Cathy Curtis
cathyc@isb.ac.th
Final Exams around the corner:
Although it is difficult to believe, there are only 8 more class periods until the start of final exams. Planning ahead, getting prepared early and feeling confident, help students be relaxed during the exams and are definitely keys to having successful exams. Putting final exam preparation off to the last minute can not only add to student stress but can make the exams less productive in evaluating student knowledge. Any encouragement you can give to help students to start planning their study program early will be helpful.
University Visits next week:
Kendall College – in Chicago, IL
Parson, The New School for Design – in New York City, NY
St. George’s, University of London – Health Science University, London, England
Also – this week ISB hosted a very successful Thai University Fair for those students who would like to stay in Thailand to study in programs that are in English.
College Spotlight (managed and maintained by parent volunteers!)
Check out the College Spotlight bulletin board – this week the College Spotlight is the University of Indiana – South Bend.
Summer 2014
It seems early to be considering summer plans, but to help the process along, there will be a Summer Programs Fair at ISB during lunch on Wednesday, November 20 at 10:20 – 11:05. If you are interested in speaking with the representatives of the programs, please join us.
Social Media
And yet again – be careful what is on social media and even on tweets! An interesting article came out this week: https://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/10/business/they-loved-your-gpa-then-they-saw-your-tweets.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp&
A few highlights to the article were:
Of 381 college admissions officers who answered a Kaplan telephone questionnaire this year, 31 percent said they had visited an applicant’s Facebook or other personal social media page to learn more about them — a five-percentage-point increase from last year. More crucially for those trying to get into college, 30 percent of the admissions officers said they had discovered information online that had negatively affected an applicant’s prospects.
“We should be transparent with applicants,” says Gary L. Ross, Colgate’s dean of admission. He once called a student, to whom Colgate had already offered acceptance, to check whether an alcohol-related incident that was reported online was indeed true. (It was, and Colgate rescinded the offer of admission.)
Seniors:
à This class of seniors is doing a wonderful job of making appointments with their counselors to submit university applications. Please encourage your son/daughter to make an appointment if h/she hasn’t done so yet. Things are going smoothly now, but closer to the end of November, students should be studying for exams, and might not have as much time to make appointments to submit university applications.
à Also, seniors need to remember that there are only two university labs left. These Monday afternoon sessions have been well attended and a great time to have questions answered –
Juniors:
Juniors will be having their second Junior Seminar Flex on November 28th (Tuesday). They will be getting a packet during this session as well as help on how to research universities (world wide) as well as an invitation to you (so don’t forget to ask about it!) to attend the Parent Night.
Sophomores:
Be sure to encourage your son/daughter to plan wisely for final exams. This is a critical time for them.
Freshmen:
Last week the freshmen had a meeting with their counselors for next year. We worked on a proposed four-year plan and although we were just making guesstimates, it was fun to see which classes are available for grades 10, 11 and 12.
Counselors spreading the word about ISB
Next week, Debbie McDowell, Kevin Callahan and Ryan Haynes will be at the CIS (Council of International Schools) forum representing ISB. Approximately 300 universities coming from all corners of the world attend this forum which will give our counselors ample opportunities to highlight our ISB students. A few days prior to the CIS forum, Kevin will also be visiting six UK universities.