Wednesday August 28, 2013 with Brenda Manfredi, Jackie Valenzuela and Joachim (Kim) Ekstrom High School

Counselors at NIST
Jackie

Year 10-13 (Personal, Academic and College) Ms. Brenda Manfredi Ms. Jackie Valenzuela Mr. Joachim (Kim) Ekstrom

Year 7-9 Mr. Randy Wallis Mrs. Michelle Vogel

Check in with your neighbor about the emotions that you are feeling right now as your son or daughter starts the final two years of secondary school.

What are some of the emotions you felt coming here tonight?

Your children will be very well prepared for the university application process. We have worked with this group of students for two years. Most students have completed Do What You Are and Career Interest Profiler on Naviance. Most students have completed the Year 11 Career Survey. Most students completed a one week work experience in Year 11. Some students have a clear idea of what careers and university programs they are interested in Many of the students have already taken the PSAT and several will sign up to retake it again this year. Kim

August 29: Year 12 University Research Workshop October 7: PSAT Tips and Strategies Workshop October 16: PSAT at NIST December 2: Deadline for the UniQuest Assignment January: Individual one-hour Post-UniQuest Meetings with Year 12 Students January: Lunch hour workshops on university research for various national systems April-May: 3-Way College Conferences between student, parent and counselor Continuously: University visits @ NIST (approximately 300 universities per year)

In the College Library Presented by Montakan ONeill from Insight Education Consulting Overview of Australian universities Entry requirements Alternative pathways into programs Fees Application processes
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U. of Chicago, Rice U., Vanderbilt U. in

the College Library on 2 September 2.30-4 pm Helps you understand the application process behind the scene In groups, you will review 3 mock applications. Each admission committee will discuss each candidate and choose to admit one, waitlist one and deny one. Together with the admission officers, you will then compare each groups decisions and talk about the process

University of Pennsylvania and Brown University

September 26
7-8 pm: Open Session to the community in the NIST Theatre
Brenda

CIS US College Fair at NIST

October 2:

30 US Universities 2:15-3.15 pm: University Fair 3.15-4.00 pm: Workshops

UCLA - 2nd time in Thailand

October 3
10.45-11.35 am: Meeting with NIST Students in the College Library 6-7 pm: Open Session to the community in the NIST Theatre

University Fairs 2013

September 1: Japanese Uni Fair (most unis.) at Central World September 21: AEO Uni Tour (41 US unis.) Plaza Athenee Hotel September 24: Study in Australia Info Session@ NIST 2.30-3.30 October 2: CIS US College Fair (30 US unis.) at NIST 2:15-4 pm October 6: Canadian University Fair - Renaissance Hotel 1-5 pm October 11: Linden Tour (30 US Unis) at ISB 10:20 to 11:10 am October 17: Thai Uni Fair (most Thai unis.) at NIST 2.30-3.30 pm October 31: University Fair at BPS (36 US unis.) 2.30-4.00 pm November 2-3: OCSC University Fair (100+ unis.) at Paragon January TBA: British Council UK Uni. Fair (70+ UK unis.)

Advice from Year 13 Parent (2012):

It is a lot of information in the beginning of the process, try to not get stressed about it and work step by step. Read the College Counseling Newsletters and keep in contact with your Counselor.

Jackie

There is a high correlation between job satisfaction and life happiness Students who graduate in 2014 will do many types of work; their skills will be more important than which degree they get

There are many different post-secondary paths

Your child doesnt necessarily need to have only one set career goal in mind. It's fine to use college as a way to explore areas of interest. The average worker holds 9.2 different jobs between the ages of 18 and 34. (US Department of
Labour)

3-4 year college degrees Vocational school community college Preparatory courses Gap Year(s) Military Service Working full time Internship experience Starting own business Travel (and work) Deferred applications

Over a lifetime, those with a college degree will earn 500,000 US dollars more than a colleague without a degree.

Making money? Yes, thats part money? of it, but not all. Making

Important... but not the whole story!

Nothing is worse than having a job that doesnt suit your personality or in which you dont make use of your potentials.
Kim

When you work in an environment where you get to express your personality traits, talents, and skills in a meaningful way that benefits others.

1. 2. 3.

What are you good at? What are you passionate about? What are your priorities? What are parents expectations? Does it matter?

What should I be doing?

Advice from Year 13 Parents (2012):

Start the process and dialogue with your child as early as possible. Start early in getting involved with the research process. Discuss early with your child so he/she has a direction.

