Ahmad ElOuweini

Dear Avatar, thank you for your question. from my experience in TOEFL iBT, I can tell that, generally, there will be an explanation for strange or too specific words mentioned during the listening lecture. This explanation will be given by the professor giving the lecture, and this strange word will be written on a board on the screen. So, don't worry about these strange terms. All you need to answer the Qs is in the lecture. However, I faced some strange vocabularies in Arts during listening to a discussion in a class. I found them difficult and I barely understand the discussion. I don't want to discourage you if you find such things without explanation, just focus and try to get the general meaning from the context. Good luck in your coming exam. Ahmad

Hello Everyone, I sat for the test in two days ago (Feb. 3). It did good in all sections, except speaking. In speaking tasks, I did really good in Task 3, 4, and 6. In task 5, I was cut at the end before I continue my reason for choosing one of the solutions presented. In task 2, I paused sometimes, but I gave my point. However, the big problem was in Task 1. Actually it is the task I want to warn you about. As per Notefull Videos, Longman, Barrons, ETS OFFICIAL GUIDE, and The Complete Guide, task 1 will ask you about something familiar to your experience like favorite sport, movie, person, city, holiday, book, .... etc. However, in my exam they asked me to talk about the advantages and disadvantages of using TVs in dormitories !!!!! I was prepared to receive a specific type of question like what Mr.Joseph in Notefull Videos taught us. However, I was shocked by this question. However, I said what just came to my mind and I delivered my point with some pauses. But my advice is to be prepared to any question type. Greetings, Ahmad.

TOEFL Corey, I really appreciate you effort to help me and to give me the correct choice. Good think that you warn me about Barron's ... I think that I will try to get the "Complete Guide to the TOEFL" as soon as possible. Actually, my exam is next Friday (Feb. 3rd.) Thanks for your wish for me to pass the exam. Actually, my dream score is 105 with 26+ in speaking :) Greetings. Ahmad

Hello Everyone, Hope all of you are fine and in a good health. As all of you know that Notefull Videos on Youtube are extremely useful for the speaking section. In fact, I am depending on them completely for my preparation for Speaking section (with little help from Barron's). In addition, I found also videos for Mr.Joseph (The author of Notefull videos) that talk about Writing section. I think that his tips for Q1 (Integrated task) are reasonable and I can depend also on them. However, I want to ask you opinion as experts in TOEFL, Are these tips good enough for preparing for Q1 Writing task? and if not can you let me know a good source to get tips for the writing section as a hole (Q1and2) ? I'll appreciate you help in advance. Ahmad

