Whats Next?

Will taking a ‘year out’ after the graduating high school really benefit your child? While the answer is in most cases ‘yes’ many parents remain concerned that their child will ‘lose momentum’ and find it hard to return to study at the end of an extended break after high school graduation.

UWCSEA’s University Advising team works closely with university admissions offices the world over and in their latest blog post they provide some key advice for parents who are grappling with these concerns.

Even post-Brexit, the UK remains a popular destination choice for students seeking higher education overseas. At UWCSEA in Singapore, 35% of our students ultimately choose to matriculate in the UK in a wide variety of courses, including pre-professional courses such as medicine, law, engineering and architecture, and purely academic courses such as English, history, sociology, politics, economics, biology, chemistry and natural sciences.

Many parents may ask themselves this question as their children start thinking about college. And the answer will likely be ‘Yes’ – if you ask the independent counsellor. But before you sign on the dotted line and spend your hard-earned dollars, you should evaluate carefully the potential benefits and risks involved.

Experience tells us that parents look at university rankings. Rankings can provide some useful insights when researching and building a university application list - but often times they simply serve to confuse parents and students at a time when they are looking for clarity.

UWCSEA's team of experienced University Advisors explain how rankings work and which measures to look at more closely when High School students and parents start their search for a university. 

In this post, UWCSEA East Campus University Advisor Robbie Jefferiss likens approaching your university application process to planning a campaign for election to political office. All in the name of ensuring a successful term in office.

Finding a university that is a good match for your child can be stressful. In Singapore’s international school setting, many families consider universities in a wide range of countries beyond their home country. Here we outline some of the main differences between two popular destinations, the US and the UK.

This post is recommended reading for anyone with a High School age child in an international school.

What do parents wish they had known before their children headed off to university in another country? What advice would they give to other parents whose children will be going through the process in a year or two?

The university advising team at UWCSEA provides a short explanation of the many options that can make for a ‘worthwhile’ summer in a series of posts designed to help families make the most of a summer break.

Thankfully, it seems that academic summer programmes are not essential for university applications. Colleges and universities also value any kind of meaningful work experience (paid or unpaid), volunteer work, travel or cultural experiences, spending time with family and friends, or a combination of these things. What's important is what the child learns.

This post talks about the need for students to discover more about themselves and the world around them - and to rest and recharge.

The university advising team at UWCSEA provides a short explanation of the many options that can make for a ‘worthwhile’ summer in a series of posts designed to help families make the most of a summer break.

Over 200 universities come to UWCSEA each year to meet our students, and many will also visit other international schools while in Singapore. There are numerous ‘Higher Education’ fairs open to students looking to study overseas. These are typically held in a central location such as a school, hotel conference room or at one of the exhibition spaces and advertised via your school’s guidance counselors.

But nothing is quite like getting a feel for a place in person, as it provides an important opportunity to get a sense of whether a particular university will be a ‘right fit’. In fact, we would go so far as to say that if you are considering applying to a university it is really valuable to visit it first. We’ve had students tell us that setting foot on a campus has absolutely confirmed a college as their first choice, or helped them rule out a college that they had thought they were interested in.

This post talks about visiting those university campuses that your child may be considering - including a list of a things to consider when planning these trips.