Andrew Weiser
andreww@isb.ac.th
Course Registration is OPEN!!! Students need to register by the end of the day on Monday, March 24. Registration is completed through Power School
Thank You Parents!! We had a great turn out for the Parent / Teacher conferences last Friday. Please remember, teachers and counselors are available through email and scheduled appointments.
Grade 9
Please be sure to contact Mr. Davy if there are any questions about course registration.
Grade 10
Please be sure to contact your son or daughter’s counselor if there are any questions about course registration.
Grade 11
Junior Conferences are past due. There are few juniors that have not set the appointment with their counselor. Please ask your child if he/she still needs to complete the work and turn it in to Khun Vannee in the High School Counseling Office. Once that is done, the student can then make the appointment for their Junior Conference with the counselor and his/her parents.
University Lab started on Monday, 3 March, and will be open each Monday through April 28 from 2:15-3:00 in room 203. Juniors are encouraged to come to the session to work on their university research. A counselor will be present to support their research and answer questions.
Grade 12
It’s not too early to start organizing for Exams!!! Students should be getting all their paperwork in order!
Application results are coming in! Please remind your child to come by to see their counselor about their application decisions so we can keep track of them. Also, encourage your child to thank the teachers who wrote a letter of recommendation for him/her! See below article “The Waiting Game.”
Summer Internship
Students who are interested in doing a summer internship through ISB (June 9-19) need to complete a one-minute survey on Naviance to express their interest. Go to Naviance –> About Me –> Summer Internship 2014 (upper left of page). Students who complete the survey will get preference for internships.
University Visits
Imperial College London March 25
King’s College London March 25
University College London March 25
Regent’s University London March 25
SOAS London March 25
The State University of New York (Korea) March 25
University of Bath March 26
University of Exeter March 26
University of Warwick March 26
Durham University March 27
Australian Mini Fair March 28
Café La Trobe University March 28
Macquarie University March 28
University of New South Wales March 28
University of Newcastle March 28
The University of Queensland March 28
|University of Sydney March 28
Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University March 28
Savannah College of Art and Design Hong Kong March 28
Other Off Campus Opportunities:
1) British Council Thailand is holding its annual Education UK Exhibition on Saturday-Sunday 29 – 30 March 2014, 11.00 – 18.00 hrs. The exhibition this year will include over 94 institutions including universities and colleges from the UK. Aside from the Exhibition, there will be other events including seminars on Undergraduate Degrees in the UK, Scholarship information, UK visa application, IELTS Speaking practice, and IELTS workshops. Where? Seminar Room 1 and 2, Royal Paragon Hall, 5th Floor, Siam Paragon. For the programme of seminar, please visit https://www.britishcouncil.or.th/en/events/education-uk-exhibition
2) World Class Study UK
Pinnacle 4 – 6, Intercontinental Hotel B
Scheduled program 29/30 March 12:00 Introduction to Imperial College London 12:30 Introduction to King’s College London 13:00 Introduction to SOAS 13:30 Introduction to UCL 14:00 Postgraduate Application and Selection 14:30 Introduction to UCAS 15:00 Business, Management and Economics 15:30 Engineering 16:00 Law 16:30 Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
Be sure to check Naviance regularly to see the up to date information as it changes often!
The Waiting Game
Dr. Brian Harke
Each year, high school seniors spend the month of March in a nail-biting, gut-churning, adrenaline-fueled state of anticipation. It’s the anxiety that each March brings as thousands wait for their college acceptance letters.
Like many associated with college admissions departments, I have started to receive dire calls and emails from potential students hoping for an early indication of their admittance status. As I reflect on these communications, I realize how controlling we have allowed the college admissions decision to become.
Yes, getting into your first pick college is important, but let’s keep it in perspective. Being accepted by your first choice college is certainly something to celebrate, but it’s not the end of the world if it doesn’t work out exactly as you’d hoped. Too often I see students who don’t get admitted into their first pick college beat themselves up, think they did something wrong, or succumb to the belief that they weren’t good enough. I’ve heard of friendships that end because one student got admitted to the college and the other didn’t. To add to the drama, parents often take the admittance or denial as a personal victory or defeat. Some wear it as a badge of pride while others blame themselves and see it as failure. It isn’t!
Here are some things to keep in mind if you receive a denial letter from your first pick college:
1. The process is very subjective.
Forget about your GPA, SAT score and all the advance placement classes you took. Yes, the numbers are important, but when compared to other’s scores they are just that: numbers. Looking at applications through a quantitative lens, one would think that the highest scores should get accepted. Oh, if it were that easy. There is a qualitative component that makes getting admitted to college much more subjective than most students and parents realize. Subjectivity comes into play as application reviewers contextualize what you have submitted in comparison to what they have reviewed in the past. Reviewers have their own take on things and there is no black and white with subjectivity. It is out of your control.
2. As hard as it is, don’t take denial personally.
Someone at the college just didn’t think you were the right fit at the time. Try to trust that they know what’s best. As much as you wanted to get into the college, chances are pretty good that the admissions team did you a favor. If they didn’t see you as a good fit, you’d probably end up disliking the college had you gotten in. There is a lot of thought about “fit” and student success when making the decision to admit students. Sometimes the shoe just doesn’t fit no matter how much we think we love them.
3. You are not a failure.
Too many students assume they are a failure by not making it into their top pick college. Nothing could be further from the truth. Remember subjectivity? It is really out of your control. There are so many variables in making the admit decisions that I could write books and books on the topic. You are still the same successful person you were before you got your admit or denial letter. Don’t forget that. The sting of a denial will go away.
4. Celebrate the colleges you do get into.
Whether it is your first choice or third, any college you get into is something to celebrate. For every college you get into, someone else didn’t. Keep that in mind and be humble. It is an incredible accomplishment.
5. Parents, give your students a break.
The selection process belongs to them, not you. You’ve had years to learn how to deal with the rejections life often throws our way. This may be the first major rejection many students experience. Be supportive and find the good in the situation. There is always good.
The bottom line: You are a success regardless of the college you get in to. Don’t let a college admittance letter take that away.
So, stop biting your nails and worrying about your life crashing down if you don’t get into your first choice college. Whatever your future holds will unfold as it is supposed to. Trust me, I was one of those students who didn’t get into their first pick college. I did okay and so will you.