IN PERSON EVENTS: A TIME TO CONNECT

By: Debbie McDowell, Head of University Counseling

Being able to offer events in person this year has been fabulous. Gathering together has enabled valuable conversations between parents and counselors regarding university research and selection leading up to students submitting their applications.

The first event that has returned to campus is the University Counselor Parent Coffees. Three Parent Coffees were presented during first semester. The first event in September, “Introduction to the ISB University Counselors and Program”, drew well over 120 individuals who were eager to find out about the university guidance offered by the counseling department over the course of the student’s four years in high school. In October, the counselors presented on “What you need to know about Standardized Testing.” There was a solid conversation about when or if students should sit exams. The final presentation in first semester was a hot topic, “What’s the deal with rankings.” A breakdown of how rankings are inherently biased was discussed and proved to be eye opening to many in the audience that day.

University visits have returned to ISB as well. Two big events in first semester were the 2022 Greater Bangkok Fair @ ISB and the 2022 Thai University Fair. The Greater Bangkok Fair was held on 22 September and over 200 university representatives were on campus to meet with ISB students and families. The atmosphere was charged with excitement as everyone was eager to gather information from the university admissions officers.

On 14 November, ISB hosted the first Thai University Fair in over three years. Twenty-five faculties from 12 universities were welcomed to ISB. There was a warm reception by students, parents and faculty who were all eager to find out more about the programs offered at the universities in our host country. The university counselors welcome the opportunity to personally connect with families and university representatives alike.

After years of zoom meetings, long distance conferences and remote connection, the university counselors eagerly meet with parents at scheduled events as well as offering individual meetings with families as needed. We look forward to the continued participation in events hosted for our community.

In our second semester, there are twelve more opportunities to connect at scheduled Parent Coffees. The first one in January will focus on “Higher Education in the United States.” This will be a primer and overview of university studies in the United States. All grade level parents are welcome to attend to find out more about trends in university admissions as well as the general outline of how the university application process in the US works. Following closely behind that, the presentations in February and March are focused on geographic locations.

In February, there will be “Study in…..the UK, Canada, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia” sessions. In March, the university counselors will have “Community meetings with…. the Japanese community, Thai community, Korean community and Chinese community.” This is a great opportunity to support specific groups of individuals within our student body. The April Parent Coffee will focus on “Financing University Studies.” And the final event for the year will be the “Year in Review and Open Forum” in May.

Information about the Parent Coffees can always be found in the weekly eNews each Friday. These informal get togethers are so important because it provides parents valuable information and creates a venue for questions to be asked. These in person events foster positive working relationships between the ISB faculty and parent communities which the university counselors find to be essential in working with students.

By: PTA Hospitality Team