Al Jamiat Magazine » distance learning

Han Chen’s Cairo Experience

allizon — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 13:37:17 +0000

Han Chen is a student from American University of Washington D.C. and recently had the opportunity to study in Cairo, Egypt. Her trip overseas has given her the experience of a life time. Here is a sneak peak of Han’s experience in a new country. Look for the full interview in Al Jamiat’s fall issue!

About Studying Abroad
What helped you decide to study abroad?
I had funding through my fellowship with the Institute for International Public Policy. Some previous fellows had studied in Cairo, and HIGHLY recommended it. If any other students of color want to study international relations, they should definitely apply to IIPP. Also, many people had told me that Arabic was a tough language, but I am pretty good at picking up patterns/syntax, so I thought Arabic would be a fun thing to learn.

Were you living on campus or did you commute?
I commuted; it was about 1 hour from campus in New Cairo to get to my apartment in downtown Cairo. Bless etisalat for making an internet USB stick that works while commuting IN THE DESERT!

About Crew
How did you first hear about the crew team?
I walked by the Student Activities fair at the beginning of the semester and it seemed like a good idea. It was perfect timing because I was looking for something to join at school to meet more people.

What was the key factor that made you decide to join?
I was always going to be free at 6am so why not go ahead and try it out, right? And it was a 5 min cab ride from my home. On the first day, everyone was really nice and helpful to the new students, so I really liked everyone right away.

About Friendships
What was the best way you made new friends?
Find an activity I would enjoy even if I were still at school in the US, and keep doing it! Since I’m studying in a foreign country, I will inevitably meet locals, and doing it in the context of something I already enjoy (or learned to enjoy, like crew) makes it easier to find people I liked, rather than trying to make friends with all Egyptian people simply because I was in Egypt and felt like I should prove that I could befriend all local people. Because then that inevitably attracts people who are more appreciative of the novelty of having a ‘foreign’ friend from America compared to anything else.

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“My First…” featuring Shaheed Sabrin

allizon — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 13:33:30 +0000

One of the greatest perks about studying abroad is the experiences students receive for the first time. Whether it would be your first time eating an apple pie, attending a rock concert, or seeing an amazing landmark. Here at Al Jamiat, we are interested in hearing about your firsts and what they were like!

Shaheed Sabrin is a senior at USC School of Theatre, majoring in Theatre and minoring in Entrepreneurship with the USC Marshal School of Business. He was last Spring’s recipient of the Jack Nicholsan Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Actor and hopes to one day open a restaurant for his mother.

My first… time seeing the great pyramids of Giza

My first time seeing the great pyramids of Giza was such a rewarding and educational experience. I arrived in Egypt on my birthday, August 22nd, which was also the start of Ramadan. I contemplated not going with my University mates for the trip, but then realized the best time to go was with my school’s guided tour. I braced myself and overcame scorching summer heat in the midst of keeping my fast. As our bus approached the raised area of Giza, I stared in awe, wondering what genius went into constructing this massive structure of and all the history behind it. As soon as I stepped off the bus I was bombarded my children trying to sell me postcards for 5 Egyptian Pounds. Then, as I approached the entrance of the pyramids people tried hustling me into getting a 250 Egyptian Pound camel ride for only 2 minutes. I dismissed everything and headed straight for the pyramids.

Since the guards could tell I had some Egyptian in me, they rushed me to the front of the line where I approached a dark and humid entryway. My whole way up was extremely claustrophobic as the passage was narrow, but when I reached one of the areas that one of the tombs were held in, I took a breath of excitement. As I headed back down the pyramid, I made a promise to myself that I would not leave Egypt without knowing the significance behind Egypt’s fascinating monuments. Most of all, the great pyramids of Giza inspired me to not just live in Egypt as a tourist, but as a student of the land, journeying into the unknown and educating myself all throughout the semester.

Interested in sharing your first experience?

Email allizon@al-jamiat.com with your story and see how you can contribute to the “My first…” feature!

