College Counseling, Helping Students Find the Right Fit

(Newswire.net — April 3, 2020) Shunyi District, Beijing —

High school is the time when students make lasting memories, create lifelong friendships, try out some interesting extra-curricular activities and try to do their best academically. 

But this time is also a top source of stress and anxiety. 

Students are trying to choose what post-secondary school to attend, they’re learning the steps to actually finish an application and starting to think about the oh-so-common question, “What do you want to do with the rest of your life?” 

Fortunately for students at the International School of Beijing (ISB), there’s a comprehensive, well-resourced and qualified counseling service to help students in each stage of their post-secondary journey. 

The counselors partner with the students guiding them through their college admissions journey. 

Helping Students Find the ‘Right’ Fit

“There is no evidence that students’ learning will suffer from attending a less selective college… the students who benefit the most from college are those who are most engaged in their academics and campus communities,” writes A “Fit” Over Ranking by Challenge Success. “Engagement is key.”

The quote above illustrates how students excel most when they attend a post-secondary facility that is the best fit for them, rather than one that just looks good on paper. 

“This is one of the greatest challenges,” said Patrick Stenger, High School Counselor and Team Leader at ISB, outlining how difficult it can be to get people to think beyond the Ivy Leagues. 

“We look at the entire experience of the three or four years and ask the students to think about which of the universities they apply to will provide them with the greatest amount of value, not just in the degree, but in life and education.”

To do this, Stenger utilizes publications, research, articles and well-sourced material, such as the study quoted above, and presents it to parents and students to take it from opinion to fact. 

And with a counselor to student ratio of 5:24, ISB has the ability to have these one-on-one conversations further personalizing the experience. 

A Road Map for Parents and Students

College counseling begins when students enter Grade 9. The first in the year’s series of coffee mornings with the High School counselors features an explanation of the major events and landmarks of a student’s High School experience and how the department supports them through the journey. 

As students progress through High School, there are college seminars talking about admissions systems around the world. These are also a time where students and parents can have any questions answered. In addition to the seminars, students also attend what ISB calls Kick-Offs to work through personal reflections and college research.

During grade 11, students also have both research and college essay writing workshops. Students take this time to look into post-secondary facilities and learn how to put together a U.S. or U.K. admissions essay. 

In their final year, students participate in an all-day workshop on application processes and consult with their counselors. In the afternoon, parents join and there’s an alumni forum where students can ask about college life. 

Though the college section of the counseling department makes up a large part of the services offered at the school, ISB also offers academic and personal counseling.  

With highly-trained counselors who know the students and a well-resourced and qualified service, ISB’s College Counseling makes it so parents don’t have to seek help outside the school amid the often unreliable network of agents that have sprung up in some parts of the world, capitalizing on their uncertainty.  

Making an Impact on Students 

What further refines this experience is the relationships between the counselors and their students. 

When asked about moments that stick out to him, Stenger was quick to start listing off students and everything they bring to the table. 

“There is one student, Hiro W., he is just an amazing kid who could go anywhere. He left junior year, took a year abroad and learned Spanish.” Stenger described. “He just did what he wanted to do which is extremely brave.”

According to Hiro, Stenger has also left quite an impression. 

“Mr. Stenger has been very supportive and always gives me great ideas,” said Hiro, a senior at ISB. “I think sometimes students themselves may not realize their potential, the counselors really help point those things out for you. When you have that person doing that for you, you feel more confident, more comfortable, you know that you’re going to have that support throughout the college process.”

And instilling that confidence is something Hiro is forever thankful for. 

When asked his favourite part of the program at ISB, Hiro described the inspiration the counselors help spark in the students. 

“When you bring what you have to the counselors, they don’t try to limit you, they never criticize, they’re supportive in the way they deliver feedback,” said Hiro. “They explain and help get rid of the things that you’re worried about by making things as transparent as possible.”

By making things transparent, the weight of that high school stress and anxiety is removed from the students’ shoulders. 

Experts Further Strengthen Counseling Program 

To help guarantee programs such as this one have the intended effect on students, ISB not only employs experts, they have systems in place to promote continued learning. 

Stenger always knew that he wanted to do something in education to help others. He has built up close to 20 years of experience in counseling internationally since earning his masters in educational psychology. Stenger’s colleagues have similar backgrounds, and ISB funds them to continue learning and attending conferences to keep up with best practice in their field.

“All of us counselors are actively involved in continuing to learn our trade,” said Stenger. “It’s [our learning opportunities] that give us a way to network. We collectively have great relationships with the people who actually read our students’ applications.”

According to Stenger, he hopes that even with the college admissions process and guidance demanding most of the focus during high school, students will still take some time to enjoy themselves. 

“It’s about making friends and feeling comfortable with your environment, professors and academic rigour,” said Stenger. “The sooner and the better that can take place, the more time you have to actualize that experience. We help our students get to the point where they can fully engage with that experience on their terms.”

This point was further explored by Hiro, who explained the importance of living in the moment while at ISB. 

“The interesting thing is when ISB students graduate and get into those great schools, and start post-secondary education, they end up really missing ISB. They miss that tight-knit community.”

To improve services and support to students and families, ISB is introducing new changes to the High School counseling service. Starting next academic year, ISB will have one department responsible for social/emotional/academic counseling led by School Counselors and one department for career and university advising led by University Advisors.

According to the announcement, this change comes with extensive research, the collection of internal data on community needs, the studying of best practices and listening to feedback from ISB students, parents and outside consultants.

“This remodeling of the department will allow our teams the clarity to specialize in and enhance the services and programs provided to students and families.”