AKEAC has a monthly

TOEFL preparation course

and trial TOEFL tests on

Saturdays.

For more information call

us at +7 7132 514 331.

AKEAC

Aktobe Education Advising Center www.akeac.org

March 2011 Newsletter

AKEAC is an official test site for 3 exams! AKEAC offers a wide range of opportunities to help you reach your dreams of studying abroad. These 3 popular exams are taken for many reasons includ-ing college admissions, to win scholarships and to rate your level of English skills! Along with these tests, AKEAC offers test preparation courses, trial TOEFL exams and free English clubs to help you improve your English and prepare for the big exam day!

TOEFL May 7th Register ACT April 9th, June 11 Register SAT June 4th Register

Official Test Dates

Newsletter Content:

College of the Month: Santa Barbara City College (Page 2-3)

Test of the Month: SAT (Page 4)

AKEAC’S Library: New Rules and reading/studying for free details (Page 5)

EducationUSA Updates: US scholarships and program opportunities (Page 6)

Club Corner: Photos from February's clubs and club dates in March (Page 7)

Website of the Month: A free ESL Podcast to improve your listening skills (Page 8)

Fulbright Scholarship Deadline: General Information (Page 8)

English Competition: February’s winner and March’s competition rules (Page 9)

Lectures: February’s lecture notes and a list of lectures to be held in March (page 10)

State of the Month: California (Page 11-12)

Summer TOEFL Camp: Basic information (Page 13)

AKEAC Contact Information (Page 14)

Santa Barbara City College www.sbcc.edu

The Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) campus is located on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Cali-fornia. The mountains are the campuses background. It is one of the more picturesque locations in the United States. The campus is located about 90 minutes north of Los Angeles and approximately 5 hours south of San Francisco.

The SBCC International Student Support Program offers two high

quality academic programs: The English Language Studies Program (ELSP) and the Interna-tional Student Academic Program (ISAP). These programs include new student orientation, academic planning, immigration and visa guidance, social activities, housing assistance, and workshops on a variety of topics. Click here for more information about the ELSP and the ISAP.

Fall Semester: July 1, 2010

Spring Semester: November 1, 2010

Summer Session: May 1, 2010

Application Deadlines:

The cost of studying at SBCC is very afford-able, especially compared to most 4 year institutions. SBCC is the more economical choice.

Facts About SBCC: SBCC is a California Community College offering certificate, two-year degrees, and transfer opportunities. SBCC has more than 80 degrees and 50 certificate programs! SBCC has an average class size of 28 students. SBCC has a national reputation built on its focus on educational excellence and innovation. There are sports, clubs and many other activities to help you make new friends and be active.

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Santa Barbara City College 721 Cliff Drive

Santa Barbara, CA 93109-2394 United States of America

Phone: 001.805.730.4040 www.sbcc.edu

Santa Barbara City College www.sbcc.edu

Personal Statement about SBCC from Nurkhair Teleu.

Nurkhair Teleu is from Aktobe.

“Personally, I can’t find a better place to study outside than

this setting that brings you in a mood of studying. Besides, this college is popular for

its student body that is very diverse. There are approximately over 23,000 students. I

have met so many students here from every corner of the world with different

backgrounds and I am still feeling like I am a new student to this school.

Another thing that I like the most is climate in Santa Barbara. Before when I was

looking for colleges in the US, I chose SBCC because in

California there's always a warm weather. But it can be

false sometimes when it rains too much, but most often

is a nice opened blue sky and shining sun. “

For more information contact SBCC or visit

their website

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SAT Test of the Month

The SAT is a test in English which measures your skills and knowledge in math, reading and writing. The SAT is used for admission into colleges and universities around the world (including the American Universi-ty in Bulgaria). This test measures the skills required to be successful in a higher education institute and in the 21st century. The SAT is made up of 10 sections: A 25-minute essay Six 25-minute sections (mathematics, critical reading and writing) Two 20-minute sections (mathematics, critical reading and writing) A 10-minute multiple-choice writing section Total test time: 3 hours and 45 minutes Critical Reading: this section includes reading passages and sentence completions. Writing: this section includes a short essay and multiple-choice questions on identifying errors and im-proving grammar and usage. Mathematics: this section includes questions on arithmetic operations, algebra, geometry, statistics and probability SAT Scores Your score will be reported on a scale from 200-800. Your scores will tell college admissions staff how you did compared with other students who took the test. For example, if you scored around average (about 500 on SAT critical reading and 500 on SAT mathematics) admissions staff will know that you scored as well as about half of the students who took the test. For more information about the scoring process, click here.

