推荐信是本科申请文件中重要的一环。这些来自老师或朋友的推荐信，可以与学生的申请材料相互配合，从而更加充分地展示学生的学习潜力、个性品质及独特之处。一般来说，本科申请需要两封学校老师的推荐信，一封来自文科老师，另一封来自理科老师。然而像宾大、杜克大学等名牌的高校鼓励学生提交一封补充推荐信。虽然这并非强制的要求，同学们应当充分利用这个机会，更加全面的展示自己。

这封补充推荐信可以来自同窗好友、教练、项目主管、选修课老师、亲属，甚至任何一个了解你，并且能够更好的展示你的人。肯特咨询相信，来自目标学校校友或者教职工的推荐信会更有分量，因为这样无形中展示了申请者与目标学校之间的联系。肯特咨询会指导学生，如何选择一个合适的补充推荐人。

Reference letters, a.k.a. letters of recommendation, are important components in the college application package. The letters serve as the complementary documents to display the academic potentials, personalities, characteristics and uniqueness of the applicants. Normally, colleges require two letters from an arts teacher and a science teacher respectively, yet many decent schools, such as University of Pennsylvania and Duke University, encourage students to submit one additional reference letter. Even it is optional, applicants should make good use of this opportunity to present their cases more comprehensively.

The optional letters could come from a peer, a coach, a director, a teacher from an elective course, a family member, or anyone else who knows you well and will give the committee a better idea of who you are. KCG believes the letter from alumni or faculty is more effective, as it reveals the connections between the students and schools. KCG will advise on how to figure out a right additional recommender.

通常来讲，大部分学校最后一轮申请（RD）的截止日期定在来年的1月初，但是有意思的是，杜克大学特地为希望参加当地校友招生委员会面试的同学们设定了一个特殊的截止日期。申请杜克大学的同学们可以在12月10日之前提交一部分的申请材料（公共申请表格或者杜克补充表格），就可以有机会得到参加面试的机会。杜克大学会在来年的1月份联系这些提早提交材料的申请同学，安排这次面试。

对于申请者来讲，能够在校友招生委员会面前展示自己，无疑是一个很珍贵的机会。肯特咨询建议同学们珍惜并充分利用这次机会。在此，肯特咨询也提醒同学们，距离最后一轮申请截止的时间已经很近了，请大家及时准备好申请材料。

Normally the deadline of Regular Decision (RD) falls on early January in the next year, but it is interesting that the Duke University provides a special deadline for the prospective students if they wish to have an interview with the local Alumni Admissions Committee. In order to request this interview, the applicants need to submit part of application (either the Common Application or the Duke Supplement) before Dec. 10th. Should students follow this requirement accordingly, they will be contacted about an alumni interview in January.

It is a great chance to present your case in front of the Alumni Admissions Committee. KCG suggests students to cherish this opportunity and make good use of it. Hereby KCG reminds applicants to file their application package in time for the sake of the tight schedule.

随着圣诞钟声的敲响，一些在美国寄宿高中就读的同学们纷纷计划回国，度过这个为期三周左右的假期。最近，肯特咨询正在为同学们规划假期安排，以帮助他们享受一个快乐而充实的寒假。

对于每一个同学，假期规划都是按照实际情况量身定制的。概括来讲，对于12年级的同学，肯特咨询会充分利用寒假时间，继续协助他们完成大学的申请。对于11年级同学来说，肯特咨询设计了一个强化训练课程，帮助他们及早准备标准考试以及提高英语水平，为他们顺利升入高中的最后一年打下基础。对于9-10年级的学生，肯特咨询会留出更多的时间供他们放松、休闲，但是同时也会制定一些适量的学习计划，包括单词学习、写作技能培训等内容。

肯特咨询衷心希望同学们能够利用寒假时间，在巩固学业的同时，享受一个轻松愉快的假期！

As the Christmas bells are ringing, some U.S boarding school students are going back to China for the 3-week winter break. Recently KCG is assisting to organize a delightful and enriched holiday for our students.

The planning for each student is highly customized, depending on the situation of each individual. Generally, for some senior year students, KCG will keep assisting on college application, specifically for the essay revision and documentation. For the juniors, KCG tailored quite an intensive training program in order to assist them with preparation for the standardized tests and improvement of overall English proficiency. For freshmen and sophomores, KCG will leave more space for them, but will also appropriately follow up with some implements of education, including vocabulary study, writing skills enhancement, etc.

