nist college counseling newsletter for year 13 students january 31, 2013

7/29/2019 NIST College Counseling Newsletter for Year 13 Students January 31, 2013

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Newsletter

I

NSIDE THIS ISSUE:

January 31, 2013F O R Y E A R 1 3 S T U D E N T S

Last Thursday of every month!

The NIST College Counseling Newsletter provides extraguidance for you. It will be sent to you on the last Thursday of every

month until you are done with your applications. Please read each

newsletter carefully, and save it in the College/University folder onyour 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.


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Dear Year 13 Students,We know that this is a stressful time for you, both academically and in terms of

post-secondary planning. Most of you are now done with your applications. Con-

gratulations! Some of you are working on Asian, Australian and European univer-

sity applications, and some of you will apply on your final IB grades when you have

graduated from NIST.

This Newsletter places a special focus on the UCAS application as this is thetime students get responses from UK universities. There is also a section on the

US College Admission process as many of you are anxiously awaiting responses

from US colleges. For students applying to Australian universities there is a sec-tion with important information at the end of the letter.

It is great to see that The Universe-ty Acceptances Bulletin Board on the se-

cond floor is filling up with University Stars. Continue placing your stars in the uni-

verse as you receive your offers. Create a star for each offer you get. It doesn'tmatter if there is already a star from your university in the universe. We want you

to experience the joy of placing your star as well. When you have received an of-fer from any of your universities (conditional or unconditional) follow these steps:

1. Get a University Star and a piece of tape from Khun Thongkorn.

2. Write the universitys name and the city where it is placed on the star (please

d t it )


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What you need to know after applying through UCASOnce UCAS has sent your application to your chosen universities and colleges, you wait to hear from them. The time it

takes for decisions to be made varies but even if you have applied very early, universities and colleges have until earlyMay to decide. This section will tell you everything you need to know about the next stages. You can learn about how to

track the progress of your application and how we inform you about any changes and available opportunities.

How to track the progress of your application

Trackis an online system that allows you to follow the progress of your application. You can see what's happening with

your application, like whether you've received any offers and the replies you've made.

You can use Track once you've received a welcome letter from UCAS . They'll send it to you after they've processedyour application. Log in to Track with your Personal ID, which is printed on your welcome letter, and the same username

and password you used when completing your application in Apply.

Your choices may be displayed in a different order than you expected - this is because UCAS generate a random order

when they process your application. The displayed order of your choices does not indicate any preference order- your ap-

plication will be sent to all your chosen universities and colleges at the same time.

When each university or college makes a decision about your application, the details will be shown on Track. If you sup-plied a valid email address on your application, they'll email you when a decision has been made. To protect confidential

information, the email will not contain the actual decision: you'll still need to go to Track to check the details.

You can also use Track to accept or decline offers and change some personal details, such as your postal address, tele-

phone number and email address.

UCAS will contact you when each university or college makes a decision about your application. If you entered and veri-

fied an email address when you applied, UCAS will email you when any changes have been made to your application. If

did 't t il dd th ill d l tt Y h k th f li ti i T k
http://www.ucas.com/students/trackhttp://www.ucas.com/students/trackhttp://www.ucas.com/students/track/http://www.ucas.com/students/track/http://www.ucas.com/students/track/http://www.ucas.com/students/track


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Decisions sent by universities and colleges

Conditional offerA conditional offer means that the university or college will offer you a place if you meet certain conditions,

which are usually based on your exams. You may be asked to achieve specific grades in named subjects (for ex-ample, 6 in Higher Chemistry, 5 in Higher Maths). Each offer is specific to your qualifications and circumstances.

Unconditional offerAn unconditional offer means that you have met all the academic requirements and the university or college is

happy to accept you. The university or college will contact you if they need proof of your qualifications. They

i h h h i lik fi i l di l di i h d b f h


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How and when to reply to your offers

If UCAS has received decisions from all of your choices and you have at least one offer, they will email you to let you

know there has been a change to your application, and ask you to look at Track. If you haven't provided a valid email

address they will send you a letter which will ask you to reply to your offers.

Points to remember when replying to your offersTry to attend open days or visits before you decide, but remember to reply by the deadline. If you are visiting a univer-

sity or college after your reply date, please contact the university or college for advice.

Think carefully before you decide which offers to accept because once you accept an offer, including an insur-

ance offer, you are committed to that course (or courses).

You can reply to offers without waiting to hear back from all your choices. You can cancel all outstanding deci-sions and reply to the offers that you have received using Track. But you must be certain about which offers you

wish to accept, as once you have made your replies you will not be able to reverse any withdrawals.

Firm acceptance

Your firm acceptance is your first choice - this is your preferred choice out of all the offers you have received. You canonly have one firm acceptance. If you accept an unconditional offer, you are agreeing that you will attend the course at

that university or college, so you must decline any other offers. UCAS will send you a letter which will explain wheth-

er there is anything else you need to do. If you accept a conditional offer, you are agreeing that you will attend thecourse at that university or college if you meet the conditions of the offer. You can accept another offer as an insurance

choice.

