live with, study with and have adventures with people from all over the world! You can get to know them very well while you share your cultures and dreams. Vis-it USC Language Acade-my on Facebook. Then, stay connected after you leave Language Academy using our alumni website.

5. Fully understand your op-tions for admission to USC or other colleges and uni-versities: You can meet with our Academic Advi-sor, Pamela Yamamoto Ireland, to help you un-derstand all your admis-sion options, timelines and requirements.

(Continued on p. 4)

Dear Fall 2013 Students:

Welcome to the USC Lan-guage Acade-my Intensive English Pro-gram! We are very excited about your arrival! The faculty and staff of the Acade-my are ready to help you achieve these goals:

1. Increase your English and use it with confidence: For 21 hours each week, your instructors will work hard to help you learn more English. You will speak English with USC students in small conver-sation groups to help you speak English comforta-

bly and confidently.

2. Improve your test scores: You may select iBT TOEFL or IELTS clas-ses to help improve your test scores. Daily writ-ing and listening exercis-es will also help you im-prove your writing and listening scores.

3. Get to know American culture, Los Angeles and USC: Every week you can visit a new place in Los Angeles, talk to Americans and learn about the variety of cul-tures. You can explore USC’s many facilities so conveniently because you are right on campus!

4. Make new friends from other cultures: You will

Welcome Picnic TODAY!!! Friday, September 13th 12:00pm—2:00pm @ JEF Courtyard Come meet the new and continuing Lan-guage Academy students at the Welcome Picnic TODAY! Lunch will be served! Since it is supposed to rain today, we will have the picnic INSIDE! Meet at the Marks Hall Lounge, behind Doheny Library. See maps in the announcements for more in-formation.

L.A. County Fair Friday, September 20, 2013 12:00pm—9:00pm ($10) Come see the rural side of the L.A! See livestock shows and competitions, pig rac-es, circus acts, carnival rides and and enjoy lots of fair food. This is a great American

summer past time! Sign up today at 12:00pm in JEF Courtyard. Bring $10 cash payment.

DIRECTOR’S WELCOME LETTER 2013

I N S I D E

T H I S I S S U E :

Who’s Who at

the Academy

2

FAQs for new

students

3

GRE Tips for

Success

3

Hollywood

Sign Hike

4

Movie

Review

5

Pics of the

Week

6

UP C O M I N G AC T I V I T I E S

The Academy News S E P T E M B E R 1 3 . 2 0 1 3 V O L U M E 5 8 , I S S U E 1 Do you want help

with your state-

ment of purpose?

Who can help you

at Language Acad-

emy? See p.3 for

the answer.

Hiking to the

Hollywood Sign

was an adventure

for Allen. See p. 4

for the story.

Go to www.usc.edu/

langacad/ and click on

“Current Students” for

the online edition of

The Academy News

P A G E 2

Drinking Laws in U.S.

The laws about drinking alcohol in

the United States are strict. You must

be 21 years old to purchase any kind of

alcoholic drink, even beer or wine.

Avoid trouble and obey the law.

American alcohol laws are a

patchwork of rules that vary by

state, county, and towns. In some

places (primarily in the South), en-

tire counties or towns may prohibit

alcohol.

In all states, however, the drink-

ing age is set at 21 for both sexes

and is fairly well enforced with ID

checks by the alcohol seller.

Furthermore, it is illegal in most

states to provide a minor with alco-

hol even in the company of his par-

ents.

New students are often unsure who

to go to for any questions or prob-

lems. What if you want help with

your email account? What if you

want someone to tell you about ap-

plying to a USC program? This direc-

tory can help:

Director Kate O’Connor:

See Kate for

General Information

keo@usc.edu

Assistant Director College

Advisor Pam Yamamoto Ireland.

See Pam for

Advising for college applications

Statement of Purpose

pyamaoto@usc.edu

Admission and Immigration

Advisor Gil Cho. See Gil for

Immigration questions

Fees and Billing

gcho@usc.edu

Student Services Coordinator Silvia

Green. See Silvia for

Problems with email accounts/

USCard/health/housing

Academy Activities

Signing up for Language Labs

merlos@usc.edu

Academic Director Deb Detzel. See

Deb for

Electives

Attendance

detzel@usc.edu

See your teachers for

Level changes

Classroom policies

Homework questions

Program Information. See

Jessica Stern for information about

Language Academy.

jepsica@usc.edu

Who’s Who at Language Academy?

