Counselor’s Corner – January 31, 2020

College and Career Counseling

Grade 11 Parents: Please schedule a student/parent meeting with me in the Counseling Center to discuss university plans and options and to ask questions. I will be meeting with all grade 11 families starting in February. To schedule an appointment please contact Indra, the Counseling Assistant at: counselorsecretary@baliis.net or 62 361 288770 ext. 116

March SAT Exam

Students in grade 11 can register to take the upcoming SAT on March 14 by creating an account and registering on collegeboard.org. The deadline to register for this exam date is Feb. 14.

Feb 7: American Collegiate visit from 12:30-1:30 in the Counseling Center (Jungle)

On Feb 7 we will host a visit from American Collegiate, a unique program that allows international students to study their first year of university in Washington D.C. at American University (#77 National Universities) or in Los Angeles through UCLA Extension (part of UCLA #20 National Universities). Students complete their freshman year at either of these institutions and then go on to attend top-ranking, elite universities in the U.S., taking top-100 university credit with them to fulfill their first year of university.

Their strength is giving students time and flexibility to commit to their best fit university or a second chance at attending their dream schools! They work one-on-one with each student to create a customized course schedule based on their intended major and transfer destination. Students have been admitted to Emory University #2, University of Southern California #22, and New York University #29, among many others! Please take a look at www.americancollegiate.com/transfer-results/ to see the full list.

Feb. 7: SUSS (Singapore University of Social Sciences) will visit BIS from 12:30-1:30 in the CCC

(Please note the different locations for these visits on Feb. 7)

SUSS is a Singapore government university with a history in providing lifelong, learner-centric and industry-relevant education.

SUSS offers more than 70 undergraduate and graduate programmes through 5 schools:

• School of humanities and behavioral sciences
• School of business
• S R Nathan School of Human Development
• School of law
• School of science and technology

Please sign up with Indra if you and/or your son or daughter would like to attend this college visit:  counselorsecretary@baliis.net

Feb 13: IE University Spain

Lecturer Mario Bertha http://marioberta.org/  from IE University in Segovia and Madrid, Spain will visit the IB Business Management class on Feb 13. He will be available during lunch in the CCC for those interested in IE University programs and will give a second lecture to grades 10 & 12 during DP hour.

IE offers programs in architecture and design, social sciences, technology, business and economics, and law and political science.

Please sign up with Indra if you and/or your son or daughter would like to attend this college visit:  counselorsecretary@baliis.net

Save the Date! – March 10: BIS Mini College Fair

BIS will host a mini College and University Fair during lunch on March 10th.  All secondary students and parents are welcome to attend the mini fair in the Library from 12:30-1:30.  The following universities will be in attendance (subject to change):

• Concordia University-Canada
• University of Arkansas – Fort Smith-AR
• Clarkson University-NY
• Irvine Valley College-CA
• Central New Mexico Community College-NM
• Benedictine College-KS
• Hofstra University- NY
• Mercyhurst University-PA

Summer Programs and Other Opportunities

Please be sure to check and scroll through the tabs at the bottom of the regularly-updated Opportunities for Students document for:

• Upcoming College and University Visits
• Spring Break and Summer programs around the world
• Internships/ Scholarships
• Tutoring Resources

Social-Emotional Counseling – Mindfulness Classes for BIS Students

With the new term underway, I have begun mindfulness classes with students in Pre-K and grades 3 & 4 in Primary as well as grade 7 in Secondary. Last semester I completed mindfulness classes in grades 1, 2, 8, 9, and 10. I always start my university counseling classes in secondary with a mindfulness exercise as well, so that all grades are exposed to the benefits of mindfulness. These exercises allow students the opportunity to drop into their bodies and get out of their heads a bit. They learn to take inventory of their present experience and go inside of themselves to notice things like thoughts, feelings, physical sensations, and to focus on their breath. Mindfulness helps students get grounded or “self regulated” when they are confronted with strong emotions like stress.  In fact, this year we will use a pre-test calming exercise with our DP students prior to each of their Mock Exams this month.

Check out this article on Mindfulness and Mental Health.