14 Feb

Do You Want to Make a Videogame?

If you’d like to get a taste for what it would be like to be a professional videogame designer or if you’re interested in learning more about how to study in France or Spain, this week SRT invites students to the following events:

15 February, 5:00 PM UK time

Teaser Class: What it takes to create a videogame?

SEE DETAILS & REGISTER HERE

16 February, 3:00 PM UK time

Webinar Series: Study in France

17 February, 7:00 PM UK time

Webinar Series: Study in Spain

Sessions will be led by the Admissions Officers from: Full Sail University (USA),Burgundy School of Business (France),AUP The American University of Paris (France), IESEG School of Management (France), CEU Universities (Spain), COMILLAS Universidad Pontificia (Spain), IED Istituto Europeo di Design (Italy), Universidad de Navarra (Spain).

02 Feb

¡Gracias a los estudiantes y orientadores de secundaria del Colegio Claret Madrid!

 

Ayer tuve la gran oportunidad de asesorar a los estudiantes de 4º de la ESO y 1º y 2º de Bachillerato del Claret sobre oportunidades para hacer la carrera en el extranjero.
Cómo asesora para la educación internacional y cómo madre de un estudiante de 4º de la ESO, quiero agradecer al Dpto. de Orientación del Claret su gran labor en organizar una feria educativa presencial tan entrañable cómo segura tanto para los alumnos y sus padres cómo para nosotros los expositores en estos tiempos de Covid.

Me dió la oportunidad hablar de tu a tu a varios alumnos y, según sus cursos actuales, vi que había tres temas importantes a tratar:

  1. solicitudes “last-minute” para el curso 2022
  2. ampliar los conocimientos sobre las carreras universitarias tanto en España cómo en otros países
  3. consolidar el nivel de inglés para poder trabajar con comodidad en un ámbito universitario en el extranjero

El tema más “urgente” concierne a los estudiantes de 2º de Bachillerato que quieren optar a universidades en el Reino Unido o en EEUU ya que los cierres de plazo de presentación de solicitudes han pasado, o pasarán, entre el 01 de enero y el 15 de febrero. Sin embargo, muchas universidad

es en ambos países seguirán evaluando solicitudes de aquí a abril. Así que ¡ánimo! Todavía se puede optar, pero hay que actuar rápido.

He aquí algunos enlaces informativos para ello:

(UK) Choosing an Undergraduate Course https://www.ucas.com/undergraduate/what-and-where-study/choosing-course/choosing-undergraduate-course

(USA) The College Board Big Future https://counselors.collegeboard.org/pdf/pptbigfuturebuildbuildalist.pdf

Y, si queréis ir directos al grano y saltar la presentación de la solicitud formal, siempre podéis participar en el “Concourse Global Clearing“. En esta web creáis un perfíl de solicitante para que, en un plazo de dos semanas, universidades de varios países del mundo puedan presentaros ofertas de plaza con o sin beca. Estas ofertas las podéis aceptar o rechazar según vuestros intereses.

¡Consejo! Requiere invitación de parte de un orientador, sea del colegio sea independiente. Si os interesa avisad y nos damos de alta para poder aprovechar la rapidez  y comodidad de este servicio.

Para saber más sobre otros páises recomiendo asistir a los eventos que organizan varios países para dar a conocer su oferta de cursos universitarios y el proceso de acceso a ellos.
HOY MISMO hay uno para las universidades de investigación de Holanda “Dutch Research Universities’ DRU View” https://rsm.clickmeeting.com/dutch-research…/register

Para los estudiantes que están en 1º de Bachillerato o incluso 4º de la ESO se trata más bien de ir conociendo las carreras universitarias y cómo se estudian en los distintos países. Además es un momento perfecto para tomar conciencia de la necesidad de ampliar las habilidades de “speaking” y “writing” en inglés. Pronto habrá que examinarse de las pruebas de acceso (SAT) y pruebas de inglés (a elegir entre TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo English Test, Advanced, o Proficiency) para acreditar un nivel de C1.

Para ello recomiendo asistir a los eventos virtuales de SRT

Y, del 14-25 Febrero, el evento Study UK: Meet the Universities

Y ¿porqué no visitar la web del British Council para estudiantes del inglés a nivel de secundaria para explorar montones de maneras gratuitas de mejorar el nivel? Recuerda, que también se puede aprovechar el verano para consolidar el nivel de inglés. Eso ya lo cubriré en un blog aparte muy pronto.

Otra fuente de información gratuita muy interesante es la página de EducationUSA en España

Espero que esta información os haya servido de buena introducción a la información que tenéis a vuestra disposición para adentraros en el mundo de universidades en el extranjero. Puede parecer todo tan confuso al principio pero os aseguro de que pronto cogeréis el truco. Os iré informando mediante este blog de temas adicionales, así que ¡volved cuando queráis!

