ALEJANDRA SANCHEZ

Last Friday, the USC Language

Academy had its second weekly activ-ity. New and continuing students had the opportunity to see The Grove shopping center. We had more than two hours to explore incredible stores. The Grove is a great place to visit in Los Angeles.

At one o’clock in the afternoon, the Language Academy staff gave us a preview of the wonderful evening we would enjoy. Then, we boarded the buses that would take us on our ad-venture to The Grove.

Besides being able to enjoy a day of fun with friends, it was a good chance to meet other Language Acad-emy students. Our trip was not only about shopping and making pur-chases. We explored one shop See The Grove on p. 4

LACMA Museum Trip Friday, February 3rd 1:00pm—6:00pm Come see the famous Los Angeles County Museum of Art with the USC Language Academy! Sign up Monday, January 30th if you would like to go with us to see beautiful works of art on the Miracle Mile! The last day to sign up for this free activ-ity is Wednesday, February 1st. Don’t for-get to sign up in the JEF Courtyard at NOON on Monday.

Valentine’s Day Party Friday, February 10th 1:00pm—3:00pm Celebrate the loveliest of holidays with the Language Academy! Make Valen-tine’s cards for your friends and teachers and learn the history of Valentine’s Day. We’ll have delicious candy of course too! Sign up Monday, January 30th at NOON in the JEF Courtyard if you would like to come to the party! This activity is free and everyone is welcome!

Fabulous Trip to the Grove

I N S I D E

T H I S I S S U E :

Language

Labs

2

Admissions

Series

3

Super Bowl

Sunday

5

Chinese Year

of the Dragon

5

Chinese

New Year

5

Movie and

Weather

Events

Calendar

6

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

The Academy News F E B R U A R Y 3 , 2 0 1 2 V O L U M E 5 3 , I S S U E 3 What is the

Super Bowl?

Find out on p. 5

Learn about the

Year of the

Dragon, p. 5

New Role for

Harry Potter, p.

6

Whose birthday

is coming up

this week? See

p. 7

Language Academy students explored the many shops and restaurants of the Grove last Friday.

P A G E 2

IELTS Test Preparation—In this lab, you will have the opportunity to learn tips and tricks on how to ace the IELTS test.

Writing Skills—In this lab, you will have the opportunity to work on improving your writing skills.

Building English Skills: Levels 1-2—This lab will focus on handwriting, spelling, reading aloud and sentence grammar. It is strongly recommended for students in Beginning Level to Level 2.

GRE/GMAT Test Preparation—In this lab, you will have the opportunity to learn tips and tricks on how to ace the GRE & GMAT tests.

Statement of Purpose Prep—A new topic will be introduced every other week (which means the same topic will be covered for two weeks in a row).

Life Skills—This lab will help you figure out how to survive in America, especially how to get around Los Angeles without a car!

Conversation Practice—Practice speaking English by level with REAL USC STUDENTS. This is an interactive discussion in which you will participate in group discussions about

several interesting topics. This is your opportunity to practice speaking and to ask questions.

Tuesday, February 7th

Time Location Description Facilitator Levels

12:00—1:00 VKC 101 IELTS Test Preparation James Hutzell All Levels (Recommended

for 3-6)

12:00—1:00 VKC 111 Building English Skills

Diana Hiciu Levels Beginner, 1 & 2

12:00—1:00 VKC 160 Writing Skills

Jimenah Espinoza Levels 3, 4, 5, & 6

12:00—1:00 VKC 209 American Culture Natalie Reyes Levels 1, 2, 3, & 4

11:00—12:00

JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 1 Bella Narvaez Level 1

JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 2 Justin Chang Level 2

JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 3 Micala Mendoza Level 3

JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 4

Jemal Williams Level 4

12:00—1:00 JEF Courtyard Conversation Levels 6 & 7 Hannah Yoo Levels 6 & 7

12:00—1:00 JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 5 Jemal Williams Level 5

Thursday, February 9th

Time Location Description Facilitator Levels

12:00—1:00 VKC 101 IELTS Test Preparation James Hutzell All Levels (Recommended

for 3-6)

