"So….do you already know what are you going to study after UWC?"
That is probably one of the questions that we all have heard the most over the last months from many adults and friends. What I always answer is: I'm not really sure yet… I know I don't want anything related to sciences or maths, and I am extremely interested in humanities, psychology or sociology….we'll see!
My name is Miguel Angel Zambrano Boy, I am 17 years old and I come from the far-away lands of Peru. Incredibly I have already been living 10 months in Asia, and I have traveled around some places in South East Asia and Europe that I would have had never dreamt of before. As my mates who previously posted on this blog, I am currently in Grade 11 studying the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program. I wanted to start this set of blog posts of "university feelings and perspectives" , as I like to call this space, with a question (and my personal answer) that we all have heard or will hear at some point of our high school.
Many of us don't know how to feel about university and careers, and college life itself, some of us might be confident and have thought about what they want to study since they were in the womb and haven't changed mind from then (good for them!!!), others might change their minds about careers every time they hear a good talk from an expert or a university comes to talk (it is normal!!) and some others might just be T-E-R-R-I-F-I-E-D about the idea of applying to a university (for those….keep calm, drink some nice tea). Personally, I have been through all of them, sometimes all at the same time! In order not to panic, I would like to tell you something that my mum has always said: "If you are not the first one that has gone through this, ask someone who already has", and I am pretty sure millions of others have gone through university applications, and who would be better advice than them? And who would be even better than experts on the field? The reason behind this personal advice to you all is that to be honest, I was quite afraid at the beginning of the year to talk about my position regarding universities to University Advisors. At UWC East we have two wonderful advisors, Pamela and Shruti, and before I continue with this post, I have to tell you: Go and talk to them! Be honest! Share your fears and confusions! Tell them your dreams and aims!. In my case, my advisor is Pamela, and we have already have a couple of meetings and plenty of short talks. And something else to keep in mind is that at the end of the day, its you who are going to study wherever you decide and whatever you feel more keen of, so be completely honest about everything, we don't want you to end up studying medicine when you faint at seeing a blood drop…
After this gentle advice, I would like to talk about myself a little bit, you might feel related to some aspects. I studied in a Chinese-Peruvian school in Lima, capital city of Peru, for almost 10 years, in an environment where everyone knew each other and the community feeling was never absent. I have always considered myself in "extrovert category", however also had in mind that I have many doubts about my future, which I then learnt was okay!. I came to UWC in Singapore 10 months ago, and I am taking six subjects of IB: Psychology, Spanish Literature, English Literature, Chinese Ab, Environmental Studies and Math Studies. Yes, three languages. Yes, Math Studies and ESS. And I am in love with them. One of the things that I learnt from the beginning of the year is that you should/must pick your subjects based on what you enjoy studying. There is no point on choosing something just because "its more serious". I learnt that what you have to show in your subjects to have a good application is personal engagement and challenge. I changed (in spite of many people saying that I couldn't make it) from an English B level class to an English A Literature class Higher Level, which I might not be excelling in at, but which I am definitely enjoying and learning, and obviously challenging myself. In terms of Maths and ESS, something that you need to be careful is where are you applying. It is true that some (sadly) universities do not accept Math Studies or don't take "seriously" ESS, so that's some research that you need to do before hand.
Now, talking about countries and destinations, the US is a really good option for me because of many factors that I consider are important when choosing where to apply. The liberal arts methodology is something that I feel goes along with my interests. In colleges where they have this liberal arts approach, they offer a degree of Bachelor of Arts and you study from a broad curriculum that includes different perspectives and you can choose to major and minor depending on your area of interest. It is a great option because you don't have to "choose" the definite career and gives you the opportunity to explore various courses. So then you can have the scientist with sculpture classes and so on. I would choose definitely something related to sociology or psychology or maybe international relations, I want to work with communities and society models, always linking it with education. Another good thing from US colleges is the payment options, even though they are one of the most expensive ones, the scholarships programs are incredible. Something that I also truly appreciate is the chance to show yourself through the personal essay and the extra curriculum activities at the application. So, its not everything about grades.
To finish this first post, I also want to be honest with you all and bring up the Gap Year option that has gone through my mind in a serious and potential way. Something to be taken into account is that before taking a Gap Year, you should DEFINITELY have a plan for the year and not just take and decide later. My personal advice is also to apply before taking the gap year, and get the acceptance and then request to defer your admission. Also, make sure your plan is productive and would have an impact in your life. I would take a gap year in China to finish studying Chinese, having the opportunity to do local volunteer work.
As you can see, my options are still quite broad, in the coming months I would narrow them down. Research is something that I must do over the summer, I also have to write my application essays. I took the SAT test in May (necessary for almost every US college), along with a preparation course. My advice, take it in January of G11, you can prepare before in a less stressful way. IB can be absorbing sometimes. But at the end of the day, it’s all about being happy with what you are studying and enjoying your time wherever you are. So I am going to enjoy UWC, and balance myself. That’s the key! See you soon.
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