By: Kevin Callahan
kevinc@isb.ac.th
By the way:
- Scientists say that an Earth day had around 20 hours a few million years ago and that a million years from now it will have 27 hours. Then maybe we’ll be able to get everything done!
- Average world SAT scores vs. ISB SAT scores from Class of 2012 are as follows: Critical Reading world average – 496; ISB average 566. Math world average – 514; ISB average 643. Writing world average – 488; ISB average 583. Panthers are good at standardized tests!
- Mark Twain said, “Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.”
Semester Exams: It’s not too early to begin preparing for your semester exams. Make sure that you have your materials organized and that you begin review from the beginning of the semester, because you are responsible for the whole semester. Cramming a night or two before the test isn’t really a good strategy for test success, and it sure won’t help you retain the material. So take a look now at what you’ve been studying all semester!
Clubs: – are you in too many clubs? If you don’t have a spare minute to relax, you eat lunch while running up the stairs to another lunch meeting, and you are constantly “double-booked”, maybe you have too much on your plate. Both ISB and the school you will attend next are looking for a genuine commitment, so be careful, take care of yourself, and do a few things really well, not a lot of things poorly! Make a choice about what commitments you want, and then do them to the best of your ability.
Freshmen: The next Freshman Seminar has been moved to November 26th and 27th. We’ll talk about preparing efficiently for semester exams.
Sophomores: Mr. Weiser and Mr. Callahan made a presentation to the PTO about the seminars that the counselors do for each grade. One of the activities that had the parents very curious was the personality inventory that you did last week (Do What You Are). Tell your parents what your inventory said about you as a person, and see if they think it’s accurate. Oh, and if you didn’t take the inventory, you’d be wise to check in with Mr. Weiser and get it done so you don’t fall behind.
Juniors: If you are considering an SAT prep course, consider this: the students who make the most improvement and score the highest on SAT tests are not those who take prep courses. They are the students who study past SAT tests on their own, and have done 12 or more in preparation for the real test. Obviously, they’re motivated to improve!
Seniors: It is important to know that universities often have automatic responses when they receive your application. It will instruct you to have a transcript or other official documents sent, even though you requested them long ago. Don’t worry! We keep track of everything and send documents in a timely fashion. Give a few days for the university, not us, to update your application. If your file still shows items missing after two weeks, see your counselor.
If you didn’t turn in the simple transcript request form by November 14th for schools with deadlines of February 1st or earlier, we cannot guarantee that school documents will reach universities by the deadline. But we’ll try.
The University Lab is still in session every Monday in room 3-203 from 2:15 to 3:00. Seniors are welcome to come by and work on their applications, ask questions of a counselor and/or review their essay with a peer or counselor. Snacks and treats are provided.
University visits at ISB in the Coming Week (lunchtime in 203):
Monday, November 19 – Yokohama National University
Monday, November 26 – International Christian University (Japan)
Counselor Dr. Jeff Harper attended admissions information sessions at Hong Kong University, as well as a grand opening ceremony for the new Hong Kong University Centennial Campus, last weekend. Hong Kong University is considered among the best universities in the world. HKU is interested in enrolling more students from all over the world and should be considered by all ISB students seeking quality higher education. Imagine the long term career advantages of studying journalism, East Asian Studies, and Mandarin at HKU!