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NIST College Counseling Newsletter for Year 12 Students March 28, 2013
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The Three-way College Conference 2
Long-List of universities on Naviance 3
What’s the deal with TOEFL/IELTS/SAT? 4
Visiting universities during summer 5
Australia and New Zealand University Fair 6
New Online SAT Prep Option 7
Guidelines for SAT registration 8-10
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Newsletter
March 28, 2013
F O R Y E A R 1 2 S T U D E N T S
Meet the Counselors
Last Thursday of every month!
The NIST College Counseling Newsletter provides extra
guidance for you. It will be sent to you on the last Thursday of every
month until you are done with your applications. Please read each
newsletter carefully, and save it in the “College/University” folder on
your tablet, so that you can find it easily, and go back to review im-
portant information, dates, and deadlines when needed. This news-
letter will also be sent to your parents and teachers.
Steps to College/University
Inside This Issue:
This issue will remind you of what you need to do to get ready for
the Three-Way College Conference in April-May. Are you done
with your university research? Have a look at what a long-list of uni-
versities should look like on page 3. As summer is approaching, we
also share some hints and tips regarding university visits.
Meet the Counselors Meet the Counselors
Mr. Joachim Ekstrom
(Mr. Kim)
Room 4203
Phone Extension: 353
Ms. Jacquelyn Valenzuela
Room 4205
Phone Extension: 205
Mrs. Brenda Manfredi
Room 4204b
Phone Extension: 204
Before registering for the three-way college conference you need
to have completed:
1. Do What You Are
2. The Career Interest Profiler
3. The UniQuest Assignment
4. The Post-UniQuest Meeting with your Counselor
5. The Historic Demographic Survey on Naviance (under “about me”)
6. The Long List on Naviance: “Universities I’m thinking about”
7. The Naviance Resume (only for students applying to US Universi-
ties) It is ok if the resume isn't completed.
The Three-way College Conference
At this meeting, please advise us if you intend to apply to UCAS by
15 October (Oxford OR Cambridge, medical/veterinary school) or via
Early Action or Decision by 1st of November (U.S.A.)
1. Register for the conference by sending an email to your counselor
with a few preferred days and times.
2. Make sure your parent(s) are really available at this time
3. Your counselor will then confirm your time by email
The Three-way College Conferences will begin when we
come back from the Song Kran break. This conference
will be led by you with the support of the counselor. We will review
your university research and discuss what you should have done by
now, and what else you need to do to get ready for the application
process that begins early in Year 13.
April 22 - May 22
What should a Long-list on Naviance look like?
This is an example of a good long-list on Naviance. It is ok for you to have 20-25 uni-
versities on here if you are applying to universities in North-America or around the
world. If you apply only to the UK, or only to Australia, your list would of course be
shorter.
If your long-list on Naviance still looks like this, you should be concerned. It might be
that you have saved the universities you are interested in on another list. If that is the
case, please move the universities over to Naviance. Please note that you will move the
universities from your long-list to your short-list on Naviane in the beginning of Year 13.
It is very important that you keep your universities on Naviance as your counselor will
send the supporting documents to your universities on this list (mostly online through
Naviance) when you have completed your applications in Year 13.
By August of Year 13, stu-
dents will have developed a
firm list of 6-9 schools to
which they are applying with
a range of Reach, Safety and
Star schools.
Students will apply to no
more than ten universities.
(Please note that the UK uni-
versities will count as one
choice, as will the University
of California campuses.)
What’s the deal with TOEFL/IELTS?
It is quite easy. You should take any of these tests if you don’t have a
passport from UK, USA, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand
English A1/A2 is often not enough proof of English proficiency.
Many universities want to see a standardized test score.
Most students don’t need to prepare for these tests, and they most
often get very high scores (which looks good on your application).
Compared to IELTS, it is easier to send TOEFL scores to universi-
ties
Note: Some Asian nationalities need IELTS (not TOEFL) for their
Visa application to Australia.
What’s the deal with SAT?
NIST is a registered SAT Test Center
You are better off taking the SAT at NIST as you are used to this
environment, but there are other centers in Bangkok as well.
You have to register way ahead of time as our test center always
fills up and we don’t have any reserved spaces for NIST students
You need to find out, by screening your universities’ websites, if
they require SAT Subject tests, and if they do, what tests do they
want you to take (or can you choose yourself)
Also sign up for subject tests on time
Register on www.collegeboard.com
You need to follow the steps on page 8-9 carefully when you register
for the tests
You can take the SAT in May (now full at NIST), June, October, No-
vember, December
Please view the outline on page 10 to see when you should take the
SAT tests.