Hello Dear Friends, I hope all of you are fine and in a good health. I know that my previously published statement of purpose was very long and detailed. However, I have deleted unnecessary details and I've focused on important points. I tried in this version to be direct as much as I can. So, I hope that your give me your opinion about it. I'll appreciate any response from you. Statement of Purpose (for pursuing graduate program in medicinal chemistry) My grandfather’s last words for me by his bed in the hospital, when I was 15 years old, still live in my soul: “Try to make patients’ life better, Try to help them.” These words came out from deep suffering from incurable diseases. That moment has shaped my whole life for an “honest goal” which I will devote my whole life for. This goal has inspired me to become an outstanding drug designer and a medicinal chemist who can contribute prominently to the world of medicinal agents that will “make patients’ life better.” As a first step to accomplish that goal, I attended the college of Pharmacy in Arab International University (AIU) in Syria. I promised myself from my first day in the university, to put my goal ahead in front of my eyes and not let anything distract me from achieving it. Therefore, as stated in my attached CV, you could see that my excellent academic records throughout my undergraduate pharmacy study reflect my persistence on approaching my goal. Although many topic of study during my college years have attracted me, I find organic chemistry series, pharmaceutical chemistry series, and synthesis of medicaments courses as the fields which I can excel. I found this field as the one that completes me. Once during my 2nd year, one of my professors in the college told me: “I see that you have the characteristics of researchers, make your research your purpose.” Actually, these words started my eagerness for research. In addition to what is stated in my attached CV, my other research background experiences during my undergraduate study include Comparing Ibuprofen Tablets’ dissolution profile, Ibuprofen content, Bioequivalence studies from 3 different manufacturers (2 Syrian and 1 American). This research was during my 2nd year. Also, Development of Myrrh (Commiphora Molmol) Lozenges as oral antiseptic, antibacterial, local anesthetic, and mouth odor refresher. This research proposal has begun during my 4th year. However, this strong extracurricular scientific background and participation in many of research experiments were not complete and officially presented and published so that I can celebrate my work at the end. This was attributed to technical and financial factors that limited my innovation and scientific enthusiasm in my university. And I am still wishful to start the practical part of these interesting topics which I didn’t find any help from anyone to progress with. I can assure that with my enthusiasm to conduct a “complete” and honorable research in medicinal chemistry and with the presence of the facilities needed and a full research team, I believe that I can be an active member of this team who can provide strong addition and vital role. I believe in myself and I am serious in pursuing my dream. I have three specific long-term career goals in my life plan. 1- PhD in medicinal chemistry and drug discovery as a first step, which will lead to post-doc research opportunities and active teaching role in a Syrian University. 2- Establishing an industrial center specifically designed for drug design and synthesis with the most up-to-date strategies and facilities and being attached to “non-for-profit” hospital which will offer the drugs which is being developed by the center. The head campus of this center will be in Syria and there will branches worldwide. 3- Starting a culture dialogue which includes all countries through the previously-mentioned center. I dream of an open world exchanging ideas, experiences and thoughts among people because knowledge and science are not limited to one place; instead they must be shared among different civilizations. In conclusion, I am serious in pursuing my graduate program in your university. In fact, after extensive research through programs offered by various universities, I find yours as the best match with my talents. And if I have been accepted to your program, I have 3 major goals to put ahead of me starting from my first days the in the program. First, I will try to be able to have rapport with professors and fellow grad students. Secondly, because time respect and management is a very important issue to me and persistency is one of my unique characteristics, I will work hard to finish my graduate program in a timely fashion. Finally, I will try as much as I can to be a potentially outstanding representative of your graduate school in my future career.