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To Drive or Not to Drive?

allizon — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 13:52:00 +0000

cc Menlo Photo Bank

To drive or not to drive? That is the question. When you make your transition to the United States, it’s important to adjust and make your new atmosphere as comforting as possible. You want to continue having a normal life, actually an extraordinary life. Getting a US driver’s license is one way to adjust to the American lifestyle.

Receiving your driver’s license can be a difficult task, but it is rewarding just like every other hard thing in life. There is a specific process you must go through before you are granted your license. This process varies from state to state. You will need to follow the guidelines of the state which your college or university is located. Besides the specifics, here are the basics which are constant in every state provided by USA.gov:

Foreign visitors who become U.S. residents can only obtain a driver’s license from the state in which they reside (not from the federal government). Each state has its own driving rules and regulations. Check with your state’s motor vehicles department to find out how to apply.
Once you receive your U.S. driver’s license from a state motor vehicles department, you will be permitted to drive in all other U.S. states. The laws in each state vary from one to another. It is your responsibility to know and obey the laws of that state while driving.
The residency requirement for obtaining a U.S. driver’s license varies with each state. Consult the motor vehicles department in your state for more information.
If you are a foreign student coming to the U.S. to study, contact the university or college you will attend, as most institutions provide students with additional driving information. The best option would be to contact your International Director.

Prepare to take and pass a written knowledge test, which gives you a driving permit, by studying your state’s Driver’s Manual. When you go to test for your actual license, you will need to pass a vision test and a driving test. You will also need to show identification (passport, documentation of new address, I-94 card).

But is getting your license worthwhile? Sometimes a US driver’s license is unnecessary. I would suggest every student to give the car-less life a try. Here are the reasons to not get a license versus reason you should:

Reasons to drive

There is poor public transportation at your university
You can be reliable on yourself
Having the leisure of going places on your own time and schedule
You plan on traveling to nearby attractions (road trips!)
You just love driving

Reasons NOT to drive

It will take time to study and take all tests
Paying for the actual license
Paying for a vehicle
Paying for gas
Paying for school parking
Basically, a whole lot of paying for things
The public transportation at your university is reliable and efficient
It is environmentally better to be car-less

If you are decided on getting your license or you are still unsure, talk to your International Student Director. They can tell you more information about the transportation at your university and help guide you through the process of testing for your driver’s test.

Allizon Munoz is a junior at Ohio Dominican University studying Public Relations and minoring in Marketing. She serves as the 2010-2011 Ohio Dominican PRSSA President and Vice President of Professional Activities for Delta Sigma Pi Omicron Tau. Connect with her here: http://card.ly/allizonmunoz

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Thinking in A Foreign Language

elissa_yonkers — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:34:55 +0000

Pic courtesy of Adam Jones, Phd

The book 1984 was written by George Orwell back in the 1920s 1940s (thanks to our commenter Santa for picking that huge mistake up). While it is mainly a book about Orwell’s vision of the future, it also offers those who study language an important lesson. The main character, Winston, must understand why two plus two is five. His teacher explains that it is simple, because the party said it was. Four is simply a label, and if the party changes the label, then two plus two is five.

While the U.S. has not been overtaken by the oppressive government Orwell foresaw, he did teach his readers that words are simply labels. What I, as a native English speaker think of as my head, my Swiss-German exchange student thinks of as my Kopf. My Kopf doesn’t change function or shape, just because I call it a head. Words are simply labels we put on the world around us. A foreign language, like German in my case, is simply another set of labels.

So it makes sense, when learning a foreign language, to start thinking with the new set of labels as soon as possible. This isn’t a concept I came up with all by myself, major language learning companies teach it in their courses. Instead of vocabulary lists, with words in the native language on one side, and the foreign language on the other. They use pictures, pictograms, and symbols to demonstrate a words meaning. They simply change the label.

