College Admission Counseling Conference in Chongqing BI Academy

Chongqing BI Academy and China Institute of College Admission Counseling (ChinaICAC) jointly held China ICAC 2nd Conference. More than 70 admissions officers from the top universities of nine different countries around the world were invited to share the latest enrollment trends. This was a valuable opportunity for 400 families who were interested in studying abroad to communicate with admissions officers and consult their dream universities face to face.

This conference also invited the experts ofcollege admission counseling from different regions： Mr. Wang shi, assistant principal of the Tsinghua International School; Mr. Jiang xiaobo, director of Keystone Academy; Mr. Guan shining, director of Shanghai Qibao Dwight High School; and Ms. Cheng xiaofeng, director of Ningbo Foreign Language School. These guest speakers discussed the development of college admission counseling policies and school strategies to build a more professional platform of college admission counseling for southwest China.

The conference was also regarded as an industry seminar or experience-sharing conference. It lasted two days and was discussed online in 19 parallel forums simultaneously. More than 210 college counselors,from 97 high schools, of 13 domestic cities, participated in this conference. They communicated about cutting-edge information of the industry, mutual learning, professional tools, and discussed how to provide college counseling information efficiently in the backdrop of AI and big data. Then they carried on a thorough discussion of industry issues, such as moral standards and feasibility schemes.

Admissions officer communicated with parents and students, source:Chongqing BI Academy

In the college exhibition part of the conference, each admissions officer communicated with parents and students, seeking to reduce their anxiety and encourage them to look at their children’s future planning from the perspective of growth. There was also an opportunity for admissions officers to understand more about the changes and development of China’s international schools and students.

In the traditional view of many parents, university ranking is the most important factor—or even the only factor—to be considered when choosing a university. When it comes to top universities, the first ones that come to mind include Harvard university, Yale university, Cambridge university, Oxford university, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as well as other distinguished universities.

Studying abroad should not be considered the only way to become successful. Offers from Ivy League universities with the best reputations hold good opportunities for students’ futures; but offers from other top universities should also be regarded as a good chance for them.

There are many non-Ivy League universities that have a fun atmosphere in addition to excellent academic qualifications. Chongqing BI Academy hopes to provide such an opportunity and platform to broaden the parents and the students’ horizons and get more understanding on the diversity of overseas universities. The academy seeks to help students avoid the pitfalls of international education, and to help parents make the most suitable choice for the development of their children’s future.

With the rapid development of China’s economy, more and more families are beginning to consider choosing universities that are overseas. Research shows that China has achieved stable growth and remains exporting the largest quantity of students for consecutive years.

Due to language barriers, information asymmetry, and the absence of college counselors, parents and students are unable to make the right decisions or complete their applications independently when choosing a university. They must therefore rely on agents; but many agents are without professional training in college admission counseling.

Some people think that college admission counselors are simply experts in studying abroad, when in fact their work encompasses much more.College admission counseling helps students to decide which university is best for them, helps them to prepare their application materials for universities overseas, and also guides students to plan for their future. In the United States, college counselors are regarded as an indispensable part of high school. However, Chinese high schools lack this resource.

Since its establishment, Chongqing BI Academy has been the first in Chongqing to provide full-time, on-campus college counselors for students in order to help them plan their studies in a scientific and reasonable way.

The goal of college admission counseling focuses on the student’s individual growth, rather than on the personal university application. College admission counseling teaches students the right mindset to have: Students need to learn to plan their futures with a growth mindset and acquire the capability of lifelong development.

It would be more accurate to say that college admission counseling at Chongqing BI Academy is “career planning.” Their work includes:

1

Chongqing BI Academy offers courses on college admission counseling where students would learn about the basic information of overseas universities. College counselors help students to prepare themselves both academically and psychologically, and lead students to find a career field suitable for their personality, through the exploration of university majors.

2

Through the one-to-one interviews at home or at school, the students’ interests and their expectations for further study would be comprehensively understood by college counselors. Besides helping students to choose their target university for further study, college counselors also help parents to have a deep understanding of the tasks required for studying abroad.

3

Through understanding students’ academic performance and extracurricular activities, college counselors guide students to improve their learning skills and plan their learning objectives reasonably.

4

College counselors help students understand and plan their future career development and major selection skills, by arranging various kinds of vocational experience activities.

5

Chongqing BI Academy holds regular parents’ salons to popularize the basic information required for studying abroad. Then parents and students are able to make progress together. The salons also reduce parents’ misunderstandings of studying abroad, and relieve their anxiety about deciding on a university. College counselors help parents to understand the significance of studying abroad, ensure communication between home and school, and help students find the most suitable university.

6

Chongqing BI Academy holds events regularly, such as the Admission Officer Conference or the College Admission Counseling Conference, in order to build the communication bridge between the school and overseas universities. These conferences help the admission officers to learn more about the students, help students and parents to get first-hand information, and enhance the popularity of the school.

Regularly hold activities such as recruitment officer meeting or promotion c

In the future, Chongqing BI Academy will extend the service of college admission counseling to the younger students of grades 7-9 in the junior high school. By doing this, Chongqing BI Academy will help students to direct their futures as early as possible, and will help them to set up long-term life goals, rather than just helping them to enter their dream university.