Hello everyone, I hope all of you are fine and in a good health. I am a recently graduate pharmacist from Syria. I am now applying for master program in "Medicinal Chemistry" in US, UK, and Canada. As all of you know, all the graduate schools require the applicants to provide personal statement or "statement of purpose" as part of the required papers and documents for application to graduate programs. In addition, all of you know how writing this paper is difficult. So, I did write it for the first time and it came like this, I hope that you revise my first draft and tell me about any mistakes I have committed in my statement of purpose. Statement of Purpose (for pursuing graduate program in medicinal chemistry) When I was fifteen years old, my beloved grandmother died after four years of suffering from the time she discovered that she had breast cancer. Next year, my inspiring grandfather also died because of diabetes complications but in a dramatically worsening case. Both of them died for no specific and identifiable medical reason. My grandfather’s last words for me near his bead in the hospital still live in my soul: “Try to make patients’ life better, Try to help them.” That moment has shaped my whole life for an “honest goal” which I will devote my whole life for. This goal is meaningfully to become an outstanding drug designer and medicinal chemist who can contribute prominently to the world of medicinal agents that will “make patients’ life better.” As a first step to accomplish that goal, I attend the college of Pharmacy in Arab International University (AIU) in Syria. I promised myself in my first day in the university, to put my goal in front of my eyes and not let anything distract me from achieving it. Therefore, you could see that my excellent academic record throughout the five years, reflect my persistency on approaching my goal. During the 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 5th years of my undergraduate pharmacy study, I took 80% off my tuition as financial assistance reward (scholarship) to the first valedictorian student in the intake and in the 3rd year I took 60% off my tuition because I was the second student in the intake. Although many subjects during my study have attracted me, I found organic chemistry series, pharmaceutical chemistry series, and synthesis of medicament courses as the fields in which my innovation will be most likely. I found when I was studying this field that it is the field that completes me. However, being the first valedictorian in my intake, with strong GPA of 3.65, was not enough for me to fulfill my plans on my goal’s road. In addition, in the first semester of my second year, one of my professors in the college has told me once: “I see that you have the characteristics of researchers, make your research your purpose.” Actually, these words started my eagerness for research. Therefore, whenever there was a chance for participating in a scientific research, I did participate. In my second year, I and one of my colleagues have started a scientific research focusing on comparing the dissolution profile and active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) content of Ibuprofen tablets from 2 Syrian pharmaceutical companies and 1 American pharmaceutical company. In fact, the first results were encouraging to continue the research and publish it at the end. However, many technical and environmental obstacles have stopped us from proceeding to bioavailability studies as a final part of our research. As Dr. Isam Marawi, one of my recommendation letters writers, said that in my fourth year, my university has come into partnership with Martin Luther University (MLU)-Halle-Wittenberg in Germany, and together, they organized 1 complete week of lectures given in AIU campus in Syria. This important event was officially called “Winter School: New Challenges in Drug Delivery Systems.” These lectures were given by German professors, Syrian Professors, and AIU Students. After long and deep preparation, my lecture in this event was about: “Grape Seed Extract as Protective Agent Against Doxorubicin-induced Infertility.” This was the theoretical part and I still wait till this moment to move to the practical part which I didn’t find any help from anyone to progress with it. Moreover, also in my fourth year as Dr. Anas Bahnassi, one of my recommendation letters writers, said that I did participate in a research dealing with a known Arabic plant called (Myrrh-Commiphora Molmol) by examining its antibacterial and antifungal properties in order to formulate Myrrh Lozenges (an a new dosage form for this plant) and produce it on big industrial scale to enter the Syrian Pharmaceutical Market. However, the laboratories facilities were not enough to bring our idea into light. Another research opportunity in which I have participated as one of the research team members was in my senior year. This research was in the field of Parasitology science. Prof.Dr. M.Taher Ismail has selected his team to travel to various Syrian cities in order to make a geographical parasitological map in Syria about the statistical distribution of infectious diseases among young school children and its effects on their learning and communication behaviors. This research was registered in the Syrian Ministry of Health and part of this vast research was published in Arabic Board Journal. In the few weeks at the end of my senior year was my senior project. Dr.Imad Abou Khamis has assigned me the topic: “Primary Biliary Cirrhosis, PBC” to search about all of the aspects of this autoimmune disease. I got A in this project after it was successfully delivered to and discussed with judge professors. In fact, it was planned that after finishing my final exams, Dr. Imad will configure a team of me and other 4 students in order to do a laboratory small-scale research among 100 volunteers of AIU students in order to search for 5 autoimmune diseases, and PBC was one of them. However, the on-campus communication between me and Dr. Imad has been lessened too much after graduation due to travel issues. You could conclude from the previous information two ideas. The first one is that this strong extracurricular scientific background and participation in many of research experiments were not complete and officially presented and published so that I can celebrate my work at the end. This is attributed to many factors that limited my innovation and scientific enthusiasm in my university. The second one is that although I love any topic related to medicinal chemistry and Structure-Activity-Relationship (SAR), none of my research participations was on a topic related to drug design. The answer is very simple but painful to me: In Syrian education system, we don’t have enough equipments to convert any of my theoretical ideas regarding many drug design issues into real practical work. However, you can imagine if, with my enthusiasm to conduct a “complete” and honorable research in medicinal chemistry, all the facilities I need is available to me as a member of research team, what will be the result? Because I trust myself and my dream, 3 specified long-term career goals exist in my life plan. First, PhD in medicinal chemistry and drug discovery will not be the “final destination” for my career, I will continuously search for post-doc research opportunities and projects and certificates besides being a professor of medicinal chemistry in an estimable university. Secondly, I want to establish an industrial center specifically designed for drug design and synthesis with the most up-to-date strategies and facilities which if not exist, we will create them. This center will be located as the main building in Syria but will have branches world-wide. This center, if succeeded, will be attached to hospitals (non-for-profit) to help patients with various kinds of medicines they need which we will develop for them in our center and to “make their life better.” The final goal that I put in my goals list is to make communication between cultures and countries better through the previously-mentioned center. I dream of an open world exchanging the experiences and thoughts between people because knowledge and science are not limited to one place; instead they must be shared between different civilizations. Actually, my interest in (the name of the university) didn’t come by incidence. Many of my professors in AIU who completed their higher studies in (the country where the university is in) have recommended your university as best match for my scientific qualifications and talents. Among the professors in my intended major field, the topics of Prof. (the name of two professors I like) are most close to my scientific interest. (At this point, I will mention some of the previously-mentioned professors’ works and research topics). I can tell about my confidence that through my presence in (the name of the university) during my (depending on the degree I am pursuing) degree in medicinal chemistry I will learn a lot of precious topics and practical techniques about which I was dreaming someday when I was on the college chairs during the lectures of Pharmaceutical Chemistry courses. According to my expectations, these techniques might include the screening of thousands of compounds which are possible medicinal agents and then choose only one bioactive molecule that will help this specific group of patients. In addition, I can imagine myself after PhD degree in medicinal chemistry that I will be able to identify the possible chemical class, mechanism of action, most obvious side effects, half-life, and many other characteristics of a drug, just from looking at its chemical structure!! Also, being one of the students (depending on the degree I am pursuing) program in medicinal chemistry in your university, will also add for me a strong diverse communication behaviors and extracurricular activities, in asmuch as I am open-minded and was well-known among most of my colleagues in my intake through respectful communication. Actually, there are much many other features of medicinal chemistry graduate program in your university that have added a lot to my imagination about this great field! In conclusion, if I have been accepted to your program, I have 3 current goals to put in front of my eyes in the first days for me in your program. First, I will try to be collegial just like I was in my undergrad college. In other words, being able to have rapport with professors and fellow grad students. Secondly, because time respect and management is a very important issue to me and persistency is one of my unique characteristics, I will try to be able to finish the graduate degree in a timely fashion. Finally, because any educational institution will be proud of any recognizable graduate student from it, I will try as much as I can to be a potentially outstanding representative of your graduate school in my future career. I AM REALLY THANK TO ANY HELP FROM YOU REGARDING THIS PAPER. AHMAD.