12:00—1:00 VKC 111 Building English Skills

Diana Hiciu Levels Beginner, 1 & 2

11:00—12:00 THH 113 Statement of Purpose Prep

Heather Robertson

Levels 3, 4, 5, & 6

12:00—1:00 VKC 209 Life Skills Natalie Reyes Levels 1, 2, 3, & 4

11:00—12:00

JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 1 Bella Narvaez Level 1

JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 2 Justin Chang Level 2

JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 3 Micala Mendoza Level 3

JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 4

Jemal Williams Level 4

12:00—1:00 JEF Courtyard Conversation Levels 6 & 7 Hannah Yoo Levels 6 & 7

12:00—1:00 JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 5 Jemal Williams Level 5

P A G E 3

USC Language Academy – USC Graduate/Undergraduate Admission Series – Spring 2012

If you are interested in any of USC’s Graduate or Undergraduate Programs, please sign up for these sessions on the Language Lab sign-up website beginning at NOON today!

MAT- TESOL, Rossier School of Education

Rob Filback & Kristie Rueff, MAT-TESOL Program Tuesday, February 7th at 11am in WPH 700

The Master of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (MAT-ESOL) is an innovative degree that merges the best of graduate-level TESOL training with the strong foundation of a high quality teacher preparation program. The MAT-ESOL will prepare students to enter the teaching profession and pursue careers as English lan-

guage teaching specialists in a variety of settings and educational levels. The curriculum is designed to prepare domestic and international candidates planning to work with children, youth, or adults, either in the U.S. or abroad.

http://mat.usc.edu/tesol/tesol-overview/

USC Undergraduate Admissions David Park, Associate Director, Undergraduate Admission

Tuesday, February 7th from 11:30-12:30pm in the Admission Center presentation room on the 2nd floor of Campus Center At USC, undergraduates can pursue bachelor degrees in the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, as well as in our 17 professional schools and schools of the arts. The uni-versity offers 101 different minors—the broadest array of any United States university—and encourages students to develop "breadth with depth" by studying in widely

separated fields. http://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/

Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism

Valerie Friday Jones, Associate Director of Admissions

Thursday, February 9th from 11:30 am- 12:20 pm in ASCJ 225 The USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism is an innovative, comprehensive school in a networked university in the most global city in the United States. Recognized as a national leader in education and scholarship in the fields of communication, journalism, public diplomacy and public relations, USC Annenberg offers doc-

toral, masters and undergraduate degree programs, as well as continuing development programs for working professionals, across a broad scope of academic inquiry. http://annenberg.usc.edu/Home/Prospective/Masters/CMGT.aspx

Viterbi School of Engineering

Rebecca Meltzer Lyon & Jesse Miller Murphy, Graduate & Professional Programs Thursday, February 9th from 11-12pm in JEF 124

The USC Viterbi School of Engineering, consistently ranked among the top ten graduate engineering schools in the United States (and in the top five among private universi-ties) by U.S. News & World Report, offers Master’s and doctoral degrees in the following areas: Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, Astronautical Engineering, Biomedi-

cal Engineering, Chemical & Petroleum Engineering and Materials Science, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Industrial and Systems Engineering

International Public Policy & Management (IPPAM)

Joanna Yu, IPPAM Program

Thursday, February 9th at 11am in VKC 253 The International Public Policy & Management Program (IPPAM) is a master's degree program at USC for mid–career professionals working in government and the social sectors--health, education, urban planning and management, NGO, communication, environmental protection and general public administration, who are interested in

improving policy in their countries. The program builds the conceptual and analytical skills important in the design of policy, while fostering the leadership and managerial skills needed to effectively run organizations that carry out social sector programs.

http://www.usc.edu/schools/sppd/programs/masters/ippam/

MBA Program, Marshall School of Business Joanne Kahwaji, Marshall Admissions Information Coordinator