AKEAC is now an official SAT test site!

The next official SAT test will be

administrated in AKEAC on June 04. To

register please visit the SAT website or click

here.

SAT: JUNE 04, 2011

For more information about the SAT or to register visit the offi-cial website at http://sat.collegeboard.com/home All information on this pages was found on the official SAT

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USE OUR TEST PREPARATION MATERIALS FOR FREE! AKEAC has a large library related to education abroad and English studies: - periodicals (The Economist, Newsweek, Time, National Geographic) – filing for 7 recent year - catalogs about American universities/colleges and scholarship guides - brochures and catalogs of certain American universities and international edu-cation organizations - preparation guides for standardized tests: TOEFL, GMAT, GRE, SAT, ACT, LSAT, IELTS We constantly update library resources and receive recent editions from U.S. and British publishers (Peterson’s, Kaplan and MacMillan).

Here is how you can use the library: 1. You can study at the library FOR FREE during office working hours when there are no events scheduled in the classroom. Please refer to the Calendar for this month and give us a call before you arrive. 2. If you are unable to match your schedule with that of AKEAC or you prefer to study at home, you can check books out for up to 2 weeks. To check a book out from the library, you need to: а/ pay amount equivalent to the price of a book as a refundable deposit (price shown on back cover) b/ pay a fee for using a book. You can keep the book for a longer period unless another library user needs a book. When you return the book to the library, you will be reimbursed the deposit (additional conditions apply). To see a list of the books, catalogues, periodicals, test preparation and other resources available in the li-brary, click here.

AKEAC’s Library 5 of 14

INTERNATIONAL STUDENT EXCELLENCE AWARD AT EASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY Starting Fall 2010, EIU began recognizing academically outstanding new undergraduates with a special tuition rate! The International Student Excellence Award allows new, first-time undergraduates earning a minimum 3.5 (out of 4.0) cumulative grade point average to receive a rate of tuition which is equal to the current in-state tuition rate.

Admitted students meeting the criteria will see the reduced rate reflected on their stu-dent account. There is no additional documentation required. For more information, visit: www.eiu.edu/~interntl/index.phpwww.eiu.edu/~interntl/index.php

EducationUSA Updates www.akeac.org

CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY OFFERS SUMMER FILM INSTITUTE TO HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS Dodge College of Film and Media Arts Summer Film Institute July 24- August 6, 2011 For two weeks, students will be immersed in the world of film through class discussions, film screen-ings, special guest speakers, fieldtrips, and, of course, making films in small groups. They will live, breathe and eat filmmaking around the clock while being taught be Chapman faculty who are industry professionals as well as being mentored by current students in the Gradu-ate Conservatory of Film. For information on application procedures, deadlines and program details visit http: //ftv.chapman.edu/programs/hs_summer_program.

ST. CATHERINE UNIVERSITY PRIORITY SCHOLARSHIP UP TO $18,000 – DEADLINE IS MARCH 15 Reminder of St. Catherine University Priority Scholarship Deadline is March 15, 2011. St. Catherine University provides partial scholarships to female, bachelor’s level international students in any major offered at the university. Scholarships range between $4,000 – $18,000 and are based on an applicant’s academic record and financial need. The total cost of attendance at St. Catherine University ranges between $35,000 – $43,034. With the largest scholarship, the total cost can be reduced to approximately $20,000. No full scholarships are available. The priority scholarship deadline for the 2011-2012 academic year is March 15, 2011. Students can complete the online application for admission at: http://www.stkate.edu/colleges/undergraduate/apply/international.php or by using the Common Application.

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Club Corner English Clubs with American Peace Corps Volunteer

Valentine’s Day in AKEAC!

There were skits, vocabulary, America Valentine’s Day candy, songs, games and

other activities!