Thank you MAndrew very much, I really appreciate your help .. Actually, I was living in KSA near JEDDAH (in Rabigh), but now I'm in Syria-Damascus. However, I can tell my parents to search for TOEFL plus 20 program for me in JEDDAH. Sincerely, Ahmad

Hello Everyone, I hope everyone is OK and in a good health .. It's been long since I have participated in this forum .. I really missed you guys and your discussions which are really helpful for all of us .. 1 month ago, I have registered for TOEFL iBT in Feb.3 2012 .. and I began preparation since that time .. I want to apply to universities in US as soon as possible and I want to score not less than 105 and especially in speaking (not less than 27) .. I want to consult you about what materials I will use throughout my preparation period, and if they were good, please say this, and if they were not, please recommend other books .. 1- Longman 2- The Complete Guide (Bruce Roger) 3- ETS Official Guide (McGraw Hill) 4- Notefull Videos I will really appreciate your help ... I'm waiting for your suggestions ...

Thank you both phdlee and Omabbode6 for your advice and kind help. Alhamdoullilah, thanks god, I have reached to my final decision finally. The most important thing that made my decision easier is to know what is my target from travelling to US? Actually, my original target was to get PhD and Postdoctoral studies in MEDICINAL CHEM. in the same time I wanted to get American board to become an estimable and professional pharmacist in health care from US. However, I was planning in the wrong way. Going to FPGEE road will cost me a lot of both time and money right now. I will apply for universities in US and once I get admitted to one of them, I will travel with F-1 Visa and while studying and working in the university at the same time, I will do FPGEE and continue with internship to find a pharmacy and I will be relaxed then, because I will not be nervous and afraid to get departed from US because my visa has expired and no one is sponsoring me. In this way, I will reach my dreams but in more intelligent way. I hope this is good for me. Overall, thank you all ... Greetings.

