nist college counseling newsletter for year 12 students may 30, 2013

7/28/2019 NIST College Counseling Newsletter for Year 12 Students May 30, 2013

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The Three-way College Conference 2Important University Preparation During the Summer 3

Important University Preparation - US 4-5Important University Preparation - UK 6

Planning for a meaningful summer? 7-8Indago Future Leaders Camp, Cambodia 9

IB World Student Conferences (IBWSC) 10

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Newsletter

May 30, 2013

F O R Y E A R 1 2 S T U D E N T SLast Thursday of every month!

The NIST College Counseling Newsletter provides extra guidance for you. It will be sent to you on the last Thursday of every month until you are done with your applications. Please read eachnewsletter carefully, and save it in the College/University folder on

your tablet, so that you can find it easily, and go back to review im-portant information, dates, and deadlines when needed. This news-letter will also be sent to your parents and teachers.

Steps to College/University

This is the last newsletter you receive in Year 12. We will have a look at what you should do over the summer to get ready for univer-sity applications in Year 13. Have a great summer vacation. Wehope to see you back at NIST in August ready to go through theapplication process.

Meet the CounselorsMeet the Counselors

Mr. Joachim Ekstrom(Mr. Kim)

[email protected] Room 4203

Phone Extension: 353

Ms. Jacquelyn Valenzuela [email protected]

Room 4205 Phone Extension: 205

Mrs. Brenda Manfredi [email protected]

Room 4204b Phone Extension: 204

Meet the Counselors

US University Fair May 31-June 2 11


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How to register?1. Register for the conference by sending an email to your counselor

with a few preferred days and times.2. Make sure your parent(s) are really available at this time.3. Your counselor will then confirm your time by email.

Congratulations to all students who have completedthe Three-way conferences.

Most of these meetings were one hour long, and lots of importantinformation and processes were discussed.

Some of you have still not registered for the Conference.

If this is true for you, please contact your counselor immediately!

Remember that this is a compulsory meeting for all Year 12 students.It is probably the most important meeting you have this year. You and

your parent(s) must meet with your counselor to discuss the universityresearch and application process. We will discuss what you should havedone by now, and what else you need to do to get ready for the appli-

cation process that begins early in Year 13.

The Three-way College Conference


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Important University Preparationduring the Summer

Continue your university research. Go back to the previous Newslettersor the UniQuest guide and have a look at the online research tools.Stay organized by using the University Research Data Spread Sheet.Finalize your short list of universities before you come back in August.Is your passport not from North-America, Australia, New Zealand, or theUK? Then you should take the TOEFL ( www.toefl.org) or IELTS(www.ielts.org) during the summer. When you register, remember to name

the universities to which you want the scores to be sent.Help out at home and learn how to operate the washing machine, and takesome cooking lessons. Try to get some insight into how your parents plantheir monthly budget. These will be important skills for you to have when

you leave your parents home in a bit more than a year.If possible, take a summer course and spend some time away from yourfamily. That would help you prepare for whats coming next year. See

page 6-7 for more information about summer courses.If you are applying to universities in Australia, please continue doing yourresearch and finalize your list. As you know, you will not need to write anyessays, and recommendation letters are optional. The deadlines are alsolater in the year. When you receive your predicted grades in October, wewill discuss if you want to apply based on these grades, or your final IBgrades after you have graduated.If you are applying to universities in Thailand then you really should goand visit each of them. Contact the admission office and book an appoint-ment and ask for a campus tour.If you are applying to other universities in Asia, Europe or Canada, pleasespend some time over the summer to find out what requirements theyhave. Some Asian countries have very specific requirements.If you are applying to Universities in the US see page 4-5 If you are applying to universities in the UK see page 6
http://www.toefl.org/http://www.toefl.org/http://www.ielts.org/http://www.ielts.org/http://www.ielts.org/http://www.toefl.org/


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If you are applying to the US:find out what the college essay questions are (on the univer-sities websites) and write the first draft for each university. Try to choose questions that overlap so that you can use thesame essay (or the same essay with minor modifications) formore than one university.Do you have any Common Application schools on your list?Then you should familiarize yourself with the website:www.commonapp.org (The new essay questions are included onthe next page).Decide if you need to do the SAT again, and register for Oc-tober, November, or December: www.collegeboard.org Find out if you need to take SAT Subject Tests and registeraccordingly. If the university recommends that you takesubject tests, you should absolutely take them.Sometimes you can choose what subject tests to take, andother times the university will specify the tests they want.Complete the Naviance Resume and make sure that you havegiven as much information about your passions and extracur-ricular involvements as possible.Are you planning to visit universities in the US during thesummer? Contact the admission offices in advance. They arehappy to receive you. Many universities have an online regis-tration for campus tours and information sessions. Visit theirwebsites to find out more.Decide what 2 teachers you will ask to write your recommen-

dation letters.
http://www.commonapp.org/http://www.commonapp.org/http://www.collegeboard.org/http://www.collegeboard.org/http://www.collegeboard.org/http://www.commonapp.org/


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The Common Application Essay Prompts 2013 -14

The essay demonstrates your ability to write clearly and concisely ona selected topic and helps you distinguish yourself in your own voice.