Clubs to be held in March Discussion Club: March 14th will be at 15:00 Movie Club: March 15th will be at 16:00 Creative Writing Club: March 16th will be at 15:00 English Club: March 11th and 18th will be at 15:00 Everyone is also invited to attend a St. Patrick’s Day Party on March 17th at 17:00. Remember to wear green! There will be no clubs from March 21st-April 4th because Peace Corps Volunteer, Rachel Worley will be out of town. Clubs will start again on April 5th at 16:00 (Movie Club)

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Want to improve your English listening skills? Then tune in! http://www.eslpod.com This website offers free English Podcasts that you can use to improve your listening skills. All you have to do is listen! The host speaks slowly and precisely. After you listen to the whole topic, the host reviews the infor-mation and explains what the topic was about and defines words. This podcast is great for beginners or advanced English learners. The topics you will listen to will be informative and interesting, especially if you are going to visit the US soon. The topics are offend connected to American culture such as eating in a café, travel-ing, banking and more. In addition to listening, there is an option to use Learning Guides to help you improve your English skills even more. The Learning Guide helps you to understand what you hear but it is not necessary to have while listening. To visit the website now, click here.

English as a Second Language Podcast Website of the Month

International Fulbright Science and Technology Award Application Deadline: May 16, 2011

Scholarship program funded by the US State Department for Ph.D level studies in 2012-2013 in the U.S. Administered by the U.S. Embassy’s Public Affairs Section (http://kazakhstan.usembassy.gov/ifst2012.html). Eligibility requirements: • Applicants must be citizens of Kazakhstan and not living in the U.S. at the time of application • Applicants must have completed their undergraduate degree before August 1, 2012 • Applicants must be proficient in English with a recent TOEFL score (or equivalent) of 580 or higher Application documents: • An on-line application • A clearly written research objective • A clearly written personal statement • A professional resume or curriculum vitae • Three letters of reference • Score reports of TOEFL and GRE exams • Official transcripts from each post-secondary institution attended For more information visit our website

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English Competition

Congratulations to February’s English Competition winner Almagul Kaliyeva for her excellent poem! I was a little star, He was a little sun. I used to dream so far. He loved to have some fun. I liked to draw and sing, He tried to learn to dance. I was a little slim, He had a lot of force. I loved the trees and clouds, He had a rest in clubs. I never used to frown, He always had the doubts. I wore a casual cloths, He looked like just waked up. I often went to malls,

I’ve dreamed to go to Spain, He had all trips by car. “Believe” was in my brain, His thoughts were very far I saw him at the book store, He told it could be so. But claimed it was on next floor Don’t care, forgot ‘bout all. I fall in love by moment. I gave him phone of mine Next day was message on it “Will you be my Valentine?” It was crazy for my mind He just came to me with ring So tell me how can I deny That LOVE changes everything?

_______________ 1) bwiaonr _______________ 2) aepadr _______________ 3) igj _______________ 4) rMahc _______________ 5) ckPrtia _______________ 6) yuclk _______________ 7) logd _______________ 8) eovrlc _______________ 9) enrhaseclup _______________ 10) pto _______________ 11) gener _______________ 12) aneIrdl _______________ 13) natsi _______________ 14) Ihirs _______________ 15) amrkocsh

Unscramble the St. Patrick Day vocabulary

words!

Email your list of correctly spelled words or bring them with you to the St. Patrick’s Day party at AKEAC on March 17th at 17:00. Everyone with all the words correctly written will win a prize! Deadline to submit by email: March 17th at 16:00 Submit to newsletter@akeac.com

Almagul won two free practice TOEFL exams which will be held at AKEAC

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AKEAC is pleased to announce a series of free lectures related to education in the USA. Please come with your questions and concerns. AKEAC provides accurate, unbiased infor-mation about all accredited U.S. higher education institutions. In March, the following lectures have been scheduled: Undergraduate studies March 10 (04.00 PM) Graduate Studies March 17 (04.00 PM) - College Search The lectures will be held at the AKEAC office: Aktobe, 101-oi strelkovoi street, 6-A

Lectures You Missed In February If you missed the February’s lectures, which were conducted at AKEAC you now have an opportunity to download the used materials on our website www.akeac.org or download through these links: February 3 (04.00) – How to write a personal statement February 10 (04.00) – Surfing a website of a university February 24 (04.00) – Daily Life in the United States For suggestions on future lectures, or information that you would like more information on please contact AKEAC at newsletter@akeac.com

March Lectures in AKEAC

Photo taken in AKEAC after the lecture on February 3rd.

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“The Golden State”

CALIFORNIA U.S. State of the Month

The redwood is the official state tree of California. Many of the giant redwoods in Sequoia National Park are more than 2,000 years old. The redwood is the world's tallest tree, growing up to 370 feet (113 m) tall.