Thursday, February 9th from 12:45-1:45pm at JKP 308 The Marshall MBA Program is the two year, full time program at the Marshall School of Business. They provide a foundation for success by offering a business education

that balances theory with real-world application. The hallmarks of its program are its emphasis on entrepreneurial spirit, its global perspective, its incorporation of techno-logical advances to expedite business practices, and its recognition of new areas of specialization in the business world.

http://www.marshall.usc.edu/ftmba/

Master of Architecture Gail Borden, Assistant Professor & AIA Director of MArch Program & Laarni Cutidoc, Graduate Admissions Coordinator

Friday, February 10th from 2pm in WAH 204 The USC School of Architecture offers two Master of Architecture degree programs - one is a first-professional, 2-year program for students with a

4-year undergraduate degree in architecture, the second is a 3-semester post-professional program for students with a five-year bachelor's of architecture. The M.Arch Programs provide students with a competitive edge in the global market through an in-depth understanding of urbanism and

society and the acquisition of advanced conceptual and technical skills. Pedagogical innovations in the areas of Sustainability, Global Urbanism and Digital Intelligence enhance the traditionally strong foundations of professional training at USC.

http://arch.usc.edu/Admissions/GraduateAdmissions

P A G E 4

Health Sessions—MANDATORY for ALL NEW Students

12:00PM @ URC on 2/7 On Tuesday, February 7th, all NEW students will be required to at-tend a mandatory health workshop. We will meet at the University Religious Center (URC) next to the University Health Center at

12:00 PM.

ALL New Students are required to attend this session.

Do not sign up for 12pm Language Labs on Tuesday if you are a new student. Even if you have turned in some immunization proof, you

will still be required to attend.

Students who will need an MMR will need to bring $6.50 in cash. ALL students will need to receive a T-Spot blood test, which will

cost $12.

Friendly, happy USC student seeks

conversation partners on Tuesdays and

Thursdays! Come meet our new

conversation friends next week! Sign up

online for Conversation Practice TODAY at NOON until Monday at 8:00am

to meet some new Language Academy student workers!

The Grove Continued from p. 1

after another, we went to the movies, took the trolley, watched the dancing water show, and we also walked around and learned about the architecture of The Grove. We enjoyed the company of our peers over lunch.

By late afternoon, we were tired. New friends stood together carrying shopping bags. The Grove is an impressive place to visit in Los Angeles. This activity gave us an opportunity to put into practice all our knowl-edge of English. Thanks to the USC Lan-guage Academy for giving us a chance to practice our English skills while having fun and bonding with other Language Academy students.

P A G E 5

YINING (YVOON) WEI

According to the Chinese Zodiac,

2012 is the year of the Dragon begin-

ning on January 23, 2012 and ending

on February 9, 2013.

The Chinese New Year is the most

significant festival for Chinese. In

China, we Chinese call this holiday

"Spring Festival", since the spring

season is the start of a new year.

Unlike Western countries, Chinese

people use the lunar calendar to cal-

culate dates and celebrate the begin-

ning of the spring season as our New

Year’s Day. Generally, the length of

the Chinese New Year is 15 days.

Among those, Chinese New Year's

Eve, a day where families gather for

their annual reunion feast, is the most

important day. It is also known as

chuxi (Eve of the Passing Year).

True to the tradition of Chinese

people, we usually cannot sleep

on this special eve and have to

stay up welcoming the advent of

the New Year.

Before the festival, people

take out their money to purchase pre-

sents, decorations, materials, food as

well as clothing. Receiving new cloth-

ing from parents is the happiest thing

for Chinese girls, while for boys, toys

are always their favorites.

It is also traditional for every

household to clean the house meticu-

lously. By doing that, Chinese believe

sweeping away dust can eliminate any

See Dragon on p. 7

Arts and Culture

Sisi Lin

Super Bowl: A

Rising Industry

The Super Bowl is the champion-

ship game of the National Football

League. It is usually held on the last

Sunday of January or the first Sun-

day of February. This year, it will be

held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indian-

apolis, Indiana, and the two teams

competing for the NFL champion-

ship are the New England Patriots

and the New York Giants.

