一.定量份额系统
二.学校经济状况
三.分数非常重要
四.挑选学校的重要性
五.私立与公立学校有别
六.教授为何不回套词信

Dear **, I can understand your anxiety and frustration. But I think you 
will f 
eel much better if you know how the American universities admit foreign 
studen 
ts. You see there are many factors that are involved in the admission 
policy o 
f a given university. In general, the universities use a quota system to 
sele 
ct foreign students. Each department makes its own policy as to how many 
forei 
gn students it is going to admit each year. If there are too many Chinese 
stud 
ents in the department, the department will be in favor of students from 
other 
countries. Moreover, the general economy and the fiscal conditions of the 
ind 
ividual universities also play a key factor. Again, you are competing with 
ot 
her applicants. In other words, your success depends upon so many factors 
tha 
t are beyond your control. All you can do is present yourself in the best 
way 

you can. 

A good letter of recommendation is helpful, but more important are your 
grades 
and scores of the required tests. Financial conditions can be important to 
s 
ome universities but normally are secondary consideration for most 
universitie 
s. There is however a strategy to consider when you are choosing a school. 
Of 
course, you have a better chance in a less competitive institution, if you 
ha 
ve a good standing academically. I know how difficult for you and your 
fellow 
students to know all the schools. I don't know myself either. So you spend 
mo 
re time researching the universities you are interested in and select the 
best 
that you like to apply. Forty some years ago, I went through the same 
agony 
of getting to this country forty as you are going through now. I hope that 
by 
knowing all the factors involved, you may feel less pressured. 

Connections exist in every society. People do use influence and power to 
get 
what they want. But I must say that in the public universities here, equal 
com 
petition rather than favoritism is the general rule. Private schools are a 
dif 
ferent story. Rich people can buy an admission for their children. Many 
priva 
te schools charge high tuition and do accept foreign students who are less 
qua 
lified academically. 

I know how frustrated you feel when not getting a response for a letter 
you wr 
ote to a professor. You see most professors are busy with their teaching 
and r 
esearch. Even on campus students have hard time to catch them. So I am not 
su 
rprised that you don't hear from them. If they are interested in you, they 
wil 
l write you. I appreciate the pressure of uncertainties, which can be 
unbeara 
ble sometimes. But I do suggest that you be patient, hoping for the best. 

Best regards. 
作者:pizza