Andrew Weiser; Kevin Callahan
andreww@isb.ac.th ; kevinc@isb.ac.th
College Counselors
College Counseling Coffee – On Monday, all high school parents are invited to come learn more about The College Search Process and How Colleges Make Decisions. Join us in MPB 1 at 8:00am.
12th Grade Applications – All students applying to the US and UK have now finalized their college lists. Parents are encouraged to check Naviance to see their student’s list. The counseling office will send all supporting documents to these colleges prior to the December break. It is not possible to make changes to the list or send additional documents during the December/January break. Parents and students are able to meet with counselors regarding questions either before the break or when school reopens in January.
11th Grade Assignment – College counselors met with 11th graders on Monday focusing on how to research universities. Students are now tasked with researching 2 universities and creating their own resume. See a copy of the university research assignment here. Join us for Monday’s college coffee if you’d like to see why research is important.
11th Grade Parent Assignment – College counselors want to hear from you! If your student did not already give you a copy this week of the Parent Perspectives, please download the following Microsoft Word document here, fill it out, and return to the HS Counseling Office no later than Monday, January 15.
G11 College Night – Mark your calendars! It’s time to officially kick off the university research and application process. All 11th grade parents and students should plan to attend College Night on Wednesday, January 17 at 6:30pm.
11th Grade PSAT – We’ve heard from CollegeBoard that 11th grade students should receive their PSAT results on December 13 via the email they provided on their registration. For those students who need the ACT or SAT, we recommend using December through March to prepare and then sit the first exam in March (SAT) or April (ACT). Students can then sit it a second time in May or June before the summer holiday. More information regarding test preparation can be found here.
University Visits– for a full list of who is coming, please subscribe to the Google Calendar at this link.
School Counselor
Kevin Callahan
kevinc@isb.ac.th
This week Freshmen were shared some general strategies in regards to preparing for the final exams. We also had a freshman seminar session that discussed ways that students can enhance personal wellness during times that might be stressful. We said goodbye Thursday and Friday as our Freshman Seminar wrapped up; it’s been a pleasure working with this group!
In the next couple of weeks the school will be looking at semester courses and any adjustments we have to make. You might want to be aware of the following:
If you are planning to move to a different school in Grade 10 you should ask any school you might move to (If you know it) what their science requirements are. In the past we have had some students take Chemistry 2 instead of Biology 1 or Physics 1 second semester. This is because sometimes students need a full year of Chemistry to transfer. This is often the case when transferring to the U.S.A. The master schedule is tight and while there is not a lot of flexibility for movement to accommodate changed electives, we will certainly do our best to accommodate your student’s needs
9th graders
Think about your Freshman Seminar / Free Period this semester – how has that helped you balance your time and commitments? Over half students elect for the free period. If you find that you have a full schedule and you would like your counselor to take an elective out for a free period – let them know ASAP.
Now is the time that students should be beginning to review the materials that teachers have given them or communicated to them that will be on the final. By starting now, they can do a
little bit each day, rather than try to desperately “cram” in the last days leading up to the exams. It’s a fact that cramming doesn’t help much anyway. See this link to a study from UCLA:
http://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/cramming-for-a-test-don-t-do-it-237733
So it’s just like common sense suggests: you can retain more by taking smaller chunks at a time, than by trying to stuff it in all at once and hope that you can regurgitate it before you forget!
If any students want to change electives for the second semester, they should see their counselor as soon as possible. Most elective classes are full, so there is limited movement possible, so hopefully students are happy with their second semester schedule!
It is a stressful time for students of all grades right now. How does your student relieve their stress? If you need some ideas about how to de-stress, here’s a helpful list of ways for young people and adults to calm down. Find a couple that work for your student – and you!