Welcome Letter Continued from p. 1

6. Be involved in your classes, with the facul-ty, staff, and with your classmates to make this term the best it can be: Actively par-ticipate in classes. Ask questions! Fo-cus on your homework and contribute to group projects by doing your best work. Organize study dates with friends. Make every moment of your semester count!

7. Have fun!: All of our students have se-rious goals and plans, but don’t forget to have fun! Silvia Green, the Student Services Coordinator, will plan many fun activities for you. Be friendly and outgoing. Remember a smile is the universal language.

We believe we attract the best students of English in the world (YOU!). That means we have to be the best English program in the world. If we work to-

gether we will accomplish all of our goals.

On behalf of the faculty and staff, let me welcome you again to the USC Language Academy. I look forward to meeting each of you and helping you have a great fall session.

Sincerely,

Kate O’Connor Director, USC Language Academy Rossier School of Education

New students had lunch on Tuesday at EVK. Classes started on Thursday.

P A G E 3

Frequently Asked Questions Q. I want to go to the gym. What do I do? A. The Lyon Center (gym) is located across the street from the USC Language Academy.

In order to go work out at the gym, you need a sticker from the staff at the Lyon Cen-ter. As a Language Academy student, you have free access to the gym (this does not include special classes, which are an additional fee) where you can run, lift weights, and stretch. They might tell you to fill out a form online—BUT—don’t. Only USC stu-dents should fill out the online form. As a Language Academy student, you will need to fill out a paper form and sign it. Then, the front desk staff will give you a nice sticker to go on your USC ID card. You will show it to the front desk staff every time you go to the gym.

Q. I want to put money on my USC ID card. What do I do? A. PLEASE DON’T USE THE MACHINE AT LEAVEY LIBRARY! Unfortunately, the USC system has some

trouble with Language Academy cards, so you need to make sure to follow these instructions carefully. If you would like to put money on your USC ID card (USCard) so that you may use your card like a “debit” card on the USC campus, you will add “discretionary” funds either online or at the USCard office, located in Parking Structure X (PSX). To add money to your card online, go to www.usc.edu/vipcardservices. Click on the button for VIPs. You will need to enter your name, email address and USC ID number (10-digit number located on your USC ID card). Then you can type in the amount of money you would like to add to your USC ID card. You will then receive an email to verify the information and to ask for a credit card number that the money will come from. If you don’t want to use the online sys-tem, stop by the USCard office and have them do it for you. Just bring your USC ID card and a credit card. You can check your balance any time online, at the office, or at any USC cashier. “Discretionary” funds, or “discresh” as USC students call it, can be used at any food place on campus, as well as the USC Bookstore.

Q. I want to sign up for my USC email address. What do I do? A. You can follow the directions on the 10 Easy Steps handout you received during Orientation, or simply

visit www.usc.edu/firstlogin and follow the directions. If you are still having problems signing up for your email address, you can email Jessica at jessicrs@rossier.usc.edu, and she can set it up for you. Remember to put in your first name as it appears on your USC ID card, and your last name as it appears on your USC ID card. Then enter your birthday. Then you will click on the button at the very bottom that says “Please check here if you are activating an organizational account or a guest/affiliate account with email services.” Remember to write down your username and password!! (You will have a different username and password for the Language Lab sign-up website that you create!)

GRE TIPS

By ASSYL ZHAKUPOV

I know that many Language Academy students (of course except my Annenberg school classmates and those who have already received acceptances) are probably dreading over the GRE—a graduate school entrance exam that is nothing short of ominous. However, it doesn’t

have to be a demon over your shoul-der. There are ways to tackle it, from learning the right content to master-ing the tricks of the test.

A lot of websites out there on the Internet claim to have the best tips and tricks, or shortcuts to helping you ace the exam, but a few pieces of advice I have tried and heard from those around me have been the most helpful in my own preparation and I hope to share those with you.

First, there is a reason that every GRE Verbal Reasoning book has a long list of words in the back of the book. This is because they are IM-PORTANT! Essentially, sleep with your dictionary. (No, not in that way, but you know what I mean). Spend every extra minute you have after studying to memorize the meanings of the GRE hit-list. Don’t just memo-rize. In fact, engrain them in your memory See GRE Tips on p.8

P A G E 4

By ALLEN TIAN ____________________

Finally, I took a real look

at the famous Hollywood sign,

in person!

It was one of the nicest

days in LA. My friends, Virgil,

Changpei, Demitri and I went

hiking in Griffith Park.

Actually our plan was just

to visit the Griffith Observato-

ry. But we ended up hiking

due to a statement by Demitri.

