Posts by Tess Robinson

The process of choosing a school for a child can be challenging. There are so many considerations to take into account, and many of these go well beyond academics. Choosing a school for a child within the international community is even more challenging. In addition to everything else, many international parents do not have the…

College visits have become somewhat of a rite of passage for many high schoolers.  Every year students and their families wander miles of campus land looking at buildings and buying t-shirts in hopes of determining the best schools at which to apply.  While the college visit can be a vital step in the college selection…

Anxious parents are frequently seen in our offices at this time of year.  The beginning of a new school year often brings fresh questions about the excellence of our Shanghai International schools in terms of teacher quality, course offerings and college admissions.  Boarding school is often looked at as a panacea against the concerns that…

Few things strike more fear into the hearts of final year students and their parents than college admissions.  Unfortunately, more often than not, these fears are derived from a lack of knowledge or a misunderstanding of the facts, leading to unnecessary stress and poor decision-making. As college admissions counselors we strongly urge students and their…

The word ‘gap’ usually carries negative connotations – a space, a hole, an abyss. Gaps sounds dark, scary, possibly eternal and like something to be avoided at all costs. It is no surprise then that many parents become alarmed at the prospect of their student taking a gap year in between high school and college. Traditionally, students…

EMPLOYERS and universities are looking for students with experience, and experiences. Can a Secondary school provide the type of education needed beyond the school grounds? A generation ago, good grades were enough to get students into the top colleges and later, into top corporations. Today, however, universities and employers are looking beyond the purely academic…

Thriving in your Freshman Year! Going to college is exciting, wonderful and abit frightening all at the same time. The transition from high school to college is a challenge for most students, but the move to college can be especially intimidating for expatriate and international students. They are very likely to attend college a continent…

There is little about the process of college admissions that causes parents and students worldwide more anxiety than college and university admissions tests. After all the years of hard work in the classroom, extracurricular activities, leadership, teamwork, piano lessons, swimming lessons, community service, etc., most students will still have a final hurdle to clear. For…

Summer is a great opportunity to rest and refresh your mind and body. Lounging on the beach, surfing and visiting the ice cream parlour or the movies in the evening sounds like the perfect summer. In the 1970’s, 80’s and 90’s it was …but for today’s students with curious minds, summer is a vital opportunity…

Whether you say goodbye at the airport, train station or accompany your child all the way to the hallowed gates of their university, a child going off to college is a tearful affair. Years of studying, hard work, discipline, hope and savings, sometimes as much as USD$65,000 during the  first year alone, can disappear in…