Think about his or her College Major

Brenda

Think about geographic location (country, region, city)

Students may apply to multiple systems

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49 out of 86 Seniors (57%) in the Class of 2012 are attending their 1st choice university in 14 countries around the world
Country USA United Kingdom Thailand Australia Canada Hong Kong Taiwan Korea, South Norway Sweden Finland Switzerland Japan Singapore Military Gap Year Attending 32 17 8 7 5 2 2 3 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 2

56 out of 98 Seniors (57%) in the Class of 2013 are attending their 1st choice university in 12 countries around the world Country
USA United Kingdom

Attending
37 18

Thailand
Australia Canada Hong Kong

9
10 14 1

Philippines
Holland New Zealand Netherlands Japan Singapore Military

1
1 1 1 1 1 1

Gap Year

Great!!! They offer my dream program! Two majors combined into one; Drama and Film. I cant believe it! Its also my first choice university!
But, they charge $60.000 per year (1.900.000 baht) including housing. Parent says: No way!

Your must have an honest conversation with your child about money The question is this: How much money is available each year for three or four years of undergraduate study? While some scholarships are available to international students, it is not safe to rely on them, regardless of how strong a student he or she is.

Jackie

Discuss the tuition fees with your parents by any means. Sit down with them and show them the fee structure. Its better to know it then, than know later, that they cannot afford it.

What kind of a student is your child? What are his or her IB scores like?

What the admission officers pay most attention to in the application process is the grades.
Predicted grades and final grades

1. What are the tests?

- IB internal and external assessments -Tests for Medical School - SAT/SAT Subject tests for America/Canada-bound students -TOEFL/IELTS (English Proficiency) -Thai University Entrance Tests

2. SAT preparation courses and books 3. Importance of setting goals for improvement

Kim

We strongly recommend that all students who dont carry a passport from the following countries take TOEFL or IELTS: Australia UK USA Canada New Zealand If you are thinking of applying to Australia we recommend IELTS 36

This is the most time consuming aspect of the university research/planning process

Single most important advice: Start early!!

- UK: 100+ Universities - Australia: 41 Universities - Canada: 100+ Universities - USA: 4000+ Universities

Brenda

 Helps students develop sound research skills that are essential in the university research process Given to students on August 29 Due on Naviance on December 2 Students investigate 3 universities How well does the universitys culture and campus environment relate to the students personality type, learning type and personal preferences? Students spend at least 5 hours on this assignment

Jackie

U of Washington
UBC

UC Berkeley

UCLA U of Southern California

U of San Francisco UC Davis Stanford U U of San Diego

CCA

Loyola U of Oregon Marymount U

Seattle U

Pepperdine U

UC San Diego

I guess the most important thing about university is visiting your favorite universities during the summer of year 12. I visited several universities, and I immediately knew I belonged in William and Mary . When you visit a college, you'll be given a tour by a tour guide (usually a college student) and you'll be able to ask them all these questions. What's great about this is that the tour guides are students so they'll understand what you're looking for.
Advice from Year 13 Parent (2012): A college visit, though costly, is very useful and we can visualize the real college life at that particular campus easily.

UK: Song Kran Break

USA: March (5 days during school)

To be Confirmed

By September of Year 13, students will have a firm list of 6-10 schools to which they are applying with a range of Reach, Fit and Star schools Students will apply to no more than ten universities Note UK universities will count as one choice, as will the University of California campuses

Your child is not just a student! What other activities is she or he involved in? This is not just about university applications (where participation in extra-curricular activities is beneficial) but also about your childs health and well-being Balance between academics and life

Kim

Encourage your child to: talk to people working in her or his field of interest Do summer internships after Year 12 Visit universities whenever possible If he or she cant visit universities, use the network of Nisties throughout the world (Facebook)

Communicate: Talk with your child about: 1. What they would like to study and why? 2. Which universities are they applying to? 3. How much money is available each year over three/four years Sign up for your parent account with Naviance Read the NIST College Counseling Newsletter last Thursday of each month Check in with your child about this process while encouraging him/her to be independent

Brenda

Role of the Secondary School Counselor

Help students evaluate their chances of being accepted to universities they have chosen to apply to (Star, Fit, Reach) Administer career and vocational surveys to assist students in narrowing down a field of study Evaluate standardized testing scores to help student and parent gain a clear understanding of aptitude

Guide our students and parents with post-secondary goals and objectives Enable and empower our students to become leaders in their own post-secondary future Schedule university representatives to visit NIST students Teach our students how to contact universities to obtain essential information (email, phone, skype) Support and encourage our students to achieve their goals and objectives

Your child doesnt know WHAT he/she wants to study Your child doesnt know WHERE he/she wants to study Your child disagrees with you about where and what to study Your child wants to take a Gap Year or work Your child may not get into his/her dream school due to grades

Jackie

Brenda Manfredi: bmanfredi@nist.ac.th Phone extension: 204 Room 4204B

Jacquelyn Valenzuela: JValenzuela@nist.ac.th Phone extension: 202 Room 4202

Joachim (Kim) Ekstrom: jekstrom@nist.ac.th Phone extension: 353 Room 4203

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