VIDEO: Guide To Navigating University Applications With Tips From Hong Kong Students

Nervous about helping your teenager negotiate their way through all those university applications? We understand!

Before you start the process, watch our amazing Facebook Live Chat with Diya Aswani, a Senior Student, Canadian School Hong Kong, and Emerson Fox, Senior Student, Hong Kong International School, and learned so much about navigating university applications!

NAVIGATING THE APPLICATION PROCESS

• In the US, you need to take the SAT or ACT, and submit a common application essay. Supplementary essays are required by each university.
• The SAT is focused on literacy, grammar, and math. The SAT includes a science section.
• In the US, there are three different types of applications you can submit: you can apply early decision, early action, and regular decision.
• In the UK, you use the UCAS portal and submit a personal statement of around 4,000 words about yourself and your academic achievements.
• If English isn’t your first language, you need to take an English proficiency test when applying to universities in the UK, US and Canada.

PREPS, TALKS, TIPS AND TOOLS  

• The Princeton Review provides lots of tips on strategy and SAT.
• Khan Academy has online tests and custom drills for the SAT
• To prepare for IB exams, you can do group classes as everyone is learning the same thing.
• Check out IB subject-specific sites like Hease Mathematics and BioNinja as well as IB flashcards.
• Websites to help you prep include Common App for the US and UCAS for the UK.