Many international students who

first come to U.S. may be surprised

about how Americans indulge in the

Super Bowl. Although it is not an

official holiday, people in the

United States consider the Super

Bowl a national carnival. It has de-

veloped many related industries and

has even become a new rising in-

dustry.

As this event creates the second-

largest day for U.S. food consump-

tion (The first is Thanksgiving), the

profits for the food industry in this

single day are amazing. People cheer,

shout and cry during the game, and

they can eat almost everything when

they watch the game. Beers, Buffalo

wings, nachos, and pizza are some

“must have” items for the game.

In addition to the national audi-

ence, countless numbers of world-

wide viewers also watch the game

through television, radio, and Inter-

net. The high audience rating also

attracts the investment of advertising.

Although commercials become

the most annoying thing in the break,

nobody will switch the channel.

Thus, the broadcasting and advertis-

ing become two important sources of

income for the media.

The halftime show has become

another expectation for the audience

during the Super Bowl. The high au-

dience rating and the worldwide in-

fluence make the Super Bowl half-

time show a significant opportunity

for singers, artists, and celebrities.

See Super Bowl on p. 7

Chinese New Year—The Year of the Dragon

P A G E 6

PHOEBE ZHANG

Daniel Radcliffe has

been well-known as Harry

Potter since 2000. I still

remember when I was in

junior high school, the hap-

piest thing was reading the

book of Harry Potter and

waiting for the fancy

movie which made me feel

so excited. His image was

exactly what I imagined of

Harry Potter in the book as

well as his friends.

Twelve years later, the

brave wizard has become a

young man. Now his new

movie The Woman in

Black is coming soon in

Feb 3, 2012. I am looking

forward to it. Meanwhile, I

can’t help feeling de-

pressed because the more

movies he performs in, the

more our impression of

Harry Potter will fade

away. However, the bright

side is that he is transform-

ing and will bring different

types of roles to us.

The Woman in Black is

a horror movie which is

based on a thriller with the

same name. Daniel’s ap-

pearance in this movie is

more mature and serious.

As a lawyer, he goes to

an old house in the coun-

tryside which leaves by his

client who had already

passed away to deal with

some documents. When he

is working in that house

alone, he realizes that he is

actually not alone. There is

a mysterious woman who

always shows up.

What happened be-

fore? What will happen?

Without magic, how can

our Harry fight against a

ghost? If you are a fan of

Harry Potter, go to the

movie theatre this week-

end. It won’t disappoint

you.

WHAT AN AMAZING WINTER! by Sara AlShehri

You all think this is summer, but it’s not. This is actually the winter in LA! There might not be rainy days this week. The chance of rain is 10-20%. We expect to have wind on Saturday and some partly cloudy days on this Thursday till next Monday. The temperature forecast is between 65°F -75°F/18°C-24°C in the mornings. In the eve-ning the lowest degree will be 42°F/6°C . Sunrise will be around 6:50 am and sunset will be around 5:20 pm.

I came from

Riyadh the

capital city of

Saudi Arabia

which is

known to be

extremely cold

in winter and

very hot in

summer. That

is why I like

the weather

here because it’s in between. I

will definitely enjoy this week

and go out oin the weekend

and explore the beautiful

events and places in LA! I

hope you enjoy it too by go-

ing to the beach, hiking in the

mountains, having picnics in

the park, or just hanging out

with your friends and having

some fun. But remember to

grab a sweater to wear it at

night or you’ll get cold!

Radcliffe Transforms Image in The Woman in Black Movie Review

Daniel Radcliffe in the film The Woman in Black

Dragon Continued from p. 5

bad luck from the past and provide

space for incoming longevity, wealth

and prosperity.

People born in the year of

Dragon are full of passion, bravery

and confidence. Dragons are gener-

ous to others, sharing their resources

and always ready to help others.

With respect to love, their inborn

charisma and charm are a tremen-

dous attraction to people of the op-

posite sex whose attention and admi-

ration they yearn for. Moreover,

dragons in general are bestowed with

reams of luck. Besides, they are also

brilliant, industrious and have a

strong sense of humor. Once an op-

portunity is offered to dragons, they

will definitely perform well with

their professions. They are born to be

outstanding persons.

