard can get more salary and opportunities to promotion than in the local universities.

Further, when students who study aboard have to counter the foreign culture and the gap of language, they become stronger in mind and more adaptation to different environments. These factors become advantages in their following lives. In this era, companies need their employees to conduct business in any countries and cultures. As a result, students who fit these needs are those studying aboard. This is another reason why companies want to pay more for them.

However, studying aboard is not always a panacea for success. Students also have to pay attention on studying and researching in order to acquire advanced knowledge. Students who study aboard just for a certificate would not have great accomplishment, after their bosses find they are useless except for a glittered degree certificate. After all, there is an old word, which is no rose without thorns. Studying is not an easy task, and studying aboard especially difficult, so students who have the chance to go aboard and study must cherish the chance and do their best on studying.