Insurance acceptance

If fi h i i di i l ff h ff i h i Y i h i
http://www.ucas.com/students/track/http://www.ucas.com/students/track/http://www.ucas.com/students/importantdateshttp://www.ucas.com/students/importantdateshttp://www.ucas.com/students/importantdateshttp://www.ucas.com/students/track/


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What is Extra?

If you have applied through UCAS, used all five choices on your application, and aren't holding any offers, you might

be able to apply through Extra for another course. In Extra, you can apply for any course with vacancies. Extra is open

between the end of February and early July. In Extra, you apply for one course at a time using Track.

Am I eligible?

To use Extra you need to have:

already made five choices

received decisions from all these choices, and

either had no offers or declined all the offers you have received.

If you decline your offers and add an Extra choice, you will not be able to accept any of your original choices

later.

How does it work?If you are eligible for Extra, a button will appear on yourTrackscreen which you can use to apply for a course in Ex-

tra. Course Searchwill tell you which courses have vacancies - an 'x' will be displayed next to any available courses.

Before you apply, try to contact the university or college to make sure that they can consider you.

CheckCourse Searchto see if there is an Entry Profile for the course because some will tell you what the universityor college looks for in their students and might also have case studies from students who have taken the course.

Choose a course and enter the details in Track. UCAS will then send your application to the university or college, one

choice at a time. When you apply to a university or college in Extra, they can view details of choices you made when
http://www.ucas.com/students/track/http://www.ucas.com/students/track/http://www.ucas.com/students/track/http://www.ucas.com/students/coursesearch/http://www.ucas.com/students/coursesearch/http://www.ucas.com/students/coursesearch/http://www.ucas.com/students/coursesearch/http://www.ucas.com/students/coursesearch/http://www.ucas.com/students/coursesearch/http://www.ucas.com/students/track/http://www.ucas.com/students/track/


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Inside US College Admissions

All of you have now completed your applications to US colleges, and even though some of you have

already received responses, most of you are still waiting. This is a stressful time as it suddenlygets very quiet. Many of you would like to get some kind of indication of what is to come. Will I be

accepted or not? How can I increase my chances of getting accepted? The challenge of US college

admissions comes down to the fact that there is no one system for evaluation. Some colleges fo-

cus exclusively on academic qualifications as evidenced by a transcripts. Others require external

test scores such as SAT and Subject tests as well as personal statements and letters of recom-

mendations. Dartmouth even wants a peer recommendation. To help you understand the admission

process we recommend you check out the following:

1. The Collegeboards What Counts: http://professionals.collegeboard.com/guidance/

applications/decisions

2. NACAC state of college admissions: http://www.nacacnet.org/PublicationsResources/

Marketplace/research/Pages/StateofCollegeAdmission.aspx

3. The Choice New York Times admission Blog serves up daily insight and news on college admis-sions, but they have an outstanding series on college admissions http://

questions.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/17/qa-college-admissions/

4. Unigo has an excellent series of videos focusing on all sorts of aspects of college admissions:

http://www.unigo.com/featured/

5. NACACs steps to college newsletter provides many useful articles suitable for reproducing for

// / / / /
http://professionals.collegeboard.com/guidance/applications/decisionshttp://professionals.collegeboard.com/guidance/applications/decisionshttp://professionals.collegeboard.com/guidance/applications/decisionshttp://www.nacacnet.org/PublicationsResources/Marketplace/research/Pages/StateofCollegeAdmission.aspxhttp://www.nacacnet.org/PublicationsResources/Marketplace/research/Pages/StateofCollegeAdmission.aspxhttp://www.nacacnet.org/PublicationsResources/Marketplace/research/Pages/StateofCollegeAdmission.aspxhttp://questions.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/17/qa-college-admissions/http://questions.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/17/qa-college-admissions/http://questions.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/17/qa-college-admissions/http://www.unigo.com/featured/http://www.unigo.com/featured/http://www.nacacnet.org/PublicationsResources/steps/Pages/default.aspxhttp://www.nacacnet.org/PublicationsResources/steps/Pages/default.aspxhttp://www.unigo.com/featured/http://questions.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/17/qa-college-admissions/http://questions.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/17/qa-college-admissions/http://www.nacacnet.org/PublicationsResources/Marketplace/research/Pages/StateofCollegeAdmission.aspxhttp://www.nacacnet.org/PublicationsResources/Marketplace/research/Pages/StateofCollegeAdmission.aspxhttp://professionals.collegeboard.com/guidance/applications/decisionshttp://professionals.collegeboard.com/guidance/applications/decisions


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The UCLA Admission Review ProcessSelection is based on a comprehensive review of all information--both academic and personal--presented in the application.All appications are read twice, in their entirety, by professionally trained readers. After independently reading and analyzing afile, the reader determines a comprehensive score that is the basis upon which the student is ultimately admitted or denied.In addition, admissions managers conduct multiple checks for consistency and completeness throughout the reading pro-cess. While this evaluation process is based on human judgments rather than a system that quantifies factors and incorpo-rates them into a numerical formula, the extensive reader training,comprehensive reading of files, as well as other monitor-ing procedures, ensure that the process is highly reliable. Formal tests of reliability are conducted regularly to assure qualitycontrol.