“I once hiked to the Holly-

wood sign,” he said when he

stood in front of the observato-

ry pointing at those big white

woods over the mountains. Of

course, for people like us who

only had seen that famous sign

on TV screens, never would

we be that silly to let this

chance slip away.

So, we went hiking!

The way to the Holly-

wood sign was different from

the one Dimitri took, as we

were at observatory, which is

southeast from where people

usually begin to hike. But we

decided to give it a try.

The route was not steep at

first, but dusty and without

shade. We could see the first

200 meters of it, but the left

was coiling to the back of the

mountain as if it was hiding

from us. Hot, as it was, ex-

posed under ultraviolet ray and

embraced by heating air, we

all sweated badly just after 10

minutes walking. Virgil, who

used to do bicycling in Tai-

wan, said, “I think hiking here

can even compete with moun-

tain bicycling!” Yes, everyone

agreed.

When trees became fewer

and fewer, it meant we were

close to the top of the moun-

tain. Certainly, it was not

where the Hollywood sign was

set. It was still far away from

us, luring us with its bright

body from time to time. But,

we were all shocked by the

scene on top.

It was the city L.A. To the

south, the whole city was

spreading all the way to the

horizon, vast but trim. Down-

town was one of the several

places we could tell immedi-

ately due to the outstanding

height, but right now, those

skyscrapers were just like toy

bricks for kids. We tried to

locate USC, but it was con-

cealed in thousands of

“bricks.” The view was so

fascinating that we rested

there, devouring it for quite a

long time.

Keep walking. The moun-

tain routes were like the body

of a snake, up and down, curv-

ing and long. As we took a

different way, there were times

we got lost, but we managed to

find the right one. After about

two hours walking, we could

see Hollywood right there as if

we could touch it with a giant

jump! But we were on the

wrong way again and it took

too long time to go back. But

we noticed that there was a

shortcut, accurately speaking,

a very steep slope leading to

another mountain road beneath

the road we stood on. A little

bit dangerous. What to do? To

go back, which meant giving

up; or take the challenge?

After a quick discussion,

we decided to try it. I used to

go climbing several times, so I

went first. I told Changpei,

who was a little afraid, “you

will be safe. I am just in front

you and can stop you at any-

time. We can make it!”

Carefully and slowly, we

moved inch by inch to the end

of the slope. We watched and

helped each other. Finally,

four of us successfully and

safely landed on the right way.

Then, after turning three cor-

ners, we saw what we wanted,

the Hollywood sign!

Huge, beautiful, and

amazing! It just sat there, qui-

etly and calmly, looking at the

whole city, at us. It was like

after travelling thousands of

miles that we meet with our

beloved one at the end. It was

exhausting, but how awesome

it was… I could not remember

how many pictures did we take

or how may gestures we made

while taking pictures. We were

just so happy and so thrilled.

We enjoyed the sunset with

Hollywood sign there. It was

the most beautiful scene I had

ever seen in my life.

We were happy that we

did not give up. Though we

took several wrong ways, we

were happy that we helped and

cooperated with each other in

the face of difficulties. It was

the last activity we had as stu-

dents of Language Academy,

but we had practiced real Tro-

jans’ belief of being faithful,

courageous and ambitious all

along the way. As for being

scholarly and skillful, I believe

we will definitely fulfill them

in the new coming term. Fight

on!

Life in L. A.

Hiking to the Hollywood Sign

Allen (far right) and his friends hiked to the Hollywood sign in Griffith Park

By SCARLETT CHEN

__________________________

The City of Los Angels ranked the

first, 65 percent, on the list of recycling

rates for 10 largest cities in the U.S. As a

new resident of Los Angeles, the forerun-

ner in protecting the environment, stu-

dents at USC Language Academy should

also contribute to recycling.

According to the report from Los

Angeles City Bureau of Sanitation, other

major cities such as New York and Chica-

go had rates of 55 and 52.4, ranking the

third and fifth on the list.

Although the law does not require

recycling, it is the duty for each resident

to help save the world. Students who live

on campus or immediately close to cam-

pus could bring their recyclable material,

such as beverage cans, old papers and

bottles, to campus. Every building on

campus has recycling bins standing either

at the entrance doors or in the back of the

classrooms. Students who are not familiar

with what to recycle could follow the in-

struction on recycling bins.

Students who live far away from

campus can find recycling stations near

their apartments. Some of the property has

recycling bins next to trash bins. If not,

students can also bring recyclable materi-

als to recycling centers. Some of the cen-

ters pay people who recycle cans and pa-

pers.

