Time is March-ing on...

A reminder about the University Planning Calendar for Years 11-13
Year 12 - Remember the planning calendar you were given at the start of year 11? Well, the March - June entry is:

Evaluate Higher Education Destinations (with help from parents, HE Counsellor & teachers) and decide broadly WHERE you want to study post-school.

March is also a great month to ...

• Update your Gateway comments! For Year 12 - add your ideas and information on what you are considering in terms of higher education and careers. For Year 13 - make sure your information on applications and offers is up-to-date.
  
• Write your CV. Ask around now to see if you can line-up some work experience during your breaks... There is also a talk coming up on how to write a resume - keep an eye on the bulletin for details.
  
• Think about university visits you might be doing while out on the Easter/End of Term break - what questions will you ask? Come to the Higher Education Office for help - we have lots of resources to get you thinking.
  
• Attend the university presentations we have on here at school. - Check out the weekly Higher Education News for details of who, what, where and when!

ESF University Fair 2011

ESF University Fair 2011 - The Final Report!

The Fair was held at Island school on 27 January. 106 universities from around the world were represented and more than 600 ESF students and their parents attended.

A real part of the success to this event can be put down to YOU the students! The great student volunteers, thoughtful and considered questions and general enthusiasm made this a hugely successful event again this year.

Key highlights included:

• The increasing interest in the Fair by North American universities – at the Fair this year there were 31 universities from the US and Canada, including 3 of the 8 Ivy League Colleges;
  
• Representation by 47 United Kingdom universities, with a range of specialties that included Veterinary Sciences, Medical Schools, Sports and Sports Management, Oriental and African Studies, Engineering, Business, Law and Liberal Arts to Creative Arts. The breadth of possible areas of study represented was impressive;
• The excellent preparation and well thought out questions that students and parents asked. In a survey of representatives, the overwhelming comment was that students were very focused and enthusiastic - students were described by reps as "very motivated", "ready to take on challenges" and "serious about where they are going when they finish their studies"; and, as noted above,
  
• The tremendous help given by the 70 year 12 student volunteers. Many of the representatives commented on how well Island School was portrayed by the helpfulness of the volunteers. For example the representative for Emory wrote “The student who met us at the entrance was a fantastic representative of the school.”

The Fair has now become an established annual ESF event hosted by Island School and we look forward to hosting the University Fair again in 2012.