Interviews Evolved
Please take a look and let us know what you think. www.initialview.com
Encouraging Words
We recently had the pleasure of meeting with John Evans, one of the most senior high school counselors in Asia who heads up the high school counseling team at the International School of Beijing and serves as Past President of the Overseas Association for College Admission Counseling (OACAC). He graciously posted the following to the NACAC public forum site (re-posted here with permission):
College colleagues,
You may be interested to learn about a service available to help screen applicants from China. Called InitialView, it is owned and managed by Terry Crawford and Gloria Chyou, who have lived in Beijing for several years.
In a nutshell, you can view videos of applicants to your college, quickly assessing them for English language skills. The service is completely free to colleges and the student pays a flat (and reasonable) fee. Further information about the program is available at www.initialview.com.
This is not a sales pitch, but simply an announcement about a service that could prove useful in your work with applicants from the mainland. I met with Terry last month and am impressed with his integrity and with the potential that his service has to alleviate authenticity issues with applications. If you would like more information, links related to his services are below.
Have a good summer, all!
John
Brief Promo Video: youtube.com/initialview
Demo Video Interview: initialview.com/interviews/demo-interview/
John M. Evans, President
Overseas Association for College Admission Counseling
High School Counselor
International School of Beijing
Gaokao Memories
News of the gaokao always brings back memories of taking the college entrance exam.
Because of my high score on the gaokao, I was the “Number One Scholar” in my city that year. When the scores first came out, my mother and I jumped for joy. That night, my parents and I didn’t sleep – we spent the whole night talking about every effort that had been exerted from my birth on for this day. The next day, I found a huge banner with my name by the school gate and several media outlets wanting to interview me. My graduation speech became part of our school’s promotional video and it was broadcast over and over again. I was congratulated by students, teachers, and the principal as if I were the hero of the school
I know that the gaokao “Number One Scholar” is not everything. I just happened to figure out how to take the test. Several of my classmates actually had the same strength and ability – in fact, they did better than me on all our mock exams. I’m just the one who saved the best play for game day.
Six years have quickly passed, and while you can still find the collection of articles about my success, time has diluted its glory. With the passing of time, we realize how our scores and admission, things that we once valued over everything, are only a small part of the big picture of life. And the gaokao for me is just a special memory.
Here at InitialView, I get glimpses of another kind of “gaokao”. On first glance, students applying to study abroad seem to have escaped the pressures of the college entrance exam. Yet, for many of these students, their faces aren’t much more relaxed. The same high-pressure mentality of the gaokao is just transferred to the application process to an overseas college. There IS a difference, however – with the gaokao, you only have one score that determines everything; in applying abroad, you have an opportunity to express your ideas and show your personality. While the application process isn’t easy either, you have many more options.
A few words of advice to those of you preparing to enter college: College is but a stage in your life. During this stage, live life to the fullest, get to know yourself better and find your passion. Learn what you love and love what you learn.
I am sincerely grateful for my college experience because it allowed me the opportunity to try new things. I hope that you will discover that no matter what you attempt, nothing is wasted. Whatever road you take, do your best and do not be afraid of failure.
From someone who has walked in your steps, I wish all of you the best, regardless of the road you are preparing to take.
19th Annual International Student Advisors and Educators Conference
We had the privilege of being invited to participate in the 19th Annual International Student Advisors and Educators Conference, held last week at Lawrence Academy in Groton, Massachusetts.
The meeting brought together representatives from about thirty top boarding and day schools in the U.S. The schools came to discuss issues in international student admission, visa documentation, international student programs and English language support.
Our colleague David Wivell, the Head of Secondary School Relations for InitialView and the former Director of International Admission at Northfield Mount Hermon, had the pleasure of leading a group discussion on “Working with Applications from China”. Not surprisingly, China was the hot topic of the conference. Much of the discussion centered on how schools can best verify the identity of the student in question and how they can deal with the large numbers of applications currently being seen from China.
We were grateful for the opportunity to connect again with the schools in attendance and we look forward to supporting their admissions teams in the upcoming months.
