University Counseling
University planning and preparation is an important component of the educational programs offered at QSI Shenzhen. To this end, the Secondary Counselor not only focuses on social and emotional assistance for students, but also provides a wide range of university planning resources. The Secondary Counselor ensures that all students are meeting graduation requirements, and as students approach Secondary IV, university guidance is increased.
All Secondary students and parents are given access to Maia Learning, an online platform that assists students with university planning. With guidance from the Counselor, Secondary I students will begin building their student profile in Maia Learning and will continue to document their achievements each year so they will have a well-developed record of their Secondary accomplishments by the time they reach Secondary IV. Through Maia Learning students can also keep track of their test scores, explore university and career opportunities based on their interests and personality traits, find information about different universities and programs, request university recommendation letters from teachers, and discover university scholarship opportunities. The Counselor will use Maia Learning to send student records to universities and stay informed of students' university acceptances, and will guide students and parents in using Maia Learning for the duration of each student's Secondary career.
Each year, the level of support that students receive for University and Academic Counseling will increase. Secondary I students receive the following types of university support from the Secondary Counselor:
- Credit checks to track student progress towards graduation
- Creation of four-year Academic Plans
- Guidance on course selection based on academic plans and future goals
- Help with tracking academic progress of students in jeopardy as needed
- Meetings with students to develop individual schedules and resolve issues
- Assistance in establishing a Maia Learning account and training on how to use the program
Secondary II students will receive the support that was given to them as a Secondary I, along with the following additions:
- Participation in PSAT testing on campus
- Help in interpreting PSAT results
- Updated Academic Plans with periodic reviews
- IB information and planning sessions
- Guidance in furthering student profiles in Maia Learning
- University and career exploration through Maia Learning
All students continue to receive the same types of academic support they received as Secondary I and Secondary II students. For Secondary III students, University Counseling will expand to include:
- College and career fairs and information sessions
- University goal-setting
- Participation in multiple SAT and ACT testing sessions on campus
- Continued exploration of Maia Learning to narrow down universities and programs of interest
Secondary IV students receive the most academic support from the Secondary Counselor. When students reach Secondary IV they benefit from comprehensive university counseling and assistance that includes
- Continued opportunities for SAT and ACT testing on campus
- University application and essay-writing workshops
- Support in using Maia Learning to complete and track university applications
- Assistance in requesting recommendation letters
- Finalizing a list of universities of interest
- Scholarship application information and support
- Communication between the Secondary Counselor and university admissions offices regarding student records and university acceptances
- Advice, suggestions, and recommendations on universities and programs of study
- Fulfillment of document requests and audits of transcripts and other academic materials for accuracy
We celebrate students' university acceptances as we are notified of them, and share students' universities of choice at our graduation ceremony in June.