The admission review reflects the readers' thoughtful consideration of the full spectrum of the applicant's qualifications,based on all evidence provided in the application, and viewed in the context of the applicant's academic and personal cir-cumstances and the overall strength of the UCLA applicant pool. Using a broad concept of merit, readers employ the follow-ing criteria which carry no pre-assigned weights:

The applicants full record of achievement in college preparatory work in high school, including the number and rigorof courses taken and grades earned in those courses. Consideration will be given to completion of courses beyondthe Universitys a-g minimums; strength of the senior year course load; and performance in honors, college level,Advanced Placement (AP), and International Baccalaureate Higher Level (IBHL) courses to the extent that suchcourses are available to the applicant. In assessing achievement levels, consideration will be given to individualgrades earned, to the pattern of achievement over time, and to an applicants achievement relative to that of others

in his or her high school, including whether he or she is among those identified as Eligible in the Local Context.

Personal qualities of the applicant, including leadership ability, character, motivation, tenacity, initiative, originality, creativ-ity, intellectual independence, responsibility, insight, maturity, and demonstrated concern for others and for the com-munity. These qualities may not be reflected in traditional measures of academic achievement. They may be foundelsewhere in the application and judged by the reader as positive indicators of the student's ability to succeed atUCLA and beyond.

Likely contributions to the intellectual and cultural vitality of the campus. In addition to a broad range of intellectualinterests and achievements, consideration will be given to evidence of an applicants ability and desire to contributeto a campus that values cultural, socioeconomic, and intellectual diversity. This includes the likelihood that the stu-dent would make meaningful and unique contributions to intellectual and social interchanges with faculty and fellowstudents, both inside and outside the classroom.
http://www.admissions.ucla.edu/Prospect/Adm_fr/fracadrq.htmhttp://www.admissions.ucla.edu/Prospect/Adm_fr/fracadrq.htmhttp://www.admissions.ucla.edu/Prospect/Adm_fr/fracadrq.htmhttp://www.admissions.ucla.edu/Prospect/Adm_fr/fracadrq.htmhttp://www.ucop.edu/sas/elc/http://www.ucop.edu/sas/elc/http://www.ucop.edu/sas/elc/http://www.admissions.ucla.edu/Prospect/Adm_fr/fracadrq.htm


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How will Australian universities make their decisions?

FAQs for students applying to Australian universities (New South Wales) with the IB

DiplomaGetting into your Australian university will be based on your IB scores not the scores

that you earn in class at NIST but on your Predicted IB scores (October of Year 13)

and your final IB scores (summer after Year 13)

Most offers will be conditional upon your final IB scores

If you have a predicted score that is two-three points above what the university pro-gram requires, you may be given an unconditional offer.

Authorize IBO to release your results to the TAC Center via the Request for Results

Service!! Mr. Cooper will send you a form in March.

Deadlines for Australian studentsJuly Intake of 2013 deadline is late April (Students can sometimes apply directly to uni-

versities)

February Intake of 2014deadline is late September 2013 (Apply Through TACs)

The Tertiary Admissions Centers (TAC) issue offers to successful applicants on behalf of

the universities in January for first semester intake. Students only receive one offerfor
http://www.uac.edu.au/undergraduate/faq/ib.shtmlhttp://www.uac.edu.au/undergraduate/faq/ib.shtmlhttp://www.uac.edu.au/undergraduate/faq/ib.shtmlhttp://www.uac.edu.au/undergraduate/faq/ib.shtmlhttp://www.uac.edu.au/undergraduate/faq/ib.shtml


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Residential collegesAre associated with the tertiary institution but independently owned and run

Different sizes

Co-ed or single-sex

Tend to have a reputation or focus on academic performance or sport or internationalism or

religion

Different levels of security and service

The price varies and families should shop around to compare what they get for their money

To find residential colleges search the university website or just do a Google search

Sharing a house or apartment

What else for Australian students?

The entrance scores for getting into courses are different if you are a domestic student

(sometimes higher, and sometimes lower than for international students).

The people who come to talk with you at NIST often only know the requirements for inter-

national (ie fee-paying) students and have less information for domestic students. But they

are happy to find out for you and respond by email.

Visiting Universities


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Name of University Date of Visit Location of Name of Universities Time of Visit Place

Universities Representative

London School of Economics Friday, Febrary 8 UK Angela 14:30-15:30 College Career Library

Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sci Thursday, February 14 Netherlands Kellie Holler 10:45-11:35 College Career Library

Webster University Home Campus Friday, Febrary 15 St. Louis and Hua Hin Lindsay 10:45-11:35 College Career Library

Les Rocher International School of Hotel Man Tuesday, February 19 Switzerland 10:45-11:35 College Career Library

Glion Institute of Higher Education Tuesday, February 19 Switzerland 10:45-11:35 College Career Library

Les Roaches Gruyere University of Applied S Tuesday, February 19 Switzerland 10:45-11:35 College Career Library

updated 30/01/2013

Visiting Universities

Febrary 2013

nist college counseling newsletter for year 13 students january 31, 2013

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