Like when you were little, and learning how to read and write in your native language, the mind starts to relearn labels. The mind starts associating the word Kopf with the same objects as head. Slowly, as the vocabulary grows, or perhaps simply as it becomes easier, thought in a foreign language occurs. It’s nothing that can be forced, but slowly my Kopf is no longer translated to head. The word Kopf is seen and without translation, it is understood. As simply as if the word head had been said, Kopf is thought and said.

This is not a process that can be rushed, or forced. Your mind will think in the foreign language, when it feels ready. All that you can do (at least consciously) is let it happen. It’s a strange feeling, but when it becomes natural, a certain sense of pride washes over you.

A strange thing starts to happen, as foreign language skills begin to improve. Native language skills start to disintegrate. This is especially a problem, when exposed to a foreign language for a long period of time. Sometimes this is in the form of simply thinking and saying Kopf instead of head, in the middle of an English conversation. Sometimes it’s in the form of an English sentence, with German grammar structure. Sometimes, it’s simply speaking in one language, when you meant to use the other.

Learning a foreign language is a process, that is sped up only by spending time surrounded by that language. Perhaps it will only take a week, to begin thinking and functioning in English, perhaps it will take a little longer. Getting to this point in your language skills, is part of the experience of living abroad, and is a skill that will make life abroad much easier.

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Free Online Lectures from Top Colleges and Universities

aljamiat — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 21:09:09 +0000

International students do not have to pay tuition to listen to lectures given at the world’s best colleges and universities. There are a number of schools making online audio and video lectures available to self-learners around the world. These lectures can be downloaded or played for free on your computer.

Stanford University Campus

While it is true that no degree is awarded to unregistered students who partake in this sort of learning, there are still many benefits to listening to free online lectures. International students can gain knowledge in a specific subject area, familiarize themselves with U.S. teaching style, prepare for future courses, and practice English listening skills.

Here is a list of top colleges and universities that offer free online lectures to anyone with an Internet connection.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lectures - The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) offers more free online lectures and courses than any other school in the world. Lectures can be viewed on MIT’s OCW site and on this YouTube channel.

Yale University Lectures – Yale University provides a wonderful selection of free online courses and lectures. Most can be viewed as audio or video and include supplemental learning materials.

Stanford University Lectures – Stanford University provides access to a number of free audio and video lectures through the iTunes Store. Although some materials can only be viewed by Stanford students, most are freely available to the general public.

Princeton University Lectures - Princeton University has an impressive collection of free video lectures on their website. The University also streams special events and sporting activities.

Columbia University Lectures – Columbia University hosts a video gallery of university lectures and events on their website. The gallery also includes photos, captions, and other interesting materials.

Carnegie Mellon University Lectures – Video recordings of Carnegie Mellon’s events and lectures can be viewed on the University’s YouTube channel. The channel is still under construction but is frequently updated with new videos and resources.

Columbia University

University of California – Berkeley Lectures – Every semester, UC Berkeley records the school’s most popular courses and events and then makes them available online. Most lectures are available in audio and video formats.

University of Southern California Lectures – The University of Southern California posts video lectures on nearly every subject imaginable. Videos are available on the universities YouTube channel, which also includes playlists and a list of school channels.

UCLA Lectures – The University of California – Los Angeles offers a nice selection of faculty research lectures on their website. Lectures can be enjoyed as streaming audio or video.

Vanderbilt University Lectures – Free online video lectures from Vanderbilt University can be viewed on the school’s YouTube Channel. New videos are added each week.

Karen Schweitzer is an education writer who specializes in writing about business education. She is the Business School Guide for About.com. She also writes online colleges reviews for OnlineColleges.net.

Free Online Lectures from Top Colleges and Universities

By Karen Schweitzer

Here is a list of top colleges and universities that offer free online lectures to anyone with an Internet connection.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lectures – The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) offers more free online lectures and courses than any other school in the world. Lectures can be viewed on MIT’s OCW site and on this YouTube channel.

Yale University Lectures – Yale University provides a wonderful selection of free online courses and lectures. Most can be viewed as audio or video and include supplemental learning materials.