Thank you very much Dear (GRE 2010) for your cooperation and quick help. I really appreciate it. Do you think that this score is good for US universities. Just to let you know: I did TOEFL pBT: 577. My Undergraduate GPA: 3.65. What do you think of my qualifications? are they good enough for admission? Greetings.

I think this is good enough. Don't be disappointed, you just did your best. But from where did you know the exact conversion? Hope the best for you. Greetings.

Hello everyone, hope all of you is OK and in a good health. I did GRE revised General Test on Sep.28 2011. and yesterday I got my results on the website (My GRE ACCOUNT): V:150, Q:150, Writing:3.5. So, what does this score mean compared to the previous score format? I want to know the exact equivalent score on the previous scoring method, because all the universities don't publish the requirements for the new revised scoring strategy. Does anyone have answer? Please share your knowledge. Appreciate Any help in advance. Greetings.

Dear phdlee, Thank you very much for your kind advice and great thread which you direct me to. I can see that you have now, after long discussions in your threads, a reasonable background on this topic. I will mention to you briefly what I concluded from all the threads I have read: 1- The participants always recommend that it is much way easier to hunt an internship, just if you have a legal status of residence (being US citizen or permanent resident) so that the employer doesn't want to sponsor you. 2- I noticed that some of them have returned to their home country after they passed FPGEE and TOEFL iBT, and still waiting for reply from pharmacies. I think that is for financial reasons just like me, they can't afford to stay in US just without work to search for intern position and then to lose all what you spend. 3-Many people suggested that if your home country still in need for pharmacists, just stay there and make the same money that you would make here. However, in my opinion, it is not advisable if you started to dream to become a "real" pharmacist and patient care provider, to stop and stay in you home country. No, instead, you can go to CANADA or AUSTRALIA which still need foreign pharmacists. 4-I noticed that even UK graduates don't find intern positions and it is known honestly that they are far better than me (a graduate from Syrian private university). 5-Some of them said that NABP still conduct FPGEE for economy reasons. Actually, this explanation is the most one I am convinced with and that interpret to me why FPGEE has not been stopped yet. Of course, they will not stop it, as they make a lot of money from it. 6- Some Managers in CVS- Rite aid, ... say that in this BAD ECONOMY, we will not sponsor anyone foreign. However, I still love US and practice in it. I want to ask you what about Pharmacy Technicians, are they really just like interns (hard to find)?? So, after I read and concluded the previous points, it seems really difficult and dangerous to venture with my time and money especially I have no green card. In addition, I have other options which I think that is not less than US license in credibility in pharmacy practice, these options are CANADA and AUSTRALIA BOARD OF PHARMACY. What do you think?? I am still waiting for your reply, phdlee, and any other person who have experience in this topic either positively or negatively. Greetings.

Hello, everyone, Congratulations for all students who passed FPGEE sep.2011. Hope you find internship easily and quickly. Actually, I trust all of you here as friends that would offer advice honestly. Guys, I am really confused and wondering about that if the chance of getting internship in a pharmacy is very difficult for a foreign pharmacist, especially if he is not green card-holder, then why FPGEE is still conducted?? I mean if they are saturated with US pharmacists and all occupations are full, they should stop offering FPGEE. Guys, I am saying that because I am really depressed when I see and notice that it is very hard to get an internship within a reasonable period of time. I am not a permanent resident and I was thinking of traveling to US by B1/B2 Tourist visa and I am not sure if the office at the port of entry will allow me to stay a sufficient time to find a pharmacy. I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO? I am thinking of changing my plan to CANADA, because I heard that it is easier regarding Visa issues and they are in demand for pharmacists and consequently, there are many chances to get internship. WHAT DO YOU THINK?? PLEASE ADVICE ME.... Appreciate Any Real Help from you. Greetings.

Hello, everybody, Hope all of you are fine. After I noticed that to get H1B Visa for Internship is very hard, I was thinking that what if I apply for J1 Visa, will the pharmacy employer be able to hire me via J1 Visa? just to let me spend my 1500 hours of internship and do NAPLEX and MPJE and then return to my home country. Anyone has an idea regarding that? Appreciate any help. Greetings.