Debbie McDowell
debbiem@isb.ac.th
The university counselors have been in overdrive this week–finishing Senior Family Conferences, reading essays, reviewing applications and helping students submit applications! We are hoping everyone has a good October break and that the rest and rejuvenation will benefit everyone. Counselors will not be available for meetings or consultations as they are on holiday as well.
Thank you to all of the parents who joined us for the Parent Coffee: Standardized Testing on Wednesday. It was a great turn out and hopefully the information helps to ease the nerves about testing. You can find the slideshow here on the university counseling website. The next Parent Coffee will be on 17 November at 9:00 AM in the MPB 1. The topic will be What should you know about Rankings? Please join us for that session!
The University Counselors hosted the Thailand University Counselor Association meeting on Friday at ISB. Over 40 university counselors from international schools around Thailand gathered to discuss relevant topics: integrity in the university application process, hosting university fairs, shared information and collaboration in support of local counselors, and many more topics! Thanks to ISB for hosting this event!
Seniors and Applications
Senior Family Conferences should be finished by now. If you have not had a Senior Family Conference please reach out to your child’s counselor to arrange that as soon as possible. It is so important for everyone to be on the same page and have a timeline for completing applications that is understood by all.
Deadlines for Early Action and Early Decision applications are quickly approaching! Several students have deadlines on 15 October and have been working with their counselor to get materials submitted before the end of this week.
Seniors must have their applications and essays reviewed prior to submitting the application with the counselor. Please help us by reminding your child to submit essays well before the deadline so feedback can be provided with plenty of time for the student to polish their essay before submitting.
Reminder: students should not be submitting their applications on the deadline date! There can be technical issues, personal issues or illness that makes it next to impossible to troubleshoot at the last minute. The best plan is to submit applications well before the deadline.
Senior Seminar #4 will be the week after break on Thursday, 20 October. The focus will be on completing applications and workshopping the University of California application. All students will have time to review deadlines and work on essays and focus on completing their applications.
Class of 2024
Junior Seminar #2 will be on Tuesday, 18 October. Students will be pre registering for the PSAT which will be given on Tuesday, 25 October. Students will also be investigating their interests and passions and finding links to career choices.
PSAT
All Grade 11 ISB students are scheduled to take the PSAT at no cost to the student/family on the morning of Tuesday, 25 October. The PSAT serves as practice for the SAT and is also the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test for American citizens. On the day of the test, students will report directly to the MPB at 7:30 AM. The test will take approximately 3 hours after completing the registration information. Students will receive a PSAT booklet in their Advisory class on Tuesday, October 18 so that they can familiarize themselves with the test. A practice test is also included in the booklet. A practice tests can be found here: https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/psat-nmsqt/preparing/practice-tests/paper
For some ISB students, the PSAT is not relevant to their university applications / planning, and therefore they do not need to take the exam. Please complete this OPT-OUT FORM by Friday, 7 October — only if you DO NOT want your child to take the PSAT.
Upcoming University Visits:
Wednesday, 19 October: Maryland Institute College of Art, 3:00-3:30 @ HS Conference Room
Tuesday, 25 October: Indiana University-Bloomington, 3:00-3:30 @ HS Conference Room
Thursday, 27 October: Dusit Thani College, 11:00-11:40 @ HS Conference Room
Thursday, 27 October: BIMM Institute, 3:00-3:30pm @ HS Conference Room
There are many virtual and off campus university events taking place which our students are invited to attend. Check the Virtual and Off Campus University Events spreadsheet to know what’s available. Please note that pre-registration is needed for some events.
Please check the ISB University/College Counseling website for loads of information. You will find university research tools, transition resources for students and parents, recordings and slide shows from Parent Coffees and family presentations, virtual and off campus university visits, information about testing and how to sign up for the SAT at ISB, a list of summer programs about which the counselors have been informed, and the ISB School Profile.
Kindly,
Debbie
Ms. Debbie McDowell (she, her, hers, Ms.)