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MSU Advisor Newsletter
Fall 2008 |
Greetings from a beautiful fall day in Bozeman, Montana where the leaves are just starting to turn from green to yellow, orange and red! School is now back in session and students are getting used to their classes and taking their first round of exams. We had an exceptional fall International Orientation with a record number of new students in attendance! We hope you enjoy the topics for this fall newsletter:
Deadlines and Details for Spring 2009 Applications
With fall semester already underway it is time to be thinking ahead to spring semester applications and deadlines. The deadline for undergraduate applicants is October 15th and for graduate applicants is October 1st. Please encourage any students you are working with to get their applications in early in order to avoid delays!
Both undergraduate and graduate applications are available online for easy download or submission and payment at:
Undergraduate - http://www.montana.edu/international/isss/apply.htm
Graduate - http://www.montana.edu/wwwdg/cat_appl&deadlines.shtml
Clear instructions accompany the online application detailing documents that should be sent in order to complete the process. Please don’t hesitate to contact our office with questions or concerns regarding application procedures!
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NEW SAT Achievement Scholarship Awards Chart for Fall 2009
Montana State University will offer millions of dollars in scholarships and awards to non-resident freshmen who apply for admission for the fall of 2009.
To be eligible, students must complete the following as soon as possible:
- Apply for admission to Montana State University - http://www.montana.edu/international/isss/apply.htm
- Have your official ACT and/or SAT test scores sent to Montana State University directly from the testing company. The ACT MSU school code is 2420. The SAT MSU school code is 4488.
It is essential to apply for admission and have their ACT and/or SAT test scores sent to Montana State University as soon as possible. These scholarships and awards may only be available for a limited time.
If students qualify, these scholarships will be automatically awarded when we have received their application and ACT and/or SAT test scores.
Here is what undergraduate freshmen may qualify for:
Your ACT
Test Score |
Your SAT
Test Score |
Amount You May Be Awarded |
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33 and higher |
2140 and higher |
$60,000 Achievement Award ($15,000 per year renewable for 4 years) |
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29 to 32 |
1920 to 2130 |
$30,000 Achievement Award ($7,500 per year renewable for 4 years) |
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28 |
1860 to 1910 |
$24,000 Achievement Award ($6,000 per year renewable for 4 years) |
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27 |
1800 to 1850 |
$20,000 Achievement Award ($5,000 per year renewable for 4 years) |
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26 |
1740 to 1790 |
$16,000 Achievement Award ($4,000 per year renewable for 4 years) |
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25 |
1680 to 1730 |
$12,000 Achievement Award ($3,000 per year renewable for 4 years) |
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24 |
1620 to 1670 |
$8,000 Achievement Award ($2,000 per year renewable for 4 years) |
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23 |
1560 to 1610 |
$6,000 Achievement Award ($1,500 per year renewable for 4 years) |
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For Fall 2009, MSU Achievement Awards will be based upon ACT composite scores and/or total SAT scores (Math, Critical Reading and Writing).
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Common Difficulties International Students Face in the U.S. - Housing and Food Adjustments
Housing
Montana State University has a policy requiring all freshmen live on campus their first year of study. This policy is in place to help the youngest students on-campus to ensure they have enough food, learn how to take care of themselves, and make some friends in that critical first year of study. Some international students have frustrations with this policy because they would prefer to live off-campus and share an apartment with friends thinking that it is a cheaper option. In fact, most of our undergraduates will choose to remain in the dormitories even after their mandatory first year is up due to the convenient location, the ease of using the dining halls for all meals, and the friends they have made during their stay. Also, given the many costs of renting an apartment and cooking, living in the dormitories is actually quite reasonable.
I am bringing this up in the newsletter in hopes that you can share this important information with your students at the time of applying to avoid any issues or confusion. It is best if students can spend some time looking at the many dormitory options online and apply early to ensure they get their first choice - http://www.montana.edu/wwwocl/Reslife/ . Another benefit to living in the dormitories is the ease of transition upon arrival. No matter how early a student arrives we are able to get them into a temporary dormitory for only US$10 a night. This is a great price compared to the cost of a hotel that can be over US$100 a night! Also dormitory space is GUARANTEED for all undergraduate students!
Transfer and graduate students are not required to live on campus, however most will choose to due to the ease and cost effectiveness. Graduate housing is limited, so students are encouraged to apply as soon as they gain admission to MSU. There is often a waiting list as early as 6 months prior to the start of a semester! The Office of International Programs highly encourages all transfer and graduate students without confirmed graduate housing to live in the residence halls at least for their first semester. This will allow them an easy transition to MSU and some time in Bozeman to make other housing arrangements should they decide to move for a future semester.
