Moving to University During a Pandemic
For expat students at international schools, there is often a wide range of options to consider for university destinations. Our students have a broad world view, and many have family connections across cultures, which opens up choices about where to pursue further education. Zoë C. Williams of Tanglin Trust School, Singapore explains.
t Tanglin, my team of Careers and University Counsellors work with a worldwide network of university admission officers to guide families through the admissions processes across countries and institutions.
A Between us we have over 50 years of experience
in education, working in both schools and universities in the UK, Europe, USA, Canada, China, the Middle East and Asia. Nevertheless, in the spring of 2020, we entered unknown territory with the arrival of the pandemic. Looking back now, it is remarkable how
much determination and resilience the Class of 2020 showed in dealing with the ambiguity. Together, we worked through rapidly changing, pandemic-specific considerations to confirm the path of their journeys into higher education.
Uncertainty about whether universities would open in the autumn brought debates about deferment, as well as last-minute applications as students’ gap year travel plans dissolved. To add to these concerns, the A Level results situation meant some students with UK offers were in limbo regarding their university places, until the government’s mid-August U-turn on the grading decision. UK universities then quickly came up with strategies to honour the increase in fulfilled offers, finding additional spaces or giving financial incentives to defer for a year. US and Canadian universities typically honoured their offers irrespective of the A Level debacle, but the students bound for Europe and Asia had to wait a little longer. Through navigating the twists and turns of 2020, we know one thing for sure – the university rite of passage has entered uncharted waters. So, where do we stand now? What changes are being made to map a smoother course for 2021? And what are the thoughts of our Class of 2021?
HIGHER EDUCATION RESEARCH Firstly, higher education research has taken on a different perspective this year with colleges and universities
marketing their institutions online via virtual fairs, tours, webinars, Zoom calls and
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