28th November, 2014 University Applications 2015 We have now sent over 150 applications to Uni-versities in the USA, UK, Hong Kong and Cana-da, and it is pleasing to see students receiving so many offers. Some of our Oxbridge applicants have been invited to interviews and it is good to see their hard work paying off. Only our top stu-dents apply to Oxbridge and they need to have A/A* at IGCSE and be predicted 40 points + in the IB Diploma in order to make a competitive appli-cation. In addition, students need to have demon-strated a passion and ability in their chosen sub-ject, through reading or activities outside the classroom – excellent grades alone are not enough at this level. Many Oxbridge applicants have had extra examinations, which they have had to prepare for, and Ms Pankra has organ-ised mock interviews and workshops to help them be successful during the process. Our stu-dents will go to the UK in early December for their actual interviews and we wish them the best of luck.

*all dates listed are internal deadlines intended to assure on-time submission of all application ma-terials Counsellor and Student meetings On January 26th we will be meeting with Year 11 students. Students will have the opportunity to talk about how high school course selection � ts into study in university, creating resumes and activity lists, as well as complete a personality pro� le. Year 10 students will meet with us on February 2 where we will be discussing activity lists and resumes as well as delving further into individual career interests. We are very excited to have the chance to start working with them for

university and career planning and we are planning more sessions with them as the year progresses. Upcoming Parent Meetings – all meetings will take place at 10 am January

9/1/15 - Financial Aid and the Scholarship Search (Years 12 and 13)

15/1/15 - Summer Programmes (Years 9-12)

*We are looking for possible job shadow-ing/internship opportunities for our stu-dents ages 16+ in order to sharpen their skills as well as improve their college appli-cations and resumes. If you or someone you know is willing to support student interns, please contact Mrs Pankra , Ms Li or Mrs Pineda. Thank you

22/1/15 - Scope and Sequence for university and career planning for Years 10 & 11

February

12/2/15 – Scope and sequence and planning for uni-versity Year 9

13/2/15 – Careers Day

April 2/4/15 – Scope and sequence and the DCB plan for success Years 7 & 8 23/4/15 – Transitioning to Years 11 and 13 for par-ents of students in Years 10 and 12 May 13/5/15 - The College Application Process – Year 12. (presented in English, Chinese and Korean).

Newsle er 7, 2014-2015

Dulwich College Beijing Counsellor Newsle er

Dates

4th December Deadline for sub-mi ing January SAT application form to Ms Li

5th December Comenius Univer-sity visit, 12:50pm

6th December SAT exam, 8:00am, room 308

13th January European Univer-sity Geneva visit, 3:40pm

IMPORTANT DATES TO CONSIDER

November 15 UC and TX applications City U Hong Kong

December 1 UCAS applications due December 1 Most US applications due

December 1 Hong Kong U, CUHK

December 1 University of Toronto January 15 Uni. British Columbia McGill

Upcoming Events 

On December 2nd, Pioneer Academics will give a presenta‐tion on their unique independent research programme that enables high school students to conduct one‐on‐one re‐search online with distinguished, top‐ranked American professors from Harvard, NYU, Vassar, and a variety of other wonderful universities. The programme is open for rising Year 13 students (summer programme) as well as current Year 12 students and many times students are able to use their research to help in writing their EEs for Year 13.  Pioneer Academics presenters will be in room 102 at 12:50 pm to speak with interested parents and students about both their summer and spring online programmes.  For additional information, please visit: www.pioneeracademics.com  On January 14th, we will be hosting Dan Grayson to speak to Year 12 students regarding the university application process during PSHE time.  There will also be a parent Q&A session following the student presentation open to all parents of students Year 9 through 12. Refreshments will be served.   Mr Grayson evaluated applications for eight years at Tufts University, five of which he focused on international appli‐cations from Asia.  His work in admissions was featured in the New York Times’ Choice Blog for Admissions, and his work in international admission was featured in Fortune Magazine last March. He has partnered with the U.S. State Department to offer training for its educational advisors across Africa and will be partnering with a Rwandan start‐up university in an advisory capacity this year.   We are honoured to welcome him and are very excited for his visit.   Helpful and Interesting Morsels 

Did you know that the University of St. Andrews in Scot‐land is one of the few UK Universities that offers a joint degree programme with a partnership in the U.S.?   The St Andrews William & Mary Joint Degree Pro‐

gramme offers student the opportunity to spend two years at each of these outstanding universities, after which they earn a single diploma – a Bachelor of Arts (International Honours) with the insignia of both institutions. This inter‐national partnership combines the second oldest institution of higher education in the US with the oldest university in Scotland offering unique opportunities for both students and faculty.  ACT/SAT 

The ACT PLAN will be offered in February for students interested in gauging where their strength in admissions testing lies.  It is recommended that students in Year 11 taking the SAT consider taking the PLAN in order to make a more informed decision as to which exam is better fitting for them. Please sign up with Joanne Li in the University Counselling Centre. 

Because of concerns with upcoming exams conflicting with the ACT testing date in April we have decided to offer an additional administration on June 13. Students interested in sitting either test will need to register online at act.org.  As a reminder, it is recommended that all students looking to apply to US universities take the SAT or ACT at the end of Year 11 and once more during Year 12 or twice during Year 12 in order to avoid taking the test once more during Year 13.   It is not recommended that students sit for the test more than twice during their Senior School careers as research shows that in addition to students demonstrating only mar‐ginal gains, if any, student stress levels become elevate each time they sit the test, making concentrating on school‐work and other important matters at hand that much more diffi‐cult.      Heather Pineda Director of University Counselling Heather.Pineda@dulwich‐beijing.cn Julie.Pankratz@dulwich‐beijing.cn Joanne.Li@dulwich‐beijing.cn