Stanford University Lectures – Stanford University provides access to a number of free audio and video lectures through the iTunes Store. Although some materials can only be viewed by Stanford students, most are freely available to the general public.

Princeton University Lectures – Princeton University has an impressive collection of free video lectures on their website. The University also streams special events and sporting activities.

Columbia University Lectures – Columbia University hosts a video gallery of university lectures and events on their website. The gallery also includes photos, captions, and other interesting materials.

Carnegie Mellon University Lectures – Video recordings of Carnegie Mellon’s events and lectures can be viewed on the University’s YouTube channel. The channel is still under construction but is frequently updated with new videos and resources.

University of California – Berkeley Lectures – Every semester, UC Berkeley records the school’s most popular courses and events and then makes them available online. Most lectures are available in audio and video formats.

University of Southern California Lectures – The University of Southern California posts video lectures on nearly every subject imaginable. Videos are available on the universities YouTube channel, which also includes playlists and a list of school channels.

UCLA Lectures – The University of California – Los Angeles offers a nice selection of faculty research lectures on their website. Lectures can be enjoyed as streaming audio or video.

Vanderbilt University Lectures – Free online video lectures from Vanderbilt University can be viewed on the school’s YouTube Channel. New videos are added each week.

Karen Schweitzer is an education writer who specializes in writing about business education. She is the Business School Guide for About.com. She also writes online colleges reviews for OnlineColleges.net.

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What is the TOEFL® and How Do I Prepare For It?

aljamiat — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 03:11:06 +0000

These are the most common questions asked by students who start to think about studying in the U.S. Sometimes students ask, “How can I apply for the TOEFL system?” or “How do I obtain the TOEFL certificate?” Before we go any farther, let’s clarify: TOEFL® isn’t a system; TOEFL isn’t a certificate. TOEFL is the Test of English as a Foreign Language.

A quick look at the website of the Educational Testing Service (ETS), the developer of the TOEFL (http://www.ets.org), shows that the TOEFL is an important academic English test used by more than 6,000 universities in more than 130 countries to determine whether an applicant has the required level of English to enroll. It is also used to qualify for scholarships, and for graduation requirements.

CC License, Photo by SonnyandSandy

So how do students get a TOEFL certificate? Oops, remember, there isn’t a TOEFL certificate. The TOEFL is currently offered in two formats –Internet based (iBT) and paper-based (PBT) in some locales. The iBT is now the most common format in most countries and in North America. Both formats have similar questions in listening, reading and writing. The iBT also has a speaking section which the paper-based format does not offer except as a separate exam called the Test of Spoken English (TSE). Both formats offer a TOEFL score report, and the examinee copy usually arrives a few weeks after the exam.

There is no established passing or failing score. The TOEFL result simply indicates how proficient an individual is vis-à-vis other non-native speakers of English. Further, anyone at any level of English language learning can take the TOEFL; in fact, the more times you take it the more likely you are to improve. However, considering the cost, it makes sense to take the exam after you have completed several courses of English, and particularly when you are able to read and write at the university level in English with little difficulty (the TOEFL reading sections are passages are developed to reflect university-level readings in any field of study, for example).

“Okay . . . but isn’t there some kind of passing score?” Actually, there is no one, magical, passing number. Each institution that requires the TOEFL has its own admission requirements. Often the standard for a full admission into an American university is the iBT TOEFL score of 80 (paper-based test score of 550). However, a number of institutions have raised that score to 100 on the iBT (or 600 PBT), to qualify for programs that require a lot of writing or to qualify for financial assistance. You need to contact each institution that you are interested in to obtain information on its TOEFL requirements.

To meet most institutions’ TOEFL requirements, you need a lot of preparation. It is generally recommended that you get a strong base in academic English before you take the TOEFL and to do that you will probably need to invest both a significant amount of time and money. As you begin work on your academic English level, you should also look into test preparation materials to learn testing strategies. There are a number of reasonably cost resources available (books, CDs, DVDs, and cassettes) on preparing for TOEFL at most EducationUSA centers around the world. Some resources are created by ETS directly and others by companies which have a long experience in test preparation. There are also some free resources from ETS, test prep companies and others available on the Internet. Google the words “TOEFL Prep”, in under a second you will find thousands of links and resources to search from and use.