California is home to some of the worlds most famous people and tourist attrac-tions. Disney Land, Hollywood, San Francisco, and the San Diego Zoo are just a few of the places in California that attract peo-ple from all over the world.

Los Angeles/Hollywood

In addition to the hope of catching a glimpse of Leonar-do DiCaprio or some other celebrity, California attracts visitors because of it’s natural beauty created by beach-es, forests and mountains.

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates the population in California to be 36,961,664; more than any other state.

POPULATION

Death Valley where the average sum-mer temperature is 120 °F (49 °C).

Cool Californian inventions: Barbie Dolls, blue

jeans, white zinfandel wine, the computer

"mouse," the wetsuit, and theme parks.

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California is home to 131 colleges and universities including some of the best in the country:

Stanford University California Institute of Technology (Caltech) University of California—Berkeley University of California—Los Angeles (UCLA)

Two Billion Dollars in gold was removed from California between 1848-1965.

CALIFORNIA U.S. State of the Month

Stanford University UCLA

With it’s Mediterranean climate and popular health-conscious lifestyles, Californians promote the local pro-duction, use and consumption of fresh fruits, vegetables and organic foods. Use of fresh, local ingredients are often bought at farmers markets. Some of the popular fresh foods include asparagus, avocado and arti-chokes. Tourists and local people also find lots of seafood and Mexican food choices; you can even mix them together and eat a fish taco!

Just around the corner from the healthy food you can find all the fast food. After all, California is the original home of McDonald’s!

Fish Tacos Artichokes Avocado Salad

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TOEFL Summer Camp

Don’t waste your summer! Spend your time learning English and preparing for the TOEFL iBT with native

speakers and fun activities!! The TOEFL Summer Camp is offered every summer and targets high school students and university students. Basic test preparation course, English language skills improvement, team competitions and much more attract teenagers to the Summer Camp. The Camp is held in July and Au-gust, and early applications are welcome since April. A course group is 6-8 students on the average. The course provides overview and practice of all the sections of the test, including TOEFL iBT preparation.

This is an in-town camp and students attend classes at the AKEAC office. On weekends, students participate in sports events, bowling competition, karaoke club, picnics, etc. The classes are held 3 times a week in the morning or afternoon. The TOEFL preparation classes and English classes go one after another. The classes are mainly held in a game-like manner and students do not have to do homework! All the Camp participants get split up into teams that compete with each other in terms of academic excellence, sports events and final research project on a burning topic (the role of the English language, educational reforms, planning careers, etc). Each group/team will have a TOEFL tutor and an English tutor. All the tutors are highly qualified TEFL and standardized testing professionals. More information will be available soon! Please visit our TOEFL Summer Camp webpage or call us with your questions at +7 7132 514 331

www.akeac.org

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AKEAC is a U.S. State Department

affiliated educational advising center.

http://educationusa.state.gov

Contact AKEAC: Tel/Fax: +7 7132 514331 info@akeac.com 101 strelkovoi brigady, 6-A 030000, Aktobe Kazakhstan Thank you from all of us at AKEAC! Ilya Stremoussov Talgat Ayapbergenov Gaukhar Tueluova Executive Director, Adviser Adviser Educational Program Manager, Adviser *ilya@akeac.com+ *Talgat@akeac.com+ *gaukar@akeac.com+ Karlygash Issingaliyeva Kseniya Vidunkina Rachel Worley Cultural Exchange, Office Manager Peace Corps Volunteer Language Program Manager *info@akeac.org+ *rworl@live.com+ *karla@akeac.com+ Mission Statement AKEAC – Aktobe Educational Advising Center - is a non profit or-ganization dedicated to the promotion of the human right to education. By providing information, counseling, training and international exchange opportunities, the Center empowers individuals to realize their education goals. What is AKEAC? AKEAC is an associate member of the world international network of US government affiliated educational centers (Education USA Advising Centers – http://www.educationusa.state.gov). The Center provides accu-rate, comprehensive, current, and unbiased information on educational opportunities in the United States. We do not endorse or rank any college or university, not do we endorse services provided by any company or organization in the areas of test preparation, admissions, placement, language training, or visa procure-ment. EAC personnel are highly qualified professionals in the sphere of overseas education and NAFSA (Association of International Educators) members.

For more information about

tests, programs, deadlines

or AKEAC please visit our

websites:

http://www.akeac.com

http://www.akeac.org

We hope you enjoyed this newsletter! 14 of 14