 

23 Ene

How to Get into a Top University – 5 Tips for High-Schoolers

One of the questions I get asked most often by my clients is “How soon should I start preparing for college applications?” My answer is always the same: the sooner the better! The more time you invest in preparing yourself, the more likely you are to win a place at the university you want to go to.

In an ideal world, if you’re interested in going to a university in the US or UK, you should start thinking about your university preparation process in the 10th grade (15 – 16 years old). This may sound pretty early. You certainly don’t need to have everything figured out yet!  But this is a great time to start getting to know yourself better and making the right choices to open doorways when you finish high school.

Of course, there are literally hundreds of universities in the US or UK that will be delighted to accept you if you just submit an application when you finish high school.  However, if you’re like most of my clients, you want to be able to choose the perfect school for your interests – and you may want to apply to some very competitive places.

You need to bear in mind that this is a global competition. Students aiming to be admitted to top US or UK schools have often started preparing years in advance. But don’t let this intimidate you! You don’t need to become a superstar overnight. Your efforts should focus in two directions:

 

  • Gaining a strong sense of your own strengths, weaknesses, goals, and motivations

and

  • Developing and pursuing your passions – whatever they may be!

 

So, with that in mind, here are my top tips for some great ways to get ahead of the competition while you’re still in high school and begin preparing yourself for success:

 

  • Start exploring careers that might interest you. A career worksheet like this one can be a great way to focus your thoughts.
  • Take advantage of your summer holidays to broaden your experience.

 You could consider:

  1. Applying for an unpaid internship at a company you find inspiring. You’ll be surprised how many will accept younger students.
  2. Shadowing someone to find out more about what they do at work all day.
  3. Completing a creative project – make a website, write a short story, even start an online business!
  4. Take a course that relates to one of the university programs you are considering.
  5.         Or any combination of the above that feels right!
  • Consider your academic performance.

 If you aren’t getting the grades you’ll need to get into the universities that most interest you, talk to your teacher, your tutor, and your parents to find out how they can help.

  • Learn more about different US or UK universities and different courses available.

Start thinking about which ones make you feel most excited, motivated, and comfortable. Get informed – don’t just rely on your parents to tell you where you should go!

  • Think about working with a qualified educational consultant.

Of course, I would say that – I am an educational consultant! But honestly, the earlier I start working with a client, the more likely I am to be able to help them get into their perfect university.

 

If you’d like to find out more about how I can help you, no matter what grade you are currently in, please get in touch – I’d love to hear from you!

23 Nov

How to Choose the Right University

One of the most crucial pieces of advice I always share with my clients is:
Think carefully about what you want your overall university experience to be, before you choose which colleges to apply for.
Many of the students I work with have their heart set on a particular US college – maybe because of the location, or because it’s a well-known university here in Spain. But it’s much more important to think about what kind of person you are, and what your goals are for your time at university, before you make your application shortlist.
For instance, I recently worked with a young woman whose dream is to become a fashion stylist. Working together, we realized that her ideal college would provide business skills training, alongside a strong fashion program, with a location in one of the US’s top fashion hubs. Fortunately, we found the perfect school for her – Marist College. It ticked all the boxes – it has an excellent undergraduate program in Fashion Merchandising, it is located on a campus just outside New York, and it has a strong focus on professional skills training. By closely analyzing her goals and personality, we were able to find the perfect fit for her.
In fact, if you’re thinking about studying in the US, and your priority at college is to build practical skills to get ahead in the job market, Marist College might be a great choice for you too. They offer a wide range of highly specialized professional degrees, in subjects like IT (they work closely with neighboring IBM), Gaming, Emerging Technologies, and Sports Communication. Again, thinking carefully about your own unique goals will help you figure out if a university like Marist College might be right for you.
It is also critical to make sure you’re taking full advantage of your four years of undergraduate study. For instance, when you’re choosing to study in the US, you might not always consider a semester or a year in another overseas location, but Study Abroad programs are definitely be a great way to get a broader international experience and maximize your time at college.
For example, Marist has an amazing campus in Florence, Italy, in partnership with the Lorenzo de Medici Institute. For students passionate about art or history, this would be a wonderful opportunity to combine your academic studies with an extraordinary cultural experience. Imagine spending a semester in Florence helping to restore 17th century paintings, or travelling to the Easter Islands to work with the islanders to preserve the world-famous statues…
Overall, the key when making your shortlist of US universities is to have a clear idea of your goals and priorities – and, just as importantly, your passions and dreams.
Spend time asking yourself key questions about what you are looking for. For instance:
● Is it more important to you to study with world-class professors, or in a world-famous location?
● Do you value a rigorous academic environment or practical professional skills training?
● Would you like to spend time in multiple locations, or only in the US?
After all, the next four years may well be one of the most important, formative and memorable times of your life – so it’s worth spending some time to make the right choices.
If you would like some advice about choosing the right university, understanding how to apply or how to find funding, I’d love to hear from you.

Contact Kara

Kara Madden, M.A.

Madden Educational Consulting
kara@maddeneducation.com
+34 699 584 214

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