University Guidance

Introduction

Nearly all students graduating from BISP in Year 13 continue their studies at university, with the most popular destinations being the UK, US, Australia, Netherlands and Thailand. In some cases, students will choose to take a gap year, complete military service or focus on their sports before continuing their education.

BISP’s experienced university counsellors begin working with students in Year 9 as they select their IGCSE courses. That relationship builds as they move through the IB and continues even after graduation. In addition to helping students choose an IGCSE and IB programme that best meets their needs, counsellors provide information on standardised testing, extracurricular involvement, athletic recruitment, and how students can maximise their chances of university admission. In conjunction with conversations with university counsellors, extensive use is made of Unifrog, an online platform dedicated to supporting international students with their university applications.

University Admission Testing

While BISP’s core programme, the IB Diploma, is very widely recognised all over the world, students may be required to take additional tests depending on the course and universities they are applying for.

BISP is a testing centre for SATs, which are required or advantageous when applying to universities in the US and some Asian countries.

Students requiring a visa for the UK are required to take IELTS-UKVI, which in Thailand has to be taken in Bangkok.

The counsellors are familiar with and provide students with personalised advice on what tests are recommended and when they should be taken. These include UCAT, BMAT and LNAT for those wishing to study medicine, veterinary science or law in the UK.

University Representative Visits

Face to face conversations with University representatives are invaluable in providing students with information to make a an informed choice for future studies. BISP facilitates this by hosting the Phuket Fair, the largest gathering of university admission representative in the region every November, and also by an on-going programme of visits to the school by representatives from Universities.

The calendar of visits is included in the main school calendar.

University Destinations

The following lists the colleges and universities members of the Classes of 2017 to 2021 chose to attend.

United Kingdom

Anglia Ruskin University
Arts University Bournemouth
Birmingham City University
Cardiff Metropolitan University
Cardiff University
CASS Business School
Dundee and Angus College
Durham University
King’s College London
Kingston University
Lancaster University
Leeds Beckett University
Liverpool John Moores University
London School of Economics
Loughborough University
Newcastle University
Nottingham Trent University
Oxford Brookes University
Queen Mary University of London
Rangsit University
Regent’s University London
St George’s, University of London
The University of Edinburgh
The University of Manchester
The University of Nottingham
The University of Sheffield
The University of Warwick
University College London
University of Aberdeen
University of Bath
University of Brighton
University of Bristol
University of East Anglia
University of Edinburgh
University of Exeter
University of Glasgow
University of Leeds
University of Leicester
University of Liverpool
University of Manchester
University of Oxford
University of Portsmouth
University of St Andrews
University of Stirling
University of Strathclyde
University of Surrey
University of Sussex
University of the Arts London
University of York


Australia

Bond University
Deakin University
Griffith University
Monash University
RMIT University
Royal Institute of Technology Melbourne
TAFE NSW Higher Education
University of Adelaide
University of Melbourne
University of South Australia
University of Sydney
University of Technology Sydney
University of Queensland
UNSW


Europe

Amsterdam University College
BI Norwegian Business School
Copenhagen Business School
Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne
Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
Erasmus University College
Geneva Business School
Hotel School The Hague
Humanitas University
Institute of Political Studies Paris-
’Sciences Po’
Instituto Europeo di Design –
Madrid Campus
Jacobs University
Jonkoping International Business School
Les Roches International School of Hotel Management
Lund University
Medical University of Warsaw
Montpellier Business School
Moscow State Institute of International Relations
Norwegian University of Science & Technology
Polimoda International Institute of Design & Marketing
Technical University Delft
Universita Bocconi
Universiteit van Amsterdam
University College SE Norway
University of Gothenburg


USA & Canada

Broward College
Capilano University
Clark University
Columbia College in Vancouver
Connecticut College
Cuesta College
Drew University
Drexel University
Eastern Florida State College
Eastern Oklahoma State College
Florida State University
Fordham University
Georgetown University
Hawaii Pacific University
Hofstra University
Illinois Institute of Technology
Lehigh University
Loyola Marymount University
McGill University
Minerva Schools at KGI
Northeastern University
Northern Alberta Institute of Technology
Notre Dame College
Pennsylvania State University
Queens University of Charlotte
San Diego Mesa College
Temple University
Tennessee Wesleyan University
Union College – Barbourville
University of Alberta
University of British Columbia
University of Calgary
University of Colorado at Boulder
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Florida
University of La Verne
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
University of New Mexico
University of Oregon
University of San Francisco
University of Toronto
Wake Forest University


Asia

Ateneo de Manila University
Brickfields Asia College
Curtin Singapore
EHL Singapore
ESSEC Business School
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Korea University
Nanyang Technological University
National Taiwan University
Seoul National University
Singapore Institute of Management
Tamkang University
The University of Hong Kong
Tokyo International University
Yonsei University


Thailand

Assumption University
Chulalongkorn University
Mahanakhon University of Technology
Mahidol University
Rangsit University
Stamford International University
SUIC/Vatel Dual BBA in Hospitality
Thammasat University
Twinning Engineering Programmes
University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce
Webster University Thailand


Other

New York University Abu Dhabi
St George’s University (Grenada)
Xiamen University Malaysia

Timeline for Students

Year 9

Year 9 students meet with the university counsellors to discuss IGCSE decisions for Year 10. While all students take the core IGCSE courses, there are several elective options that students will want to consider. The IGCSE elective options allow students to get an early indication of the kinds of courses they like – or don’t like – and that can help them make better IB choices later.

Year 10

The student’s focus should be on developing strong study habits. A high school transcript includes the internal BISP grades earned from Year 10 to Year 13 .

Year 11

In October, the PSAT (also known as Practice or Preliminary SAT) is given to all BISP Year 11 students. Results are shared with students in December.

In the middle of the academic year, Year 11 students and parents are invited to meet with the university counsellor in order to discuss IB subject choices and the implications these may have on their plans after graduation.

Year 12

Year 12 is a very important year as students begin to consider their college and university options. A large number of university representatives come to BISP from countries all over the world. Students are encouraged to have conversations with them so they can compare and contrast the different options.

Individual meetings are held with students and their parents to talk about the tasks that will need to be completed over the next year based upon the countries being considered. A prospective university list will start to be developed.

Year 13

August to January of Year 13 is a busy time for BISP students applying to universities in Europe and North America. In addition to completing any final admission tests, students will be helped as they prepare their applications and any required essays. Students will have a fairly firm list of universities in which they are applying and once predicted IB results are available in late November, students will finalise their list and apply.

The BISP university counsellors are available to help students with any aspect of their university applications. As offers and decisions begin arriving, students will want to discuss their acceptances with their parents and university counsellor in order to select an institution that best suits their academic, personal, financial, professional, and family needs.

Continuing Support

Students who are taking a gap year or applying to Australia or another system with a different application cycle are encouraged to continue to seek assistance from the BISP university counsellors after graduation. Sometimes students find that their university choice does not meet their academic, personal or professional expectations. The university counsellors are happy to provide assistance to alumni wishing to transfer.

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