NEWS FROM THE HEO
HIGHER EDUCATION OFFICE UPDATES - 6 NOVEMBER 2013
Dear Students and Parents,
YEAR 13 UPDATES
It’s been a very busy time in the HEO with the submission of early university applications and now that all Early Applications to the UK, US and Hong Kong have been submitted we can concentrate on regular decision applications.
Important Reminders
All students applying to the US and the UK need to email me a copy of their essays by Friday 8 November. This will give me time to give constructive feedback and for students to submit their applications in a timely and effective manner.
Although official deadlines are not until the end of this year, or in January 2014, applications are more competitive if they are submitted early.
We aim to have all university applications submitted by Friday 13 December.
ALL students need to update their university choices on Naviance. This applies to choices in all destinations, not just the US. Inputting your choices into Naviance will help me track the progress of your applications.
Don’t forget to update the HEO on your university choices as they start to come in.
Please be aware that the HEO have to send documents to various universities on behalf of the students. The cost incurred for registered and courier mail has to be covered by students and their parents.
Fantastic News!
The offers have already started to come in and we are very proud to inform you that three students have already received excellent offers from the Universities of Bristol, Birmingham, Sheffield and Kings College London.
Ms Blomfield Attends the CIS Conference in November
From 18 -25 November Ms Blomfield will be attending the CIS Conference in Monaco which provides a valuable networking opportunity for university admission reps and university guidance counselors from around the world. Please note that she will be contactable by email during this time and will be working closely with students on their university applications and essays.
3-Way Conferences 15 November
Please note Ms Blomfield will be available to meet with parents on Friday 15 November to discuss university options. Please email her directly to set up an appointment in the Higher Education Office.
Year 11 DP Options
Subject choices for the IB Diploma play a vital role in university admissions, so please choose your subjects carefully and do some research before you make your final decision. Please remember that many universities look at the rigour of your subject selection, not just the overall score. So many universities advise that you choose a minimum of two traditional or facilitating subjects at Higher Level.
Dr Wendy Piatt, Director General of the Russell Group, said:
“Our consistent advice is that taking two facilitating subjects will keep a wide range of degree courses and career options open to you. This is because these are the subjects most commonly required by our universities and hundreds of courses require one or more facilitating subjects.”
If you are unsure, keep your subject choice broad. Taking both Art and Design Technology for example at Higher Level takes you down a particular road, with little flexibility of a change of direction.
Remember that lab sciences are important – many universities ask for one lab science even if you are not studying in a particularly science-related area.
If you have any questions regarding subject choice at IB and their role in the university application process, please feel free to contact Ms Blomfield.
University Visits
We have had successful visits from the Lausanne Hotel School, Switzerland, International College of Hotel Management (ICHM) in October, and a very interesting workshop delivered by SCAD Hong Kong, and are looking forward to visits f rom Cardiff University, St Andrews and University of Colorado Boulder next week.
The Faculty of Education, University of Hong Kong (HKU) will be hosting a series of events and talks on Information Day for Undergraduate Admissions on November 9, 2013 (Saturday). Please register online to reserve a place for the various information talks.
PSAT Results due in December
Finally…..
Students - please remember to read your emails and visit Ding! regularly. There are a great number of university events taking place, deadlines coming up and new trends and information to keep up to date with – so keep in touch!
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me by email susie.blomfield@discovery.edu.hk , I will be delighted to help.
Kind regards,
Susie Blomfield
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: susie.blomfield@discovery.edu.hk
Website: http://discovery.edu.hk
Location: Siena Avenue, 38, Discovery Bay, Hong Kong
Phone: (852) 3969 1000