NEWS FROM THE HEO
HIGHER EDUCATION OFFICE UPDATES - 20 MARCH 2015
Dear Students and Parents,
It has been a busy and productive month full of university visits and lectures. Year 13 students have been finalizing their university choices and preparing for their final exams, with Year 12 getting to grips with some serious research and Year 11 making their IBDP subject choices. With the Easter break just around the corner, the end of the academic year is looming near and with it lots of important decisions to be made and choices to be considered.
YEAR 13 STUDENTS - MAKING YOUR FINAL DECISIONS!
By 1 May 2015, all university offers (with the exception of Hong Kong) should have been received. Students are then faced with the exciting and difficult task of choosing which to accept and which to decline. Students need to think carefully about this important decision and then submit their final choices to the HEO. We will then organize their official IB results to be sent directly to their selected universities which will finalize the whole admissions process.
Please click HERE for more information and a copy of the Request Form for IB results service. Please note that if this form is not completed and handed in by the deadline, the IBO will not be able to submit official exam results to the universities of your choice - and therefore your university place will not be secured.
YEAR 12 STUDENTS - WIDEN YOUR LIST!
With a constant stream of university visits, Year 12 have had ample opportunity to do plenty of important research and weigh up the diverse and exciting range of options available to them.
On Thursday 5 March 2015 DC was lucky to host a group of 19 small US liberal arts colleges: CTCL - Colleges that Change Lives.
All Year 12 students attended this event, even if the US was/is not currently on their radar. It was another important opportunity for students to get to the fundamentals in their university search, regardless of which country or type of major they are considering: understanding and knowing their interests and strengths. One of the best ways to do this is through speaking to the experts.
Why attending a small liberal arts college can be so valuable!
Who Needs Harvard? Find out why so many experts are urging students and parents to look beyond the brand name
YEAR 11 STUDENTS - IBDP SUBJECT SELECTION IS IMPORTANT!
This is an important time for Year 11’s as they are finalizing their IB Diploma choices. Many students are still unsure, and this is perfectly normal, so please don’t panic! However we do strongly recommend that students keep their options open and choose at least two facilitating subjects at Higher Level.
For more information on what facilitating subjects are, and why they are so important, please click here.
http://www.russellgroup.ac.uk/faqs#4
https://www.oxford-royale.co.uk/articles/facilitating-a-level-subjects-guide.html
HEO Feature - Why study Hospitality?
If you think hospitality is all about being a chef and working in a hotel, you are being misguided. Now one of the largest growing industries with vast opportunities in many different business sectors, hospitality is justifiably appearing more on students’ radar as a potential choice of major and career.
Please click here for more information and some very interesting facts and figures:
Students were fortunate to have visits by ICHM (International College of Hotel Management) in Adelaide, Australia and the Hotelschool The Hague, the Netherlands - two excellent institutions with fantastic work opportunities in a wide variety of fields.
Alternative Pathways - What is a Community College?
Community colleges (sometimes called 2 year colleges or junior colleges) offer students the valuable opportunity to save money, prepare for transfer to a four-year college, get ready for a career, try out college and take advantage of a flexible schedule (College Board). According to the American Association of Community Colleges, 44% of all undergraduate college students are enrolled at a community college.
For more information about these valuable and alternative pathways, please click HERE.
University Visits
Students have had the opportunity to talk with a wide range of universities last month:
LIM College, US
Reach Cambridge, UK - a summer programme in Cambridge, U.K.
The Game Experience - a summer programme at University of Washington, US,
ICHM (International College of Hotel Management), Adelaide
Hotelschool The Hague, the Netherlands
The following institutions will be visiting in the coming weeks:
Foothill & De Anza Colleges (community colleges) , and the University at Buffalo, SUNY (State University of New York), US - Monday 23 March, 1:30 pm
Percy - Perspectives from a current university student, Monday 23 March, 3:30pm
Birmingham Law School, UK - Wednesday 25 March, 1.30 pm
Northeastern University & Baylor, US - Wednesday 15 April, 1.30 pm
As always, students are strongly encouraged to attend these events and parents are warmly welcome.
ESF Higher Education Review
The ESF will be conducting an ESF Wide Careers and Higher Education Review next term after Easter. As part of this review, surveys will be conducted with students and parents and alumni. Students and parents from Year 13 will be contacted at the end of next week and we would be grateful if you could please take the time to complete the survey as thoroughly as you can. Your thoughts and feedback are very hugely valuable to us and will be taken strongly into account for our future planning and development.
All your responses are anonymous and will be treated confidentially. The survey has been purposely kept short to keep disruption to your busy and pressurized schedules to an absolute minimum.
As always please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or wish to arrange a meeting.
Wishing you all a wonderful Easter break and looking forward to seeing you again in April.
Kind regards,
Ms Susie Blomfield & Ms Amanda Yan
Useful Resources
UK – UCAS – www.ucas.com
US – College Board – www.collegeboard.org
Petersons College Search - www.petersons.com/college-search
Common Application - https://www.commonapp.org
US News – www.usnews.com
Canada – www.aucc.ca
Australia – www.universitiesaustralia.edu.au
HEO - Higher Education Office
Email: heo@dc.edu.hk
Website: http://discovery.edu.hk
Location: Siena Avenue, 38, Discovery Bay, Hong Kong
Phone: (852) 3969 1000