Benjamin Thinking

古人說:「工欲善其事, 必先利其器」 這句話一直是大家耳熟能詳的,
今年, 將要踏上別人國家的國土去追求知識, 不能少的, 當然是一台可以陪我全天候備戰的"戰鬥機" - VAIO SZ
說到這裡, 一些"Pro"的玩家可能會不以為然, 但會選擇這一台, 可以說是有緣故的...

在還沒有說明緣故之前, 先來說說"歷史"吧~
提到我使用PC的歷史, 可說是很早很早的時候開始...

Below is the recommended timetable for applying to universities in the United States. It is sometimes possible to complete the process more quickly, but you may have a much more limited choice of schools. Planning ahead gives you sufficient time to make successful applications to the universities of your choice.

12 TO 18 MONTHS PRIOR to the academic year in which you hope to enroll, begin to consider, research, and do the following:

• What are your reasons for wanting to study in the United States?
• Which universities offer your subject and specialization?
• Will you need financial assistance?
• Begin narrowing down your choices of schools to approximately 10 to 20 institutions, and make sure they meet your academic, financial, lifestyle, and other needs.
• Find out application deadlines. This will affect when you take the standardized tests required for admission since test results must reach admissions offices
  no later than these deadlines. The tests should be taken in advance of submitting university application forms.
• Register to take paper-based GRE Subject Tests if required by the universities to which you are applying.

12 MONTHS PRIOR to enrollment, start to complete the following (months indicated are estimates):

August

• Continue narrowing down your choice of schools.  While some students apply to more, 5 to 10 well-researched choices are sufficient.
• Contact universities for application and financial aid forms and catalogs.
• Register to take the TOEFL and the GRE General Test, GRE Writing Assessment, GMAT, or other admissions tests, as necessary

September – December

• Continue narrowing down your choice of schools.  While some students apply to more, 5 to 10 well-researched choices are sufficient.
• Request official transcripts from your undergraduate institution.
• Brief your recommenders and request letters of reference from them.
• Draft personal statements or statements of purpose and research proposals, if requested.
• Submit completed application forms (for admission as well as financial aid).
• Double check that transcripts and references have been sent.
  
• Take the necessary admissions tests.

January – March

• University application deadlines must be met.

April – June

• Letters of acceptance or rejection arrive. Decide which university to attend, notify the admissions office of your decision, complete and return any forms they require.
• Send letters of regret to those universities you turn down.
• Organize finances (arrange to transfer funds to a U.S. bank; make sure you have funds for travel and expenses on arrival).
• Finalize arrangements for housing and medical insurance with your university.
• Notify any sponsoring organizations of your plans.

June – August

• Use information from your Form I-20 or DS-2019 to fill out the SEVIS Form I-901 and pay the $100 required SEVIS fee (see SEVIS information for description of SEVIS form and fee).
• Upon receipt of your I-20 and SEVIS I-901 payment receipt, apply to your nearest U.S. embassy or consulate for a visa. This should be as far in advance of your departure date as possible (see "Visas").
• Contact your nearest EducationUSA information and advising center to let them know that you have been accepted to a U.S. institution.
• Make travel arrangements, planning to arrive in time for the university's orientation program.
• Contact the International Student Office at your university with details of your arrival plans, and confirm details of any orientation for new students held by the university.

Getting Ready to Go
Once you know that you are going to study in the United States, you will probably have many questions about visas, accommodations, health insurance, banking, how to study, and other "predeparture" information. Most EducationUSA information and advising centers conduct predeparture orientation presentations in the summer, and some may also offer sessions midyear. Contact your nearest center for their schedule and to reserve space for these popular events. Some centers may charge a fee for this service.

SOLEDAD - A regional program formed to help bridge the language barrier for many Monterey County migrant women and young people was unveiled Monday in Soledad.

About 40 people attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Soledad Life Academy, a joint-effort, multi-agency project at the Center for Employment Training, 930 Los Coches Drive.

The academy offers English as a second language, preparation courses for a high-school diploma equivalency exam, and vocational and life skills classes.

"There's a need here, because we have a lot of women who don't speak English and need jobs," said Director Jacobo Ruelas.

        雖然沒有數字證明, 到底台灣(或者其他國家)每年出國的人數中, 有多少人是經由代辦, 又有多少人是自行申請學校的? 但是感覺上, 自行申請的(學生)似乎不多.  而我以及我內人, 則是這感覺上少數的其中之二.
        申請過程中, 除了找尋學校資料之外, 另一件重要的事情就是探索自己心中的理想, 以及自己所缺乏的; 若是申請MBA, 更要不斷地"鞏固"心中留學的理由以及目的, 求學中的研究目標, 當然, 還有未來的職涯計畫...  當談到職涯計畫, 其中一個靈感來源則是一些前輩所留下的訓言或者好文章中的警惕...

