Great Information, Advice, and Tools at the Careers Fair

We have our first Guest Blogger! 

One of our Grade 11 students, Istvan Cselotei, reflects on the Careers Fair (held on March 2, 2013; organised by our Parents Association). Istvan writes about the information he gathered, the advice he gained, and the tools he now has to help him on his journey. Read on to hear from him:


I arrived at the Careers Fair without much knowledge of what to expect. I was not the only one to do so. We (the High School Community of UWCSEA) all came, in order to find out new information about possible careers. I, for one, have no idea what I want to pursue as a job, though I do have some areas of interest. During the fair I was able to find out more aspects of these, and many other occupations in a friendly ambience fostered by the neighboring barbecue to support our school's Global Concerns.

I found the Fair extremely useful, because it granted me the opportunity to test my communication skills, and to practice 'selling myself'. Through this process, I was lucky enough to encounter two highly memorable people. One of them serves as a 747 pilot at Cathay Pacific, while the other (an economist by qualification) is currently on the board of our school. With both of them I was able to converse about not only their occupations (which they elected following their passion - a decision which they have never regretted), but also their opinions on many issues regarding our global and local community. I enjoyed being able to receive knowledge that interested me; as I was able to discuss personal matters with them, and I had the freedom to ask questions.  

 

Others had a similar view on the event. Those I consulted during the writing of this post shared the unanimous view that the event was beneficial for both those who had a particular career in mind, and for those who have yet to decide. In order to provide a greater understanding of the Fair I would like to share a few of the reflections:

Saksham emphasized how he was exposed to previously unknown occupations, such as human resources - a field he is now considering to engage in.  Sophie also gained ideas for her future, when consulting with a gene-specialist, who explained how information from research could be converted into helping others.

One of the great features of the day was that numerous experts attended, hence it was impossible to not find someone of your field of interest, for instance Jennifer was extremely happy that she could seek advice from individuals who conduct a life based on service. Sanjana stressed her appreciation of the helpful personalities of the participants, a fact that helped her learn about everyday facts regarding the professions, such as how it enriches day-to-day life.

All in all the Careers Fair was a resounding success and helped us think more about our decision-making process. We’d like to thank the Parents Association for organizing the event and also all the volunteers for spending their Saturday afternoon speaking with several students and answering questions with a smile. Thank you!

Istvan Cselotei
Grade 11

Application Essays and Involvement of Parents

Following on from our previous post on the application essay, we found an article on parents involvement in the process.

The article entitled Is it a Parent's Right to Read Their Kids College Essay? details Shelley Emling's journey through her child's college applications.


What are you thoughts? Are college essays personal? Should a parent have the right to read the application essays? Let us know what you think!

Finding Your Voice: Writing a Personal Essay for College Admissions

Over the summer holidays our Grade 11 students will work on college essays for US admissions and they will write a personal statement for UK admissions. Some other country destinations or specific universities/ colleges may require a statement of purpose or ask the question, “Why do you want to study at X Higher Learning Institute?”

Admissions offices don’t just come up with these questions just for the fun of it. There is a real purpose to all of this. Admissions officers, when they read these essays and statements, are trying to gauge a student’s personality. They have the numbers already: attainment grades, predicted grades, standarised test scores, admissions test scores. In addition to the numbers they want to make sure that the student and the university/course are a perfect fit.  For US Admissions purposes, students will write on an essay topic on the common application and will be required to write a few more essays for individual university applications. For the UK, students will write a personal statement on the UCAS website. This personal statement is not tailored to a specific university, it is generally about demonstrated passion for the intended course of study.

It’s nerve-racking for most students. They know why they want to study somewhere but they are not quite sure how to articulate it.  We have some tips on that for students:

• Free- Write. Write for 15 minutes, without stopping, without editing. Just write. Whatever comes into your mind. Hopefully, you will find a thought will pop into your head that you can then expand on. Continue doing this until you are able to tease out a topic.

• Ask yourself questions. Then you must answer them. Why are you applying to college? What do you hope to gain? Why do you want to study at this place? Why do you want to pursue this course? What have you learned about this place? What have you learned about this course?

• Be aware of your strengths and weaknesses. Think about how you have changed since you    arrived at UWCSEA- East. What have you learned about yourself? How were you able to handle challenges?

• Think about your activities (Make sure your resume is up to date). Look at your CAS reflections. Find several significant moments in your activities and try and think about what they meant to you. What did you gain?

• Demonstrate Passion: Research the course/major you would like to pursue. Look at university course outlines. See what they offer and link those with things you already do/have done.

• Take a risk. Write a Dangerous Essay.

• Be Honest. If you are, you cannot go wrong. If you’re asked a question in an interview, you will be able to answer it.

• Write using your voice. Admissions officers, like your teachers, can pick up when something does not sound like you. Yes, get help with proof-reading to ensure you’re not making silly mistakes, but ensure the essay is true to who you are.

• Avoid writing about the three D’s: Death, Divorce and Destruction

• Brainstorm. Write. Proof-read. Revise.  The writing process is an important element in ensuring your essay will be of the best possible quality.

We’re running a 7-week writing workshop right now. We intend to offer it again in Season Four. In addition, all Grade 11 students will attend a session, in May, with their university advisor on personal essays and subject specific essays.  We, as University Advisors, will also offer feedback of essays and personal statements after the summer break.

We encourage you to find your passion, find your voice, and write!