Debbie McDowell
debbiem@isb.ac.th
Happy New Year! The university counselors send their best wishes for all students and families for a happy and healthy 2023. We look forward to working with you in the new year.
Grade 12
Many seniors have received news about their Early Action and Early Decision applications already. Please encourage your child to share all application results (admit, deny or defer) with their counselor. Most university applications (nearly 1,200 applications) have been submitted by the grade 12 students but there are still some who are applying to institutions with a different start date and deadlines, such as Korea, Australia, Thailand, etc. If that is your child’s case, please encourage them to set an appointment with their counselor to make a plan and timetable for their applications. The next Senior Seminar will be on 3 February.
University counselors will be sending out the Mid Year Reports to all universities that require those updates and to which the seniors applied. That material will be submitted next week by the counselors. Students should monitor their application portals to ensure all materials are received by the university.
The grade 12 students are participating in three alumni panels through their advisory program this Friday and next week. This is a great opportunity for students to learn from former students and peers about their experience in different countries around the world. Ask your child what they heard!
Grade 11
Juniors met with their university counselors on Tuesday in Junior Seminar. Counselors walked the students through researching universities using Maia Learning and then introduced the Junior Led Conferences. Every junior will be setting up a one hour appointment with their parents and their university counselor during January, February and March (23 Jan-24 Mar) to present their reflections, research and planning for university research, selection and application. This is a mandatory part of the counseling curriculum at ISB. Parents are expected to attend the meeting with their child. We look forward to hearing about the student’s plans and are excited to find out about the families priorities and preferences for the university application process. The next Junior Seminar is next week on 18 January and will be a work session for the juniors to engage in university research and prepare their presentations.
Mark your calendars! The Junior Family University Night will be next week on Thursday, 19 January at 6:30 pm in the Chevron Theater. Please plan on joining the counselors for an overview of what is ahead for the juniors!
Grade 10
Grade 10 students have been assigned a university counselor. Students and parents can find out who the counselor is by checking in Powerschool.
As the course selection for next year begins very soon, the university counselors will meet with grade 10 students on Monday (30 January) and Tuesday (31 January) during the student’s free period. Students will complete a google document at the time of the meeting so be sure to ask your child to show you what they discussed about their choices for next year’s classes.
Parent Coffees
This semester will be a busy one for parents who attend the parent coffees. The first one will be on Monday, 16 January at 9:00 AM in the MPB 1. The topic is Higher Education in the US. This is an introduction to college and university in the US. All high school parents are invited to attend. This is designed for those not familiar with the system in the US and will be a basic overview of higher education in the US. Hope to see you there!
February will be dedicated to those interested in finding out about different regions of the world:
| 7 Feb @ 9
10 Feb @ 9 21 Feb @ 9 23 Feb @ 9 28 Feb @ 9 |
Study in the UK
Study in Canada Study in the Netherlands Study in Hong Kong & Singapore Study in Australia |
Then, the meetings in March are focused on supporting the different national communities at ISB:
| 9 March @ 9
14 March @ 9 16 March @9 22 March @ 9 |
Japanese Community Meeting
Thai Community Meeting Korean Community Meeting Chinese Community Meeting |
So mark your calendars and come join the university counselors at these events!
University Visits at ISB
Universities are starting to make appointments to come to ISB to meet with students and parents. Please encourage your child to check the list and the TV screen outside the counseling office for who will visit and when.
16 January, Monday @ 11:00-11:40 AM: SOAS, University of London in the High School Conference Room.
In addition there are lots of university events in Bangkok as well as online. Please encourage your child to consistently 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 useful 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.)