以下除國立台中圖書館的講座之外，非會員參加座談會將酌收50元贊助金，會員則完全免費，請記得攜帶會員卡，由於座位有限，請同學儘早預約。預約請上網 www.uscampus.com.tw  或 按這裡

十一月份座談會

今天從中國時報B2版讀到一篇有「10年後主權基金逾13兆美元」斗大標題的文章,
截至今年(2007)為止, 全球主權基金規模大約為2.2兆美元,  已經遠超過國際私募基金的0.7~1.1兆美元, 這聽起來就已經非常可怕
更何況10年後, 若是主權基金擴張到13兆, 占全球金融資產5%的時候, 當時的情況, 可就更令人感到恐懼...

尤其當大家擔心有些國家像是中國以及沙烏地阿拉伯...等(新聞來源: RTT News) 主權基金的主權運作並不透明的情況之下, 若該國家發動惡意併購時, 是否有機會防範? 還是市場機制, 將會自然地阻止這樣的情形發生?

說回到台灣, 撇開「陰謀論」不談, 從維基百科中得知, 原來台灣也有類似SWF功能的基金 - 國家安全基金,
只不過根據報導, 央行總裁彭淮南表示「... 我們不是國際貨幣基金(IMF)的成員, 基於風險考量, 我們需要較多外匯存底規模, 因此不適宜成立主權基金。」
因此, 看起來在維基百科上管理員對於「國安基金」的認知, 與實際情況上有些不同...

總之, 至少要知道現在Top 7的主權基金是哪些吧
也至少要知道如果國際間無法有效控管主權基金, 似乎將會有危機產生...

學費上漲 熱情依舊

澳大利亞的留學擔保金，是根据移民簽証中心制定的固定公式來計算的，其中包括了學費、生活費以及澳元兌人民幣匯率這三大要素。今年，澳洲很多大學的學費都有不同程度的增長，增長幅度平均在3%左右。目前，澳元兌人民幣的匯率較高，但是，澳洲的物价相對其他英聯邦國家比較低，而且學生打工的薪水相對比較高，所以生活費增長不明顯。

所以，總体而言，去澳洲留學，今年所需的費用增長幅度在3%左右，主要原因是學費增長。

而中國學生留學澳大利亞的人數，目前位于澳洲海外留學國家中的第二位。根据2007年7月澳洲阿德雷德移民局簽証總署統計，近年來，中國赴澳留學人數以19%的比例增長。因此，結合澳洲簽証率高，物价比較穩定等原因，學費的上漲并沒有影響中國學生留澳熱情。

英國

今年，英國的學費上漲了3%左右，這主要是由于每年通貨膨脹的原因。但是英國生活費沒有明顯變化。此外，現在英國的院校也紛紛來華開設一些獎學金，主要面向研究生及以上人群，一般院校的獎學金在1000英鎊至3000英鎊左右。

美國、加拿大

放寬學生獎學金、打工措施

今年，美國的學費平均漲幅為10%左右，這些費用主要体現在某些專業，如商科、工程、傳媒等。而生活費主要是住宿費和餐費，其費用上漲跟美國的通貨膨脹率相關，今年變動不太大。加拿大大學以公立為主，每年費用變更不大。但由于加元匯率近來上漲到1加元兌7元人民幣，所以加拿大的留學費用略有上漲。

此外，美加的大學也采取了更多的獎學金措施來減輕學生負擔，如學費減免、助教、助研等。同時加拿大放開了留學生校外打工的限制，允許國際學生每周20小時校外打工。美國大學允許第一年校內打工，第二年可以校外打工。這些措施一定程度上減輕了學生的負擔。

《經理人月刊》10月號 (主題學習／修練1：適應多元文化 友訊科技總經理廖志誠：透過他人完成工作，培養「跨出去」的能力) 撰文 / 劉揚銘

※ 發現差異，尊重差異
      ※ 和外國人交換名片時，一定要先問「How do I say your name？」等對方說完後，跟著對方念一次，「他馬上就能感受到你的尊重，千萬不要看到名片就反射性的稱呼對方，如果念錯，別人會感覺受到侮辱。」
      ※  「德國人非常守法，要說服他們，必須遵循他們的邏輯，絕不能創造一個新的邏輯，回信給他們，絕對不能自己覺得把前因後果講清楚就好，要針對每一點進行答覆，才有辦法說服對方。」

你可能沒想到，飯局，會是個人競爭力的第二戰場。從芝加哥大學商學院畢業的林尚威，感受就非常深刻。曾和巴菲特共餐的他，更將美國MBA的必勝餐桌課程帶回台灣與大家分享。

文／麥立心
2007年9月 Cheers 雜誌

文章出處:http://www.eic.org.cn/Specialty%5C200708%5C633226823851250000.shtml

What do entrepreneurs do?

　　Entrepreneurs have many options: they can be business owners and managers, venture capitalists, or small business consultants. In addition, some become intrapreneurs within established companies.

What is intrapreneurship?

　　Intrapreneurs work within corporations to develop new products, increase innovation, and build employee morale. Intrapreneurship appeals to some because it allows them to pursue creative business ideas with the support of a large company’s resources.

What degree options are available in this area?

　　Some schools offer undergraduate degrees in Entrepreneurship. In addition, graduate students can earn an MBA with an entrepreneurship concentration.