Visiting a college/university campus during the summer break is an invaluable experience:
it is a way to verify your assumptions about that school, city, region, or country; to ask im-
portant questions; to let the school know of your interest to attend there; and, to try to get a
sense of your comfort level there. Don’t just drive around campus and look at the buildings
and trees. Here are some ideas of some activities that might help you get a feel for the
school:
Take a tour. Arrange this ahead of time. Remember that some tour guides are enthusiastic
and dynamic; others are not. Don’t use this as your only measure of the school.
Attend an information session if offered. This will provide you with a well-rounded founda-
tion for decisions and help to distinguish features of the school. It might also provide some
tips for admissions.
Eat a meal. It may not be the best cuisine, but you will get an idea of how you will survive if
you attend that school. Notice the ambiance—is it friendly, how much diversity do you see?
Stay overnight in the dorm if possible at your top choice schools. This will give you an oppor-
tunity to meet students and ask questions. Be sure to call well in advance to schedule this.
Attend a class or two. Choose to see one of the large lecture style classes and a smaller sem-
inar class if possible. Again, ask to set this up in advance. During the class, take note of the
level of involvement of the students in the class. See if you can determine if the professor is
actively engaged with the students or just going through the motions.
Visit with students in the academic setting. If possible, meet some students enrolled in the
area of study in which you are interested. Ask about academic and extracurricular activities.
Arrange an interview with an admissions officer.
Read the university newspaper. Get an idea of what is going on around campus and the com-
munity. Search for controversial issues to discuss with students or faculty.
Check out the bulletin boards around campus. This will help to identify the activities that
are available in the area and may imply something about the student body in general.
Write down your impressions, especially if you are visiting more than one campus! The impres-
sions of one can easily get jumbled up with others. Pay attention to your “gut” reaction. Take
note of things that strike you as interesting, positive or negative. How would you describe this
school to someone who had not had the chance to visit it?
Remember to dress appropriately as you may have the chance to meet an admissions counselor
while on campus. It is necessary to phone ahead to set up campus tours and interviews. Do
your homework! Read the college catalog and prepare questions for the interviewer and tour
guides. If you are interested in or will need financial aid, set an appointment with a financial
officer to find out what is available and what guidelines need to be followed.
Visiting universities during the summer break
Australia and New Zealand University Fair
March 30-31, 2013 www.thailand.idp.com
Here is a quick video on why TestRocker was created: The TestRocker Story
and one on: How the TestRocker SAT program Works.
For more information visit www.testrocker.com
New Online SAT Prep Option for Students
Next NIST College Counseling Newsletter will be in your inbox on
Thursday April 25th
Have a great Song Kran Break!!
Kind regards, The Secondary Counselors
A guide for two important steps of the SAT registration on www.collegeboard.com
Although this is not a complete SAT registration guide, if you follow these steps carefully you will certainly be able to
sign up as a NIST student, get access to our reserved seats, and get the chance to write the SAT at NIST.
First, you need to make sure the system knows that you are a NIST student. This is done under the “Tell Us About Your
High School” (1) section of the registration. When you are asked for the name of your high school, press “Find your
School” (2).
When you press “Find your School” a new window will appear. Tick “Outside the United States” (3). Type in the NIST
High School Code (695270)(4) and press “Search for High School” (5). NIST will appear in the list below. Press “Select” (6).
2
3
6
5
4
1
The second important part is where you select the center at which you want to write the SAT. Press “Search by School
Name or Code” (7).
When you press “Search by School Name or Code” a new window will appear. Tick “Yes” (8), and type in the NIST TEST
Center Code (71108) (9). Press “Search for My Test Center” (10). NIST will appear on the list. Press “Select” (11).
Congratulations! You have completed the most important parts of your SAT registration. In this case it says that a seat is
available (12). If it says that the test is full, please contact Mr. Kim and he will try to help you sort it out.
7
9 8
10
11
12
When should I write the SAT and when should I register?
Registration deadlines are always about a month before the test date.
It is not possible to do any standby or late registrations at NIST.
October November December January May June
October November December January May June
Year 12
Year 13
May and June are ideal test dates to
take the SAT again or to sit for Subject
Tests.
October and November are test dates where many students will sit for a third and final
SAT 1. You may also write SAT subject tests if they are required or recommended for
your university applications. November is the only test date that includes Language
tests with Listening. December is the last chance to write the SAT for most students
applying to US colleges. Remember to register during summer as these test dates fill up
quickly.
Take the PSAT at NIST in October. Many students
have already taken the PSAT in Year 11, and try to
improve their scores in Year 12. The results will show
where your strengths and weaknesses are. You can
also use the scores when you research universities on
Naviance. Contact your counselor for more
information on the PSAT.
Students may take SAT preparation
courses during the first semester of
Year 12 and write the SAT for the first
time in December or January.
January might be a possible test date for
some students applying to US universities
(not highly selective ones). It is also a
possibility for students applying to
universities in Asia where the application
deadlines are later on in the school year.