The Overseas College Guidance program hosted its annual school-wide information session on Saturday, June 20th. In addition to the 260+ attendees, we were also fortunate enough to have Chancellor Tamura in attendance. Principal Tamura opened the information session with a warm welcome to the audience and presenters. His greeting was followed by a presentation from the director of the Overseas College Guidance program, Mr. Crosiar. Mr. Crosiar’s presentation was followed by presentations from Mr. Kato of the International Department and three graduate students.
Following Principal Tamura’s greeting, Mr. Crosiar gave his presentation, which focused on a general overview of preparing for and applying to overseas universities. Mr. Crosiar touched on topics such as extracurricular activities and the differences between application systems in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia. He also highlighted the extensive resources ShibuMaku students have for applying to overseas universities.
After Mr. Crosiar’s presentation was Mr. Kato’s presentation. Mr. Kato focused on four key points: personality, academics, goals, and personability. Students need to have an open and caring personality to be able to help and learn from others. Focusing on academics is necessary for strong applications. Having clear goals to work towards helps students focus their time and energy. Being personable causes others to want you as part of their community.
Mr. Kato’s presentation was followed by three presentations from ShibuMaku graduates. This year, like last, our typical format of two Returnee graduates and one non-Returnee presenting was inverted. We again had two non-Returnees presenters and one Returnee. The first two presenters were non-Returnees and the final presenter was a Returnee.
The first presenter recently graduated from Lake Forest College in Illinois. She discussed life at a small liberal arts college as a non-Returnee. She talked about how the small community allowed her to form close connections with her classmates and professors. This allowed her to flourish as a student and earn two degrees, one in Economics and the other in Communication. This presenter ended by sharing her job-hunting experience as a graduate of an overseas university.
Following the first presenter was another non-Returnee. They recently completed their second year at Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey. This presenter talked about their experience attending a technical school instead of a traditional university. In addition to being a student, this presenter is also the CEO of their own quite successful company. This presenter closed by discussing how they balance working and studying.
The final presenter was a Returnee. This presenter recently completed his first year at Columbia University in New York City. He discussed his application timeline, which started in Grade 9. This presenter specifically talked about his activities, grades, and SAT score. He also touched on how he successfully applied to domestic universities while also applying to overseas universities.
After the presentations, there was a Q&A Session with the graduate presenters. During this session, audience members asked fantastic questions of the presenters. This allowed the presenters to provide more specific insight into their experiences applying to and attending oversea universities.
The Overseas College Guidance program is thankful to the graduate presenters and attendees for another successful information session. We look forward to our next opportunity to connect with our community.
