By Nick Yates, ISB Communications
Published on Tuesday, March 26, 2024
The International School of Beijing (ISB) has a University & Careers Center staffed by experts guiding students in their options for after Grade 12, including by helping them secure admission to their dream college. Students are set to further benefit after a delegation from the University & Careers Center plus ISB’s senior leadership made a tour of top South Korean universities.
The group traveling March 13 to 15 included:
- Head of School Daniel Rubenstein
- High School Principal Will Paananen
- University & Career Advisors Yunxia Liao (Midea), Jonathan Mellen, and Ming Rong Weng
- Kevin Keller, who will join ISB as Head of University & Career Advising next year
The delegation visited the following universities to strengthen ties with them and gain insight into the admissions process:
- Seoul National University (SNU)
- Korea University
- Yonsei University (These first three universities are collectively known as SKY)
- Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU)
- Chung-Ang University
- Incheon Global Campus – SUNY Korea and University of Utah Asia
These prestigious universities are already major destinations for ISB students, with 11 enrolled at SKY and one at SKKU in the last three years. ISB encourages students to find their best-fit university and course, and they get offers every year from a huge range of institutions, from big names in the Ivy League, to art, design, and architecture programs, to respected vocational colleges.
The ISB delegation with the Dean of Admissions at Seoul National University
The ISB delegation met with admissions officers responsible for Korean and international students in China. They exchanged information on admissions trends and enrollment, enriched their understanding of admissions policies and requirements, discussed ways to increase admissions and enrollment rates, and extended invitations for college fairs and school visits.
Despite their busy evaluation and travel season, the Dean of Admissions from SNU and Chung-Ang met with the ISB delegation personally. SNU’s Dean said of the visit, “I have never seen any head of school visit us for their students. It’s really great to see the ISB team!”
Team ISB toured campuses and met with many ISB alumni now at these universities. They got a lot of help along the way from Kelly Kim, formerly an Admissions and Korean Liaison Officer at ISB. They all gathered for a reunion event with alumni from all five decades of study at ISB.
The tour was a vivid example of the resources ISB puts into college counseling, how it values strong relationships, and the lengths to which it goes to serve students.