Food
Food is often one of the biggest difficulties for students transitioning to life in the United States. For many international students the diet in the U.S. is entirely different than what they are used to at home and it makes them incredibly home-sick. Many international students also have dietary restrictions that they are concerned with – vegan, vegetarian, halal, etc. The dormitory cafeterias offer a varied menu with many options for students at each meal, including: vegetables, rice or potatoes, meat/chicken/fish options, fruit and desserts. For students that have a dietary restriction they can work with the cafeteria dietician to learn the ingredients in each food item and also request specific types of meals based on their needs. Currently we have a number of Muslim students that are fasting during Ramadan and the cafeterias have been extremely helpful in working around their schedule to ensure they have opportunities for meals when they are allowed.
Another way of dealing with American foods which many international people find “boring and bland” is for students to bring spices from home to spice up the dishes here. Many spices can also be ordered online if students run out. Some of the grocery stores in town carry a variety of spices and foods that students may recognize and they can always choose to cook on weekends.
It is important for students to know that moving to another country is going to require them to be flexible and to learn to adapt to the new culture, foods, and ways of life – at least for the period of time they are living here! Our office is happy to help students in making these transitions, but feel it is important for them to know ahead of time some of the challenges other students have faced.
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MSU Joins NASA Team Investigating Universe, Receives US$6 Million
May 11, 2007 -- By Evelyn Boswell, MSU News Service
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BOZEMAN -- Researchers at Montana State University have been chosen to join NASA in studying the origin and future of life in this universe.
As one of four new members of the NASA Astrobiology Institute, MSU will receive approximately $6 million during the five years of the grant. Other new members are the University of Wisconsin, Madison; the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
"Each of these teams brings something important to NASA's overall portfolio in astrobiology, and to the future success of missions in planetary science, astronomy and earth science," said Colleen Hartman, deputy associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C.
Astrobiologists study the origin, distribution and future of life in the universe. What they learn on earth may teach them about life on other planets.
"MSU continues to be recognized for its world-class research, faculty, staff and students," said MSU President Geoff Gamble.
Tom McCoy, MSU vice president for research, creativity and technology transfer, said, "Becoming a team member of the NASA Astrobiology Institute is an incredible tribute to the quality of research being conducted at MSU. The MSU team led by John Peters is conducting research on identifying ways to recognize the signatures of emerging life forms elsewhere in the universe."
Dave Dooley, MSU provost and vice president for academic affairs, said, "It is interesting to note that the other universities selected were Caltech, MIT and the University of Wisconsin. This speaks volumes about the quality of our faculty and our research capabilities. It is also important to note that these faculty are among our best teachers, and that undergraduates will be directly involved in the research activities supported by this award."
John Peters, head of MSU's Thermal Biology Institute, is director and principal investigator of MSU's Astrobiology Institute Team. Other team members are Trevor Douglas, head of MSU's Center for Bio-Inspired Nanomaterials; Mark Young, plant sciences & plant pathology; Joan Broderick, Tim Minton and Robert Szilagyi, chemistry; and Prasanta Bandyopadhyay, history and philosophy.
"It's a fantastic validation of the work being done at MSU," Douglas said of MSU's selection.
Young, director of the MSU EPSCoR program, said, "This is an example of Montana's long-term investment in science paying off to do national and internationally-recognized work addressing some of the fundamental issues of interest to everyone."
Peters said the NASA membership will allow MSU scientists and graduate students to conduct fundamental research with far-reaching impacts. They will focus on the origin of life, investigating the role of iron-sulfide compounds in the transition from the non-living to living world. Understanding how life emerged on this planet will help scientists know what they're seeing when they search for life on other planets, Peters added.
According to a NASA press release, "The basic research carried out in the institute directly supports many NASA missions, such as exploration of Mars and the search for planets around other stars, including investigations of the habitability of other worlds."
MSU's project will bridge the missions of the Thermal Biology Institute (TBI) and the Center for Bio-Inspired Nano-materials (CBIN), Peters said. TBI focuses on the extreme environments of Yellowstone National Park and deals with questions that relate to the origin of life. CBIN focuses on understanding materials in the nano-scale.
NASA founded the Astrobiology Institute in 1998. Its 16 members include the four new members and 12 previously-chosen members: the Carnegie Institution of Washington, University of Colorado, Boulder; NASA Ames Research Center, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Indiana University, Marine Biological Laboratory, Pennsylvania State University, SETI (Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence) Institute, University of Arizona, University of California, Berkeley; University of California, Los Angeles; and University of Hawaii, Manoa. |
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