Workshop Overview
This workshop has been designed for school counselors and faculty who advise students and families in the process of applying to colleges and universities in the increasingly popular destinations in the United States, the UK, and continental Europe.
Essential Questions:
How are colleges and universities in the US, UK, and various countries of Europe evaluating applicants now?
- How can I better advise and manage the expectations and anxieties over the admissions process in my school community?
Over-Arching Goal:
Participants will be able to assess the current resources and needs in their school's ability to provide expert college counseling students and families. The holistic admissions process in the US is wildly different from the process used by schools in Europe. By the end of the workshop, participants will gain firsthand knowledge of recent trends and practices in these different college admissions process and have confidence in guiding students and managing student and parental expectations.
Workshop Preparation:
The expectation is that participants work in schools and play a significant role in advising, advocating for, and counseling students and families in the college and university admissions process, with many of their students interested in applying to schools in the United States, UK, and continental Europe.
Workshop Outcome
During this learning experience you will learn and practice how to excel in the following aspects:
- Understand the breadth and diversity of US colleges and universities and what they are looking for in applicants
- Compare the holistic American process with that used by UCAS and different university programs in continental Europe
- Specific country information will be provided to help calm anxieties and address misinformation held by your students, parents
- Gain confidence in supporting your counseling team, faculty members, and managing up with administrators
- Learn about critical information your school needs to be able to provide colleges and universities around the world to best support the applications of your students
Program Agenda
For this 2-day workshop, the program is divided into 4 modules, with 2 modules to be covered on each day:
Module 1 – The Worldwide College and University Landscape and Intro the US
Given the breadth of tertiary education option across the world, high schools are charged with supporting students and families in choosing and applying to a manageable list of schools. Let's look at the world context and start with the US admissions system.
Essential Questions:
What features and trends about American colleges and universities exist that lead to the very unique admissions process that students face if they want to go to America for an undergraduate education?
How do American colleges and universities differ from those in the UK and options in Europe?
Learning Objectives:
- Participants will get an overview of the breadth of college and university options worldwide, and realize how different application processes are across the US, UK, and across a few specific programs in Europe.
- Participants will learn that US colleges and universities care much more than academic strengths of a student. What else are they looking for?
- Participants will learn how to explain the concept of "college fit" to students and parents unfamiliar with the undergraduate colleges and universities in the US
- How do high school teachers and counselors help counsel students on application writing for different country systems?
Module 2 – Intro to UCAS (UK) and specific programs in continental Europe
Essential Questions:
How do students present themselves differently when applying to the UK or continental Europe?
How do students demonstrate "best fit" to universities outside the US?
Learning Objectives:
- Participants will get a crash course on the UCAS system in the UK and how recommendation letters must be specifically written
- Participants will learn of some specific universities and programs in continental Europe to tout as strong options for international students
- Participants will get a comparison of how students must be counselled in different ways depending on where they are applying. How can you best manage giving specific advice and manage the understanding of all your stakeholders?
Module 3 - Managing Difficult Conversations and Taming Expectations: Look at Application Case Studies
As there is no national college entrance examination for the US or Europe, and no magic formula for each US college and university, it is natural for students and families to be anxious about what may seem to be an unpredictable and opaque application process. The more students are told to "be themselves", the more they may be receiving external pressure to "craft themselves into something colleges and universities want to see." This module will provide counselors and educators the expertise to have confidence in advising their students and families, and to properly set up expectations in order to have productive conversations throughout each student's process.
Essential Questions:
What are students expected to contribute to a US college campus vs. a university in the UK or Europe?
How are applications looked at different across the various countries, given differences in priorities and admissions goals?
Learning Objectives:
- Participants will gain an understanding of how the admissions process in the US is very much a human process and a subjective one and how best to explain this to students and families
- Looking at students who are qualified on paper, how does the admissions process actually work in each country? We will delve into case studies to demonstrate how different the process works.
Module 4 – Honing Counselor Expertise and Managing All Stakeholders
Colleagues who completed higher education may believe they too can be an effective college and university guidance counselor. This is also a misconception sold by independent counselors who do not work in schools. Participants will be introduced to resources and materials they should all have to provide students and parents in order to show off their professional expertise and specific knowledge base in this field of counseling.
Essential Questions:
What information can I share with my community that shows how the value of college and university guidance counseling in this school and how much influence the high school has in the advocacy of your students to colleges and universities around the world?
How do counselors help students manage the timeline, required documentation, a potential interview, and show appropriate demonstrated interest to colleges and universities?
Learning Objectives:
- Participants will learn about networks, professional development opportunities, and key partners to have to better support your school's college and university guidance counseling reputation and knowledge base
- Participants will learn practical information to share with students and families and a typical timeline of student responsibilities and school programming starting Junior Year/Grade 11
- Participants will be able to increase their capacity in how to develop a robust college counseling program
Recommended Hotel
Four Points by Sheraton Yantai
Address: No. 101, Shuangxiang Building, 286 Changjiang Road, China (Shandong) Yantai Pilot Free Trade Zone, Shandong, China
地址: 中国(山东)自由贸易试验区烟台片区长江路286号双 祥大厦101号
Contact Person: Simon Cheng (senior sales manager)
Phone Number: (86) 535 681 3333
Website (网站): www.marriott.com