Of special interest, YouTube has made steps to provide relevant educational content at http://www.youtube.com/edu. Visit ETS’s new TOEFL channel at http://www.youtube.com/TOEFLtv for TOEFL preparation tips from students and instructors. Keep in mind that while TOEFL Preparation courses often help, it’s counterproductive to enroll in a prep course if your English is not yet at an advanced level.

Finally, if you don’t do well on your first go around, don’t despair. Go back get more English language training. Invest in your future with a solid base in English. Once you have taken one international exam, you will have a better understanding of the test strategies, so now you need to concentrate on perfecting your language skills. Good luck on your journey!

Ms. Sabrina Faber is an international education, development and training professional with a special interest in the Middle East and in particular Yemen. For nearly fifteen years, she has managed international exchange programs, including the prestigious U.S. Department of State Fulbright Foreign Student program for students from Algeria, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Mauritania, Morocco, Palestine, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, and Yemen. Ms. Faber has extensive experience working in Yemen and on consultancies in the Arabian Gulf states. She is the author of numerous articles on international education and training and maintains a blog, http://planetecole.blogspot.com. She is currently preparing research on Yemeni human resource in the 21^stcentury.

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MyUSearch.com International Student Scholarship

aljamiat — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 21:04:06 +0000

Its much harder to find scholarships aimed at international students as most financial aid and scholarships are aimed at students who are American citizens. A new site we recently discovered: My USearch has a $1,000 scholarship aimed at international students and a great questionnaire to help students interested in a 2-year associates degree or a 4-year bachelors degree find their ideal college match.

Scholarship info:

International and Undocumented Student Scholarship $1,000 Deadline 7/15/2009
Live abroad and want to study in the US? Does your citizenship status prevent you from enrolling as a US student? myUsearch will award a $1000 scholarship to the student who can best answer how the completion of a US degree will impact their life, their family and their home community.

The scholarship is open to any students who have completed the myUsearch matching questionnaire, are NOT a US citizen and will begin their first semester at an accredited US undergraduate institution on or before October 1, 2010 (transfer students are also eligible). Start scholarship application

Let us know if you are chosen for the scholarship and good luck!

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Online College Degrees

aljamiat — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 00:41:30 +0000

Students outside of the United States ask us often about specific online programs and whether they should attend an online university instead of moving to the US and enrolling at a traditional campus. Online programs can work well for many students, allowing you to receive an American style education and degree without having the expense of living in the US and leaving home. For many years in the Middle East many undergraduate students chose “correspondence schools” which allowed students, especially women, to receive a bachelor’s degree without leaving home, their jobs, and their children. Online colleges have now replaced that and allow for much more interaction and a stronger traditional college experience.

As with applications to any college, you must research the university you are applying to, making sure they are properly accredited and offer the degree you are seeking. This can be a little more difficult to do with online only universities as the website may appear very professional and legitimate – while the school may offer a degree that may not be fully recognized.

However, many large and prestigious schools such as Columbia and Harvard now offer undergraduate, graduate, and certificate programs that are fully online, giving students unable to travel to the US a great opportunity. While these programs are not inexpensive, sometimes costing the same as an on-campus experience, they may allow you to attend college without leaving home. We encourage you to read through the university’s offerings, to calculate the costs, and to see whether you would benefit from a traditional campus experience before choosing a program to commit to.

One thing to remember, online degrees are not an “easy” way to receive a bachelors or masters, they are just as much work and effort as attending class in person. You will be expected to “attend” class, take exams, complete group projects, and interact with your classmates, if you are unprepared, your grades will reflect that. Online degrees can be the answer for many students, but as with everything you must study the positives and negatives before deciding on your course of action.

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