Readying students for the next step – University and College Counselling at ACS Hillingdon

What kind of support is in place for ACS Hillingdon students when choosing a university?

Our approach is to work on the student’s self-awareness. We ask them what they would like to do in the future, what kind of impact they want to make and what type of experience they are looking for. Universities vary country by country, so it’s important for students to explore what opportunities are out there and to come to an informed decision about the best fit for their individual strengths and passions. To help them with their research, we set assignments, organise advisory workshops, have one-to-one sessions and parent meetings if requested, as part of our university counselling programme. During lunch breaks, we invite universities to come and talk to the students and each year we organise a fair with around 40 universities from around the world.

How does the team’s expertise help students?

As an example, if a student tells us they would like to take a Liberal Arts course with opportunities in Computer Science, but they don’t just want to study in the UK, we know that Northeastern has a programme in London where you can study a semester in the US as well. Or Imperial College London has an opportunity to complete an industrial experience in France. This is an exciting aspect of the role – being able to identify new and interesting options for the students.

How does the University and College Counselling provision at ACS Hillingdon differ from schools in the British system?

Our familiarity with a breadth of global destinations is one of the key differences. Each year, our students apply to a whole range of countries: UK, US, Japan, Netherlands, Cyprus, Italy, Austria, Spain etc. This keeps our knowledge and expertise in these destinations up to date, and we are connected to a network of admissions officers across global universities. Additionally, we have a broad understanding of different qualifications and educational experiences, outside of the standard GCSE/A-Level curriculum. Many of our students take on a mix of high school, IB courses and AP exams across Grades 9-12 (years 10-13), and some may come into ACS at different entry points with different qualifications, different subject options and understanding of university requirements. We have extensive experience navigating challenging admission requirements for different degree courses across the world.

We advise students carefully on subject selection to make sure all possible doors are kept open, and that students are taking subjects they actually will enjoy and succeed at. We advocate for our students where necessary and explain to admissions officers why our students are qualified and a good fit for courses. Finally, most of our staff have studied at higher education institutions around the world and we draw upon those experiences when talking and working with students. We deeply empathise with students who may have moved from, or are moving to, their third, fourth, or fifth country in the world, and understand how to support these transitions.

When do you start to work with the students?

Starting in Grade 10, when students are 15 or 16, they come to us to begin exploring opportunities whether they are interested in taking an apprenticeship or a gap year or attending university. We prepare all their references and guide them through the application process, working through questions around funding, scholarships in the US, the UCAS application approach and much more. Personal statement preparation is a key focus of university counselling, as different countries have different requirements although these are starting to be phased out.

Have you noticed any trends in where students are applying or what types of subjects they’re looking to study?

Subjects such as medicine, economics and finance, and international relations continue to be very popular. Medicine is extremely competitive so we make sure that students are aware of areas related to it such as biomedical science, healthcare science and neuroscience in case they are interested in pursuing these.  Many students are keen to stay in London, but following our conversations some have started to explore other city universities in the UK and institutions in countries such as the U.S, Canada, Japan, France and The Netherlands.

With the phasing out of the personal statement, will the UK application process be more like the US one?

Universities are considering using video applications, but they’re asking for feedback from university and college counsellors at the moment on that change. UCAS has not confirmed what this new format will look like, but it will likely still require students to demonstrate their interest in and efforts to explore their chosen subject.

Do students get anxious about applying to university and how do you and the students overcome that in university counselling?

We break down the process for them so it’s less stressful. At the start of each year, we plot out the timeline so they know what is needed and when, for example when they need to finalise their university list, when the personal statement needs to be submitted etc. This means that they know what’s expected of them and we have time to incorporate our feedback too to give them the best possible chance of success.

And if they decide against university, what other things do you support them with?

We recommend gap years if students are unsure of what they would like to study. The team works with them on locating apprenticeships, volunteer opportunities or work experience placements. One-year foundation courses can be interesting for students interested in design and art as they are a great way to discover what area of art they would like to pursue and they can start to build a portfolio.

How do you see your role as a university counsellor developing in the future? Are there any changes you are implementing?

We are looking to help students develop their life skills so they are ready for the next stage. As well as the academics, we would like to work on how to communicate with their university faculty, write professional emails and handle difficult situations etc. In addition, we are working with organisations to enable students to do taster courses and summer programmes. Last year, we started a partnership with Minds Underground, an organisation that works with Russell Group Academics and they create a research project for students in high school, whether that’s on neuroscience or politics. The student works with an academic over a few sessions, they follow classes at university level and at the end, they write a research paper or create a presentation. They can include this experience in their personal statement as evidence of their interest in that specific subject.

How do you think ACS Hillingdon university counselling gets students ready for the next stage in their education and future career?

ACS Hillingdon university counselling works to promote inclusive university and careers readiness in a variety of ways. By delivering skills workshops, keynote speaker sessions, 1 to 1 sessions, university and careers fairs, the school builds students’ self-awareness and confidence in making informed choices about their post-graduation pathways.