The Path to Overseas Universities
The Overseas College Guidance program hosted its annual information session for students in Grades 9 and 10 on Tuesday, April 27. This year saw the largest audience to date with 51 students attending. Mr. Crosiar provide an overview of the entire application process with a focus on the essential steps for Grade 9 and 10 students. Throughout the presentation, Mr. Crosiar highlighted key differences in the applications processes for schools in English-speaking countries.
Beyond earning good scores in class, Grade 9 is for students to begin exploring their intellectual interests and possible career paths through extracurricular activities. These activities can be anything from volunteering with a local charity to engaging in summer enrichment programs offered through various universities to conducting research with a mentor. Since the purpose is for students to discover their interests, students are encouraged to take risks by trying new things.
In Grade 10, students will continue earning good scores in their subjects while they begin to more deeply engage in activities in which they have the greatest interest. Deeper engagement in activities occurs by seeking leadership positions or participating in increasingly higher-level learning experiences. Students should continue exploring their interests via new activities while keeping in mind that the depth of participation in activities is as important as the number of activities in which a student engages. Additionally, students will begin to prepare for standardized tests such as the ACT or SAT in Grade 10.
Mr. Crosiar also introduced our students to the ShibuMaku Overseas College Guidance Textbook and Workbook. These tools are essential in our students’ preparation for applying to overseas universities. The textbook provides our students with information regarding the different university systems around the world and ShibuMaku policies guiding the Overseas College Guidance program. Our workbook is a resource for our student to track their academic achievements, extracurricular activities, and meetings with Mr. Crosiar.
Given that the 2020-2021 admissions cycle saw record numbers of applicants to the majority of selective and highly selective schools, the competition for admissions is increasing. As such, it more important than ever that students begin their journey to overseas universities in Grade 9 in a manner that allows them to submit the strongest possible applications in Grade 12. Following the process Mr. Crosiar explained and utilizing the ShibuMaku Overseas College Guidance Textbook and Workbook will ensure our students submit competitive applications.
