By: Andrew Davies
andrewd@isb.ac.th
In recent years, a number of private agencies have been established in Bangkok (and indeed in many major cities around the world) purporting to assist students in their applications to US universities.
Some of these agencies are using unethical practices and it has come to our attention that US universities are becoming concerned about applications from Thailand because of doubts about the authenticity of applications. For example, in some cases it is obvious that the students did not write their college essays or that the material in them is partly or wholly fabricated.
In my recent college visits, it was made clear to me that this is a growing concern, while our counselors have also received similar messages from college admissions personnel.
While some private advisors are ethical in the assistance they provide, others are not. Our strong advice to parents is to avoid these private agencies and to ensure that students complete their own college applications using the assistance of our five extremely well qualified high school counselors. Colleges want to see a student’s “voice” in the application, not a word-perfect fabrication written by someone else.
In the application process, the most important aspects are the courses a student selects while at school (degree of challenge), the grades a student earns, teacher/counselor recommendations, extra-curricular & leadership involvement, and standardized test results (SAT, etc). There is very little that a private agency can actually influence, although they are very quick to take credit when one of their “customers” gets into a name school.
We are hopeful that the personal relationships that our counselors have with many admissions personnel and the good reputation that ISB has among colleges will shelter our students from any suspicion. Our counselors are a phone call or an email away and will be able to verify any application material if asked.
As a school we will closely monitor the situation and will be very proactive in addressing any concerns that colleges have.
If parents or students have any questions or concerns, please contact the appropriate high school counselor.