Another year of outstanding university offers!
Stephen Tippen
This year’s Leavers have continued Wellington College International Shanghai’s tradition of receiving offers from some of the most highly respected universities and courses from around the world. As it currently stands, almost one in three of our applicants who have received decisions have gotten offers/acceptances from universities ranked within the global top 10 (QS World Rankings 2021). These offers have included institutions in a range of top destinations around the world.
Our year 13 pupils have received offers to study an incredibly diverse range of disciplines. Science subjects such as maths and engineering have proved incredibly popular once again. The healthcare industry also continues to attract top pupils with successful applications to study medicine, medicinal chemistry and the bio-medical sciences. The humanities and social sciences have also had their fair share of applicants, with pupils gaining offers to study subjects such as philosophy, law, politics, international relations and economics. It has also been pleasing to see the growth in successful applications to the creative and performing arts with pupils successfully gaining entry to music, art, design and architecture courses.
It has not been the easiest year for pupils to complete their final year of schooling. Our 2021 Leavers have nonetheless shown remarkable resolve and fortitude over the past year. They have managed to focus on completing their IB courses whilst, at the same time, planning for a future which is still clouded by the many uncertainties caused by the pandemic.
Our university guidance team has had to adapt to the uncertainties caused by the current global situation. In the early days of the pandemic, our university guidance team and many of our pupils were scattered across the globe. Yet we were still able to advise pupils remotely and across several time zones. Even as we have returned to a sense of normality at school, we have had to remain innovative, constantly adapting our usual provision to these changing times. Our annual university fair going ‘virtual’ was a key way of ensuring that our pupils did not miss out on this important research opportunity.
More than any other year, our current leavers have benefitted from Wellington’s structured programme of support — the ‘Higher Education Pathway’ — which provides pupils with targeted advice, support and guidance throughout their time in the Senior School. Although this programme starts as early as year 9 — with pupils starting to investigate their future options — the level of support our pupils get in their final years of Senior School is remarkable.
Wellington’s current year 12 pupils benefit from bi-weekly timetabled sessions led by the school’s dedicated university guidance team. These sessions break down the research process into a number of clearly defined tasks with associated deadlines, ensuring that vital decisions are not left to the last moment.
In addition to the timetabled sessions, pupils have had access to a diverse range of lunchtime workshops, university-led webinars and one-on-one interviews, which have ensured that their progress is constantly monitored and evaluated. The university guidance team are also handily available in the school’s new dedicated Sixth Form Centre so that pupils can drop in with any query they may have.
At every step of the application process our pupils receive support, whether this is receiving dedicated support sessions for standardised tests, such as SAT or Oxbridge admissions tests, or advice about which summer courses to sign up for. Over the coming months, our focus will particularly be on next year’s leaving class of 2022. Reading through numerous drafts of personal statements and college essays and carefully crafting references and recommendation letters should ensure that we have more success to celebrate in 12 month’s time.
It goes without saying that we are immensely proud of the achievements of all of our year 13 pupils. This year, in particular, we commend them due to the many challenges they have faced over the past year which has transformed their experiences at school and impacted their life and learning in immeasurable ways. They have demonstrated, more than any other previous set of Wellingtonians, that they are very much equipped for whatever challenges the future may have in store for them.
We are acutely aware that, like exam results, university offers and acceptances are merely one way to measure the success of our pupils. Nonetheless, we are proud of the recognition that their applications have received.
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