The journey of college admissions prep at YCIS is not a solitary path. Rather the school’s Career and University Guidance Office (CUGO) ensures students at YCIS are looked after, advised, and coached on their way to higher education. John Yi Liu, Head of CUGO, attributes the strength of the program to not only empowering qualified staff to engage with students, but critically, engaging another key player- the parent.
It is important to understand YCIS’s community culture and to listen to the needs of families that make up the school. The CUGO team, with a 10-1 staff-student ratio, recognized that students and their families were feeling a lot of pressure regarding the admissions process.
It’s never too early to start. John Yi Liu Head of Career and University Guidance Office |
Liu, who has worked at YCIS for 7 years, notes that with the trend of increased global applicants to universities, admissions teams are getting ever more selective with who they accept. He observes that YCIS parents are becoming more nervous and both parents and students are anxious about the application process.
To address this, CUGO identified that developing the communication, engagement and trust of parents was essential. The goal is to educate anxious parents about how broad the road really is, such as introducing them to the 4,000 college options in the US, and the increasingly important Early Decision application pathway. This knowledge of broad choices helps parents to reshape a mindset driven by fear.
“It’s never too early to start,” Liu tells parents. The CUGO program starts working with families from primary school with parent workshops starting as young as Year 2 that answer concerns and questions such as finances and return on investment. Liu advises parents to educate themselves on what schools are looking for, as well as to think of the family’s future goals - not just college, but what values they hold important and what kind of person they want their child to become.
The CUGO program puts the student in the driver’s seat, empowering them to direct their own path to college and beyond, and encourages parents to listen to their child’s direction. In middle school, the goal of the CUGO program is to help students discover their passions and get them excited by thinking about what they want to accomplish beyond college. YCIS middle schoolers utilize the book “What Color is Your Parachute?” by Richard Nelson Bolles to discover more about themselves. Later in high school, the cornerstone CUGO project is “Me at 30.” This project asks students to research and delve into the details of what is needed to achieve their goals. They are asked practical questions like, where they want to live, how much is rent, and how much salary do they need to earn.
Other curriculum in the once-a-week secondary school CUGO class includes functional experience like mock interviews and resumes, a job shadow program that lasts for two weeks, as well as prudent life skills like roommate relationships, personal safety, and adjusting to a new culture.
When a student has narrowed down their dreams to clear goals, the seasoned CUGO counsellors provide the facts and know-how to successfully achieve the targets. For example, if a student is set on attend university in the UK, they are entered into a specialized preparation program tailored to the UK’s university admissions process. Students bound for the UK practice interviews, prepare for the exam driven course structure, and plan school tours and summer programs in the UK. Or if a student knows they want to enter the fields of design and art, there is a magnet school in the YCYW network, Yao Wah Gubei, that specializes in art and design. Same for technology, entrepreneurship, and STEM with the specialized school Yao Wah Tongshan. With a breadth of knowledge, YCIS’s career and university guidance counselors can help each student achieve their individual goals.
Each year, YCIS’s CUGO program sees its Year 13 students graduate and move toward achieving their dreams, emboldened with the required practical skills and an enlightened view of their life direction. The Class of 2024 is starting their next steps at top schools around the world.
“If a student knows they want to enter the fields of design and art, there is a magnet school in the YCYW network, Yao Wah Gubei, that specializes in art and design. Same for technology, entrepreneurship, and STEM with the specialized school Yao Wah Tongshan.”
