Next Steps
For poets, Autumn may be the season of ‘mists and mellow fruitfulness’ but for our IB students it is the season of ‘next steps’. In the last month, ISA has hosted online sessions with the universities of Loughborough, Aberdeen and Stirling, and, after the break, Dundee. Also after the break, David Chapman, a specialist in university admissions, will be in school to give an overview of the admissions process, a careers clinic, and, in November, advice on university interviews.
For students it is both an exciting and an anxious time. There are so many possibilities on th one hand, so much competition on the other. It can feel like there are lots of choices to get what is right for you, but that the final acceptance is a statement on your personal ranking.
It is easy for schools to get caught up in the competitive frenzy: the more students who get into Oxbridge, Edinburgh or the Ivy League, the better the school. And from that to putting pressure on students to make choices that make the school look better.
However, ISA’s mission commits us to challenging every student’s maximum potential, and there isn’t a single route for this. Every child’s capacity and interests is unique; we cannot offer a single pathway as the ideal for every child to aspire to.
Of course, ISA is proud of the exam success of its students, and the range and quality of institutions they graduate into. But we are proud of other forms of success as well, and don’t hold out one form as the ideal for all students. Our counselling department works to the principle of ‘best fit’. That is finding the place where our students can continue to thrive and maximise their potential.
As the nights draw in, we don’t instinctively think to look outward and beyond, but in several grade levels students are starting to think about next steps. Keep an eye on the school calendar for meetings they may be involved in that you can talk to them about, and parent information meetings. Hopeful Autumn will be a fruitful season.
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