<p>Thank you, scottyb2012, thank you all on CC. I’m quite moved by CC folks’ willingness to offer a help.</p>
<p>I had some bad experience on a chinese site similar to CC. I sent inquiry messages to 5 johnnies who came from China, but no one replied. I did find a Chinese johnnie elsewhere very helpful. He graduated in 2012 from SF campus, and went to Temple U to study music.</p>
<p>I do have worries about SJC.
Through my four years in university( I graduated from HS in 2009, entering into a local university studying a vocational economics major), I gradually found that my best value is to be an intellectual, and I gained a better understanding of myself and my country. There are many opportunities my country currently cannot provide. Academics and intellectuals are still struggling for indepedence and freedom. So I made my mind to redo undergraduate study in the States. I’m willing to spend another 4 years.</p>
<p>So far, I have some academics interests, in sciences like biology, psychology, polisci, and humanities like history, philosophy. I don’t really know which I am interested or good at most. So I want another 4 year to explore before settle into a particular major. I want to pursue a PhD.</p>
<p>I do have some worry about SJC, like you’ve mentioned, scottyb2012. If I only interested in humannitis, SJC is perfect for me.(but SJC do not provide full-need financial aid for int. students) I remained my interests in natural sciences from HS, and developed new interests in social sciences, having concerns about history and democratization of China. By reading Great Books, can I have a good opportunity to explore all disciplines? If I find sciences, such as psychology is my favorite, what additional preparation do I need to pursue PhD level education when in SJC? Scottyb2012, you mentioned you got a fellowship through years in SJC to work in astronomy at the United States Naval Observatory. What kind of preparation did you made to get that fellowship? Behave well and study the workload hard isn’t enough in SJC, right? The liberal arts education is wonderful in SJC, for a human being, while the same time, human beings need to find jobs and make a living, we need to make additional preparation for our lives after graduation? You went to Columbia Teachers college? PhD? What preparation did you made before applying to it? What qualities or strength make you a good candidate?</p>
<p>What about Reed College, another college I’m fascinated? My informations sources only comes from a few college guides and the internet, I can’t make a visit to SJC or Reed (visa, money), nor do I have relatives or friends studying in U.S. undergraduate level.</p>