Posts by Vovaizanglia

Vovaizanglia

Apr 1, 2011

Student Talk / Can English Teaching certificate replace IELTS, TOEFL etc requirement? [8]

lol, thanks Susan. Will pay more attention when writing the Admission Essays :)
However some corrections may change the meaning:

Would it make sense to write "it [another language] is the second one I learned when I was born"?
Basically I want to underline the fact that English was the first of several since a specific event in time, i.e. my birth. Perhaps it would have been more appropriate to write "it is the first one I learned since my birth"? (sounds weird though)

"where English is not a main language"
Here I am trying to stress that neither of the main languages of those countries are English (e.g. in Switzerland, the main languages are German, French, Italian and Romansch).

Vovaizanglia

Mar 31, 2011

Student Talk / Can English Teaching certificate replace IELTS, TOEFL etc requirement? [8]

Thank You KathyLala.

I think I omitted an important detail in my original question:

Let's say I apply for an MBA program that says "Requirements: GMAT xxx, IELTS or TOEFL score xxx". Or even any Master of Science program in any field from Business to Economics that requires "IELTS or TOEFL".

Basically I am asking, instead of IELTS/TOEFL, could I just submit the English teaching credential, as it is in theory more important than a foreign language certificate?

Vovaizanglia

Mar 30, 2011

Student Talk / Can English Teaching certificate replace IELTS, TOEFL etc requirement? [8]

Hello,

I consider English my native language as it is the first one I learned since I was born, as have my parents. Nevertheless, my family has traveled a lot, and I hold nationality and citizenship in countries where English is not a main language.

For this reason alone, I am required to submit IELTS or TOEFL when applying for graduate programs around the world.

Since I would like to teach privately (to support my wallet during Master studies), I was pondering whether it would be worth to pursue one of those English teaching certificates, such as CELTA/DELTA or CerTESOL, and thereby save money, instead of taking IELTS or TOEFL.

Since, in theory, teaching certificates should indicate higher language ability than a foreign language certificate, don't you think this would be valid for graduate admission?

Thank you

Vovaizanglia

Mar 30, 2011

Undergraduate / "a doctor, who herself went through tough times" - why are you applying to college [4]

It looks fine to me. I am not sure about US colleges (maybe others will correct me), but shouldn't you specify a bit what kind of subject you would like to study in college, what you want to "major" in when you finish?

Vovaizanglia

Oct 16, 2010

Letters / UK CV format - personal profile, delayed graduation, strange background [3]

EFKevin, thanks a lot for your answer and encouragement :)

It's just that I've been searching a lot and I almost feel too old (graduating 2 years later than expected is not a small detail).

But I'll try this - thanks for all your suggestions!

Vovaizanglia

Oct 12, 2010

Letters / UK CV format - personal profile, delayed graduation, strange background [3]

Dear everyone,

I am in serious need of advice as I have failed getting any interview after months of job searching. I feel that the problem is that I juggled "too much" ever since I started university, i.e. I got over-involved with too many responsibilities, student societies, etc. that I wasn't able to finish my undergrad degree on time (almost 2 years late). Currently I have only 4 exams remaining, but still it seems impossible to convince people to employ me, even for temp or part-time jobs.

I would really appreciate any advice regarding my personal profile, since it is the "opener".

"A resilient and mindful student equipped with a versatile, globalization-proof skill-set that I aim to offer at [e.g. an internship in the XXX sector].

I have juggled university with a diverse range of volunteer and leadership roles that saw me building teams as well as external relations both locally and abroad.

Six languages allow me to reach out into life and business in a multitude of peoples/cultures and are backed online by solid IT and web marketing skills that I have matured since childhood."

Also... most CV guides suggest to omit any information older than 5-6 years, however I feel that I have built (self-learned) my most useful skills (e.g. online marketing, languages) while I was a kid... do you think this can sound strange, or that I should explain more (e.g. could I list websites I created when I was 11 years old?)

Thank you