If you are a dragon, it is the best

time to take advantage and fulfill

yourself in this year.

MEET THE ACADEMY NEWS STAFF Left to Right: Yara Hadi, Yining (Yvoon)Wei, Sisi Lin, Sonja Love-

lace, Haoyang (Howard) Wen, Fengyi (Phoebe) Zhang, Lilly Sabajan.

Not pictured: Tzekwan (Catherine) Cheung, Sara Alshehri. The new

editor for Springs 2012 is Sisi Lin. Yara Hadi is Assistant Editor. We

look forward to bringing you high-interest stories this semester. If you

have any ideas or suggestions, let us know!!

Welcome Velkommen

Bienvenue Bienvenidos

Benvenuti Bem-vindo 歡迎 환영

ようこそ

ยนิดต้ีอนรับ Қош келдіңіз!

Xush kelibsiz

مرحبا بكم

Добро пожаловать

Courtesy of Google Translate

P A G E 7

What they can gain

from the game is not only

money, but more impor-

tantly exposure, enhanced

reputation, and future op-

portunities. Many famous

stars like Michael Jackson

and Justin Timberlake gave

unforgettable shows in the

Super Bowl.

The Super Bowl is not

only a sports game, but a

flag for American culture.

It enhances the develop-

ment of many related in-

dustries.

You can watch the Su-

per Bowl on Sunday, Feb-

ruary 5 at 3:30 p.m. on

NBC News , Channel 7.

Super Bowl: NFL Championships continued from p. 5

Sports

Happy Birthday

Jan. 28 Abdulmohsen Abalkhail

Feb. 4 Mocha Qian Tang

Feb. 5 Abdulraouf Shaymaa

Feb. 7 Helen Jiayun

Feb. 9 Soyoung Surh

Let us know if we for-

get your birthday!

Write to slove-

lac@usc.edu.

Music Classical Guitar Concert Friday, February 3, 2012 : 8:00pm

University Park Campus

Jeanette MacDonald Recital Hall

Free

Former students of the Thornton

School of Music perform new and

old works for the guitar.

Theater The Cherry

Orchard Saturday, Febru-

ary 4, 2012;

Sunday, Febru-

ary 5, 2012; Wednesday, February

15, 2012; Sunday, February 19,

2012; Friday, February 24, 2012;

Saturday, February 25, 2012; Thurs-

day, March 1, 2012; Saturday,

March 3, 2012

University Park Campus

Scene Dock Theatre

Tickets purchased in person at the

USC Ticket Office: students, $5;

faculty and staff, $8; general public,

$10. Tickets purchased by phone or

online: $12.

An aristocratic widow, who under-

stands love but not money, loses her

family’s estate and precious cherry

orchard to a rich

Benefit Concert in L.A

On February 8, 2012. IHeartRadio

is having a benefit concert for the

LA Youth Organization. Coldplay

will be performing at Club Nokia.

Find out more at www.lalive.com.

USC Language

Academy

Rossier School of

Education

Phone: 213-740-0080

Fax: 213-740-0088

Web: www.usc.edu/

langacad

Tips for Success in

Applying to a Non-

Professional

Graduate School

A candid talk with cur-

rent USC graduate stu-

dents about how to pre-

pare for applying to

graduate school as an

undergrad.

February 23 - Presented

by CET Undergraduate

Fellows - ACB 238 4:30-

6pm

FREE TOEFL

WORKSHOP

Get top ten TOEFL tips

from a TOEFL expert

(TOEFL score 120)

Tuesday, Feb. 14

Time: 1-2 p.m.

TEXT: ‘TOEFL

WORKSHOP’ to 323-

839-3709

Nathan Crandall

Events Calendar: February 3-10

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 Informa-

tion” and then click on “The Academy News.”

P A G E 8 F E B R U A R Y 3 , 2 0 1 2

FREE EVENTS Many events on campus are free. Please go to the Arts and Events Calendar for more de-tails at http://web-app.usc.edu/ws/eo2/calendar/32/feature/2819