It is important for residents to recycle

because the resources on the earth is lim-

ited. People need to take care of their mu-

tual home – the earth. For more infor-

mation about recycling, please visit http://

dpw.lacounty.gov/epd/rethinkla/recycle/

and http://earth911.com/.

P A G E 5 Movie Review

By XI (SILVIA) KANG

_________________

“The Spectacular Now,” directed by

James Ponsoldt was released on August 2,

2013. This film won the Special Jury

Award for Acting at the Sundance Film

Festival, and its script was co-written by

Scott Neustadter and Michael Weber, the

writers of “500 Days of Summer.”

The film creates a vivid portrait of

adolescence that confronts love and adult-

hood. Based upon the novel “The Spec-

tacular Now” by Tim Tharp, the film fol-

lows protagonist Sutter Keely, who used

to be popular and carefree, but is still not

satisfied with his life. However, after fall-

ing in love with Aimee Finecky, a kind

and genuine girl, he undergoes a series of

unexpected incidents, and realizes that he

should live for the moment and cherish

what he already has. It is a movie filled

with warmth.

On July 31, 2013, an informal premi-

ere was held at the George Lucas Building

in the USC School of Cinematic Arts.

James Ponsoldt, the director of the movie,

was invited to the theatre to introduce his

film as well as answer audience questions.

Critic Todd McCarthy described this film

as “a sincere, refreshingly unaffected look

at teenagers and their attitudes about the

future.”

Ponsoldt commented on the subject

by stating, “I am always interested in writ-

ing something about adolescence which is

very similar to my adolescence. Besides

that, I had a lot of conversations with the

actors about the characters, and the con-

versations were under the foundation of

trust.” Moreover, Ponsoldt added, “I hope

this movie can be natural and organic,

which means I did not want to push any-

thing since I want to show the process [of

becoming an adult].”

When it comes to the characters,

Ponsoldt also mentioned that Shailene

Woodley, who plays Aimee, had a differ-

ent opinion of her character after reading

the script. Woodley thought the original

character of Aimee from the novel is con-

sidered a nerd. However, she believed her

character in the script is not a nerd since

being academic and having little interest

in popular culture does not necessarily

indicate one is a nerd or outcast. As a re-

sult, Ponsoldt added that they “made some

changes, and the character of Aimee in the

movie is quite different from the one in

the book.”

“The Spectacular Now” is a movie

which is worthwhile to watch. It is not

only a coming-of-age story about a young

man, but also includes a valuable life phi-

losophy. One will gain a better under-

standing of the essence of life after watch-

ing the characters’ experiences.

Protagonist Sutter Keely discovers first love in “The Spectacular Now,” released August 2.

Portrait of Adolescence in “The Spectacular Now”

Recycling in Los Angeles

USC Language

Academy

Rossier School of

Education

Phone: 213-740-0080

Fax: 213-740-0088

Web: www.usc.edu/

langacad

Pics of the Week

The Academy News is a weekly newsletter pro-duced by students in the Journalism Elective of the USC Language Academy. All students in the Lan-guage Academy Program are encouraged to send news stories and photos to Sonja Lovelace at slove-lac@usc.edu.

Check out The Academy News online at www.usc.edu/langacad.Go to “Student Infor-

mation” and then click on “The Academy

P A G E 6 S E P T E M B E R 1 3 . 2 0 1 3

New students attended orientation this week, and all students picked up their schedules on Thursday. PALs (bottom right) an-swered questions and helped everybody find their way around cam-pus. Thanks, PALs!

GRE TIPS Continued from p. 5

so every time you see the word, you will not only know the meaning, but feel it. This is important because during the test, nerves will kick in and cause some brain freezes, but knowing the words backwards and forwards will make taking the test many times easier.

Second, take as many practice tests and answer as many practice questions as you can. There are only so many ways these questions, num-bers, and answer choices can be phrased, so having seen many of them will be to your advantage on test day.

Third, and finally, get good sleep the night before the ex-am. Eat a solid breakfast. That does not mean munching on a cereal bar or a piece of leftover

pizza while running hastily out the door towards the exam cen-ter. Quality food and good hy-dration( drinking water) will en-able you to think more clearly during the already stressful ex-am.

Great results require smart preparation. Best of luck!

Facts about GRE

According the Educational Testing Service (ETS), about 650,000 people take the GRE each year.

About 48% of all test takers have earned undergraduate degrees in fields, such as engineering, math, and sci-ences.