What do you want the readers of your application to know about youapart from courses, grades, and test scores? Choose the option thatbest helps you answer that question and write an essay of no morethan 650 words, using the prompt to inspire and structure your re-sponse. Remember: 650 words is your limit, not your goal. Use the

full range if you need it, but don't feel obligated to do so. (The ap-plication won't accept a response shorter than 250 words.)

Some students have a background or story that is so central totheir identity that they believe their application would be incom-plete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share yourstory.

Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How didit affect you, and what lessons did you learn?Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. Whatprompted you to act? Would you make the same decision again?Describe a place or environment where you are perfectly content.What do you do or experience there, and why is it meaningful to

you?

Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, thatmarked your transition from childhood to adulthood within yourculture, community, or family.


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If you are applying to the UK:Write the first draft of your Personal Statement. You willfind guidelines here: www.UCAS.com Decide on your 5 choices. Make sure that at least one or twoof them are Star (Safety) Schools.Are you planning on visiting universities in the UK over the

summer? Find out when Open Days are offered at various uni-versities here: www.opendays.com If you are applying to Medicine related courses, find outwhen you can take the UKCAT ( www.ukcat.ac.uk) or BMAT (www.britishcouncil.org) and start preparing for the tests.If you are applying to Law, find out when you can take theLNAT (www.lnat.ac.uk) and start preparing for the test.

Decide what teacher you will ask to write your recommenda-tion letter.

Have a greatsummervacation
http://www.ucas.com/students/applying/howtoapply/personalstatement/C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/JEkstrom/My%20Documents/ACID%20Music%205.0%20Projectshttp://www.ucas.com/students/applying/howtoapply/personalstatement/C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/JEkstrom/My%20Documents/ACID%20Music%205.0%20Projectshttp://www.opendays.com/http://www.opendays.com/http://www.ukcat.ac.uk/http://www.ukcat.ac.uk/http://www.britishcouncil.org/other_exams.htmhttp://www.britishcouncil.org/other_exams.htmhttp://www.lnat.ac.uk/http://www.lnat.ac.uk/http://www.lnat.ac.uk/http://www.britishcouncil.org/other_exams.htmhttp://www.ukcat.ac.uk/http://www.opendays.com/http://www.ucas.com/students/applying/howtoapply/personalstatement/C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/JEkstrom/My%20Documents/ACID%20Music%205.0%20Projects


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Planning for a meaningful summer?The summer vacation is just around the corner. Do you have any plans for thesummer yet? We strongly suggest that you do something meaningful with yoursummer break, not simply sit around the house watching TV or go out with

friends. How you spend your summer can influence your admission to college.While summer activities will not compensate for mediocre grades and poor testscores, careful planning can tip the scales in your favor.

Some very useful things to do during summer could be:Take a SAT preparation courseVolunteer and do serviceRead some inspiring books

If you are travelling, take the opportunity to visit art galleries, museums, etc.Join a pre-college program such as Summer Discovery with five campuses inthe US and Cambridge in England, or Summer Study at Penn State and Sum-mer Study in Paris (Follow the links below for more information).

You should ask yourself:What kind of summer experiences do I want?Do I want an educational environment, or a social one, or a combination?Do I want to get a taste of college life?In what country do I want to be?How much money is available?

Use the links on the following page to explore some great summer experiences.
http://www.summerdiscovery.com/http://www.summerstudy.com/


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Planning for a meaningful summer?Click the pictures to follow the links

IB Summer Programs:

OSC based in Oxford, UK, specializes in support for students taking the IB Diploma.They run Summer Revision Courses for IB students based in beautiful university locations.Since they started in 1990, over 14,000 IB students have taken one or more of their courses.

The IB summer courses at St. Clare's draw on the Colleges extensive expertise and re-sources to provide review and extension courses for students following the IB Diploma course.

The Mid IB Summer Course at IBWISE is a course designed for students who have completed

their first IB Diploma year.

Searchable Summer Experience Databases:

Next NIST College Counseling Newsletter will be in your inbox onThursday August 29th

Have a great summer vacation! Kind regards, The Secondary Counselors
https://www.teenlife.com/search/summer-programs/?program=&keyword=&category=Community+Service&sub_category=&age=&cost=&length=&start=&state=&zip=&country=&sort_order=1&summer=Searchhttp://www.mysummercamps.com/http://www.allensguide.com/http://www.enrichmentalley.com/http://www.petersons.com/college-search/study-summer-abroad.aspxhttp://www.teenink.com/Summer/http://www.ibwise.com/mid-ib-summer-course.htmlhttp://www.stclares.ac.uk/index.phphttp://www.osc-ib.com/


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Indago Future Leaders Camp, Cambodia

For more information:http://www.indagotravel.com/future -leaders -camp
http://www.indagotravel.com/future-leaders-camphttp://www.indagotravel.com/future-leaders-camphttp://www.indagotravel.com/future-leaders-camphttp://www.indagotravel.com/future-leaders-camphttp://www.indagotravel.com/future-leaders-camphttp://www.indagotravel.com/future-leaders-camphttp://www.indagotravel.com/future-leaders-camp


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IB World Student Conferences (IBWSC) For more information: www.ibo.org/wsc
http://www.ibo.org/wschttp://www.ibo.org/wschttp://www.ibo.org/wsc


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