The transition from high school to college is a momentous one. As students prepare for this significant life change, it’s helpful to have several sources of support, including parents, teachers, and importantly, a knowledgeable university guidance counselor. An in-school university guidance counselor and program can be one of the best sources of support and information for high school students thinking about their future. According to John Yi Liu, a University Guidance counselor at Yew Chung International School of Shanghai (YCIS)’s Gubei campus, “People spend around 40 years of their life working, so it’s critical for high school students to take the time to really think about and plan for their college and career interests now, as this will help set them on the path to happiness and success in their future.” So, how exactly can high school university guidance counselors and programs help students become well prepared?

Early preparation

High school is a busy time for many students, and it’s important that college and career planning is not just left to the last year or two. Therefore, having a university guidance counselor who is accessible to students of all ages can help encourage students to start thinking about their plans sooner. At YCIS, for example, the school’s Gubei and Century Park campuses have full time university guidance counselors available to all Secondary students. In addition to meeting with students and their parents regularly about university planning, the university guidance counselors also teach college and career planning classes as part of the school’s curriculum for students in Years 10-13. Karel DeCock, University Guidance coordinator at the Gubei campus, explains, “In Years 10-11, we teach our students key skills to be successful in high school, including time management skills, organization, and understanding learning styles. Then, in Years 12 and 13, we focus more on honing in on specific college and career interests. These classes provide us, as counselors, the unique opportunity to get to know all of our students well, so when it’s time for their university applications, we really have a very clear picture about how we can assist them specifically.”

A family affair

More than just the students themselves, university preparations include the parents, as well. Oftentimes, especially in international schools when it’s a matter of the student moving to a new country to attend university, college and career planning programs involve the whole family, helping to provide key information, manage expectations, and ease anxieties. At YCIS, the university guidance counselors meet with every student and their parents in Year 12 and 13 to discuss the student’s desired college choices to ensure they are a good fit for the student and their family. Also, the counselors hold a number of parent workshops throughout the school year to provide useful information about the various university options around the world, as well as a clear understanding about the application process. By including the parents well in advance of critical steps needed in their child’s path to university, parents are able to better support the decision process and preparation work.

Providing an external perspective

Although it’s easy to research a college’s general acceptance criteria online, it can be challenging to truly understand what makes a student a good fit for a specific university. Therefore, guidance counselors are an invaluable resource as they meet regularly with representatives and admissions officers from universities around the world. At YCIS, the university guidance counselors are in constant communication with the top universities from around the globe. In addition, this year, the school’s Gubei campus added an additional counselor, Sonja Phongsavanh, with more than 20 years of experience working in US university admissions, providing students and their families with even more insight into how to ensure the fit between students and universities, what to expect and ask when they search for and visit universities, and how the process actually works at the universities, as well.

University acceptances that reflect that student

The goal of a quality university guidance program is not to guarantee specific university acceptances, but rather, to help individual students and their families realize the best college and career match for them. Liu explains, “Many universities have the name recognition that is highly desirable for students and their families, however, these universities aren’t always a fit for every student. Our role as counselors is to work together with the students and their families to find the best fit for each student, whether that is a larger university, a smaller liberal arts college, a university with a top arts or music school, or a top engineering program, and much more. At YCIS, our university acceptances truly reflect the mission of our school, and we find that our holistic and globally-focused model of education helps our students see the value of continuing internationally-focused education for life.”

Real world guidance

Since the ultimate goal of attending university is to find a successful future career, it’s important that high school university guidance programs also provide students with information and insight into future career options. At YCIS, this happens in many ways, including a Shanghai “job shadow” program that was created last year for Year 11 students at the school’s Century Park campus. Last spring, Jerry, now a Year 12 student, participated in this weeklong job shadow program, and he says, “As a high school student who dreams of becoming a lawyer, I was able to shadow at the world’s largest law firm — Baker & McKenzie. Through the program, I began to understand what a career in law looks like and the qualities needed to become a successful attorney. The job shadow program truly raised my awareness of what the real work world looks like, which is extremely critical for high school students like me.” In addition, YCIS hosts several large-scale career events each year, bringing in panels of industry experts to talk with students in detail about working in their particular field, helping students ensure that their short term goals for university will align with their long-term goals for their career.

Finding the “right” college and career path is not an exact science, and students need to weigh many factors in making their decision. However, by providing the early and constant direction and support students and their families need to make their college application decisions, as well as access to university admissions and career information, a well-developed and strong university guidance program, like the one found at YCIS, helps prepare graduates to discover and pursue their own unique and successful paths that lie ahead.