Early Preparation Mingshen Chen, Professor Department of Finance, National Taiwan University

After sending out applications… Should I send more applications? Make sure that all schools have received your applications well. Do the follow up checking with your applications What should I prepare in addition to applications?

Application Management Follow up checking, via or phone. Don’t think admission officers are machines, they are also human and needed to be reminded. Remember to ask the name of officer who is processing your application. You can be pushy, but need to do it politely.

What if I receive a rejection… It happens, even when you feel hopeful. Sometimes no reason is provided. And there is no need to find out why, it could be any reason. If you really want to find out why, you can do it skillfully. You can ask them to kindly provide tips regarding what you can do to better your opportunity next year.

When you receive an admission… A thank-you note is in order. Some schools would ask you to make a decision within a period of time. You can ask them to lengthen this time, addressing that you need more time to find out results of others. You can ask other universities to speedily process your application, addressing that you have to make a decision really soon.

What if you want to turn down an offer… Let them know as soon as possible. Make sure you have made a formal turn down for the offer, or you will be considered rude, and you might hurt other people’s opportunity.

What if you change your mind after receiving a school’s offer… Give the previous school an apology. Be sure to give them a sensible reason, such as you are getting scholarship from other schools, or something like that. Send them back the I-20 and other documents as soon as possible.

If you are not quite sure … You can always request a year of delay and reservation for your offer, citing family reason and you have difficulty making trip this year.

When you receive first satisfactory admission, should you wait for the others? It depends. My suggestion is, as far as the school is what you always wanted, there is no need to wait for others. You want to get sufficient time to prepare for your study.

What can you do between now and then… Sharpen your English and computer skills. Try to sit in some of the English taught classes, now are available in many Taiwanese business schools. Increase your exposure on U.S. business news and get to know some of the prominent companies.

When you have an early start in your preparation… You can contact your professors, and ask for advices. You can arrange and sign up your housing, usually the school dormitory is first come first serve. You can also sign up for summer English programs, if time is allowed. It can give you three months of lead time before the MBA program starts.

If you arrive at U.S. early… Arrange your program with your professor ASAP. Prepare sufficient documents to prove your abilities. Many try to waive as many courses as possible, actually it may not be a very good idea if you want to learn something useful. Go get your books from bookstore ASAP and try to prepare it.

If you arrive at U.S. early… Give yourself a comfortable, but efficient life pattern. Be familiar with your environment, such as bank, library, market places, restaurants, and gym. Go make some friends…, especially the local people. Settle down your trembling mind. A fun trip before the school may not be a good idea for some students. Try to be subtle before the school.

How to do it successfully for your stay as an oversea student? A.Arrange your classes skillfully. B.Preview materials, write your report early, and prepare your presentation properly. C.Try to simplify your life; such as to stay in dormitory, which greatly reduces your time of dealing with daily life and give you exposure to American or (international) cultures. D.Try to get into American life circle, improve your language whenever you can. Speak loudly, and try to keep conversation long. Reading papers, magazines, and novels might improve your conversation. E.Balanced diets, balanced life, and a prudent but colorful social life.