KCG wishes all the students a wonderful holiday with learning and fun!

上周，美国的大学纷纷公布了EA/ED的录取结果。一部分学生通过提前录取幸运的拿到了他们梦中学校的录取通知书。我们获悉了来自宾大、哥伦比亚、布朗大学、华盛顿圣路易斯分校以及康奈尔大学等高校的ED录取消息。我们衷心的祝贺这些被提早录取的同学们，他们或许还沉浸在巨大的喜悦中。

除部分学生的申请被顺延到正常录取阶段，绝大部分的申请则遭到了直接的拒绝。通常这会非常的令人失望和郁闷。一般来说，优等学生更易受到情绪方面的伤害，从而对于录取结果采取过激的反应，有些甚至考虑全面摒弃之前制定的申请策略和申请短文。这无疑是一种极为不妥的行动，而且随着RD截止日期的迫近，这项举动会变得非常危险。我们鼓励没有拿到录取的同学们以冷静、理性的态度去重新审视各自的申请策略和申请短文。对自己要保有信心，同时改进在EA/ED申请中不足之处，在此基础上更好的展示自己。我们相信，只要你尽力做好申请，属于你的好消息会如期而至。

Last week, admission news about EA/ED applications has arrived. A few lucky students got their desired schools’ admission under ED applications. We heard about ED admissions from Upenn., Columbia, Brown, Washington Saint Louise, and Cornell, etc. We sincerely congratulate those EA/ED admitted students who are now in their exultation mode.

Unlike students who were deferred to RD for admission evaluation, those students who received direct decline or rejection letters got upset or depressed. Top tier students are likely hurt emotionally and overreact to the result by forsaking totally their EA/ED application strategy and essay papers. This is not appropriate and could even be a dangerous movement given the limited time left for RD. We encourage rejected students to re-visit their strategy and essay papers with cool and rational attitude. Keep confident on you and try hard to figure out way how to present you better given the reflections you can take from this review. Your good news is ahead waiting for you as long as you have put your best efforts into your application package.

对想要在美国和加拿大寄宿学校或者大学学习的学生来说，写作技巧至关重要。为了帮助学生们学习英语写作的基本规则、原则和知识，肯特咨询推出了“英语写作提高课程”。该课程涵盖十二节课，课堂所用教学材料均严格摘取自The Elements of Style （五十周年纪念版，译名《英语写作指南经典》）。除“课堂讲解者”外，每节课中还设置了“评论修改”的环节，授课教师将针对学生的习作或课堂作业进行一对一的评论和修改。这些授课教师均是来自美国或加拿大顶尖名校的在校生。

The Elements of Style,也被称为Struck and White （译名《斯多克和威特》）,是一本极具声名和颇受欢迎的美式英语写作指南。这本书曾被康奈尔大学用作写作课程的教科书。在2011年，《时代周刊》将这本书列为自1923年以来最棒、最具有影响力的百强英语书籍之一。参照这本佳作，肯特咨询相信我们的写作课程能为学生提供建设性的英语写作技巧，也为学生日后的写作考试、论文写作等提供坚持基础。

Writing skill is critical for any student who wants to study in US and Canadian boarding schools or colleges. To help students to learn basic rules, principles and knowledge on English writing, KCG launches “English Writing Skill Improvement” Course. The program comprises of twelve lessons and all the instructive material are strictly abstracted from The Elements of Style (fiftieth anniversary edition). Apart from lectures, there is a “Comments and Revision” session in each lesson. Tutors will share their comments and revision for students’ writing samples or assignments in one on one based manner. Those tutors are normally college students who are studying now in prestige schools in USA or Canada.

The Elements of Style, also known as Struck and White, is an American English writing style guidebook of great credit and popularity among writers of all kinds. It’s used to be the textbook of an English writing course in Cornell University. Furthermore, in 2011, Time magazine listed this book as one of the 100 best and most influential books written in English since 1923. Using this meritorious textbook, KCG believes our Writing course is able to offer students constructive writing skills and a solid foundation for the future tests and application essays.