It's that time of the year when the admission results of major overseas universities are released. This is the time of year when high school students wait to receive an offer to begin their university studies abroad.
This has led many parents who plan to support their children to study abroad to ask: Does the fact that my child has a unique advantage over their peers mean that they will receive offers from university admission officers? Have we really overlooked a crucial step in the three years of their high school career?
As we become more familiar with the admission system of overseas universities, more and more people are discovering that overseas universities are not looking for "one test score for entrance." Instead, top universities determine offers based on a wider, more comprehensive evaluation of the candidate, which consider a range of supporting factors including but not limited to the applicant’s personality, transferable skills, life experiences, challenges met, initiatives, and of course evidence of their thinking, creativity, and approach to education demonstrated in their writing, portfolio, letters of recommendation and more. In short, the world’s best universities want students who will contribute more than just a high academic score to the school; they want people of many talents, not only academic, who will continue to develop and add value to the university and life of campus for fellow students.
It is at this point we have to mention that university counselling is crucial to study abroad. With the support of experienced college counsellors, students will be able to define their own goals, plan their academic and personal growth, and develop a breadth of skills and life experiences throughout their three years of high school to suit their individual situation and university admission strategy at each stage.
Principal Nick, who has 21 years of experience in running and managing international schools, also shared his experience of this personalised programme, "A large part of the reason why so many of my former students were able to get into the world's top universities such as Oxford, Cambridge and Cornell, is because of the quality of the University Counselling they received during their three years in high school. The programme greatly improved the candidate's eligibility in the eyes of university interviewers and provided students with invaluable information and guidance for their future careers."
An Ardingly College international education provides a doorway to a life of opportunity and success. Unlike many international schools or educational institutions, we provide counselling guidance throughout a student’s entire high school career. Hence, college counselling sessions are introduced to students upon entry into G10 so that they can immediately begin to receive the necessary information and guidance to make informed decisions about their intended major, university, and career pathway.
During 3 years in our International High School, students will engage in a range of college application and career programmes and enrichment activities to support their application to university and career choice. This begins in G10 with scheduled weekly college counselling sessions, imbedded into the curriculum, throughout the school year that cover all aspects of university application and career choice including, student and career profiling, university and major research, and identification of academic and skills admission's requirements. This continues on into G11-12 with visits and information sessions by guest speakers from across industries and workplace internships in career fields including technology, finance, science, and engineering.
With deep understanding and extensive experience in counselling guidance, ACZS provides full time guidance for students. Our students will have access to the University Counselling Team and the Career Counsellors during their entire time at the school. They will meet regularly with tutors, guidance counsellors, and Heads of Year to discuss their G11-12 pathway choice, course selections, and co-curricular and supra curricular activities participation to ensure that they focus their time and energy on and off campus on choices that will strengthen their academic and personal profile for application to university.
In G11 and 12, the university counselling process becomes more tailored and focused. Students will apply the skills developed and knowledge gained from their college counselling sessions in G10 to closely research and identify universities and courses worldwide that are most suitable.
When students have decided their intended university and major, throughout G11-12 the next phase of university and career support is designed to meet the needs of each individual student. Students together with their counsellors will identify, create, and implement an individualised college application plan that will ensure each student develops the necessary academic and personal profile to meet university and course admission requirements and acquire the ability and skills to succeed in additional entry assessments including personal statement, college essay, interview, and admission test.
Ardingly College students will apply to leading universities around the world; therefore, our university preparation programme for students is comprehensive. We provide specialised counseling for universities in different regions including the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, Europe, and Asia, and we provide personalised training in writing impressive UCAS personal statements, writing engaging and insightful US college essays, performing well in admission interviews, and passing specialist admissions exams such as Oxbridge TSA, MAT, or PAT.
Most importantly, Ardingly College, Zhongshan ensures that every student receives personal university and career choice guidance and support from the moment they enter the school through to the successful submission of their application to university.
On 27 May from 15:00 to 16:30, ACZS will be hosting the second Principal Coffee Corner. Principal Nick, who has 21 years of experience in international education, will be on hand to share more information about the A-Level curriculum and multiple pathways of international education! We sincerely invite you to enjoy the coffee and talk with us so that we could support you to plan a bright future together!
