News from University Counselors

Debbie McDowell
debbiem@isb.ac.th

Thank you to the parents who joined Mr. Nichols and Mr. Becker for the Parent Coffee focusing on Ranking. You can see the recording and access the slides here.  Be sure to check out all the resources that were discussed in that session by clicking on the links in the slideshow!  Watch this space for the announcement about future Parent Coffees that will be on the calendar for semester 2.  

Seniors applying Early Action/Early Decision finished applications and submitted those by 1 November. The next deadlines will be 15 November for other Early Action applications and the University of Washington, 30 November for applications to the University of California and California State institutions, and then 1 December for all students applying to the UK through UCAS. Please encourage your child to submit well before any deadline. Last minute complications or unforeseen events could totally wreck an application. Have your child reach out to his/her counselor if they need support, application review, or essay feedback well in advance of submitting an application!

Please note: The Transcript Request Form is due on 23 November for all applications that have a deadline before 15 February. This will include most applications to Canada, Netherlands, Thailand and the US, as well as many others. Please discuss this deadline with your child to make sure he/she gets that form in before 23 November to guarantee that all supporting documents from ISB will be submitted on time. 

Juniors will be joining their University Counselor in Junior Seminar #3 on Thursday next week. Counselors look forward to working with the students as they do the heavy mental work of  self reflection and thinking about their preferences and priorities for their university applications. Now’s the time to start those conversations about expectations, limitations and aspirations relating to university selection and applications.

Next Monday!! 8 November, UK / Irish University Fair: 4:00-6:00 PM (Thai time).  The UK/Irish Virtual University Fair will be live and interactive and hosted through the platform Airmeet. Students with their parents will have the opportunity to meet individually with university admission representatives at virtual university booths. The tentative list of universities participating can be found here. Pre-registration for the event was required in advance of the event (by 1 November) with the student’s school email. Those who pre-registered will receive a unique log in via email to be able to enter the event on 8 November. If you and/or your child registered for the UK & Ireland University Fair, please make sure they check their email for the email from Airmeet that will allow them to sign up for the account with Airmeet and then have access to the fair.  See you there on Monday!

Exciting news!  ISB and 13 other international schools in Bangkok will be hosting the first ever Virtual Thai University Fair on 30 November,  2:30-4:30 pm. The early list of universities that have confirmed their participation includes 12 universities and 26 Faculties. The list will be made available closer to the time. The event will be held on the Airmeet platform and pre-registration will be required for students and parents to participate. A school email will be required to register for this event. Registration link will be provided closer to the date.

Interested in learning more about US University Admissions?

Consider joining the U.S. University Admissions Roundtable that the U.S. State Department’s Office of Overseas Schools is hosting in partnership with the College Board on November 10 for students and families. The roundtable will cover applying to U.S. colleges in these uncertain times and help guide students on any policy changes or enhancements resulting from COVID-19. The panel was very well-received by participants last fall. We will run the roundtable twice to accommodate for multiple time zones. Here are the registration links for quick access:

November 10, 2021 o   8:00 am Eastern Time  Register here!  

November 10, 2021 o   8:00 pm Eastern Time  Register here! 

Confirmed speakers include:

  • Shawn Abbott, Assistant Vice Provost for Admissions, Financial Aid, & Enrollment Management, Temple University
  • Adele Brumfield, Vice President for Admissions, University of Michigan
  • Doug Hartog, Director of Admission, University of Virginia
  • Diane McKoy, Senior Associate Director | Undergraduate Admissions, Director of Training and Professional Development, Columbia College | The Fu Foundation School of Engineering & Applied Science, Columbia University
  • Elisabeth O’Connell, Senior Associate Dean of Undergraduate Admissions, University of Pennsylvania

Virtual university visits: The university counselors are hosting many virtual visits with universities from around the world (7:15-7:45 am, 12:50-1:15 pm, and 3:00-3:45 pm) for ISB students and parents. There are 3 sessions exclusively for ISB students and parents next week: Study Texas representing 40 universities in Texas, The Magnificent 7 Group, and Hofstra University! Be sure to check the Virtual University Visit list for university presentations that are scheduled exclusively for ISB students and parents (highlighted in yellow). In addition, there are many other virtual events available for any students interested in gaining more information about particular institutions so please check the Virtual University Visits list on the ISB University/College Counseling website for loads of information!

Want to find out more about the University Counseling program at ISB?  Please visit the  ISB University Counseling website.

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