Exploring global opportunities at the International Universities Fair

Students at Berkhamsted Sixth are becoming increasingly interested in pursuing higher education at universities overseas. Whether for affordability, breadth of course, or simply to experience a new environment, studying at an international university has become a serious consideration for many of our students in recent years.

Head of International University Applications, Mrs O Guillet, is currently working with around thirty Year 13 students who are applying overseas, describing our students as an ‘adventurous bunch’. Students of this generation are keen to travel and seek out global opportunities for employment, and here at Berkhamsted we have already seen a plethora of successful international applications. Past students have embarked on a global span of adventures, with an Ivy League offer to Columbia University, several sports scholarships to Idaho State, an Australia offer and several European offers in addition to international students applying to their home countries. Students apply alongside their UCAS applications in order to have a better spread of choices when their grades come through in August; as such, it is important for students to start researching their options early.

To aid with this research, Berkhamsted hosted The University Guys – an organisation that provides information and support to students who are interested in applying to degrees overseas. The University Guys tour schools across the country, bringing representatives from different universities around the world to talk to students and highlight international options they may not have considered.

‘We are big believers that there is a perfect-fit university for every student out there in the world’, says Sheena Mehta, Director of The University Guys, ‘there are so many options that students can’t know all about’. With such a range of universities out there – and each with different ways of learning, different sizes and different styles of teaching – The University Guys make it their business to help narrow the search. ‘We want to make sure students know about their options so they can make an informed decision, so they can be excited to wake up on a Monday morning and go to class because it’s exactly where they want to be’.

During the International Universities Fair, many students were interested in the possibility of learning a complex technical degree in English whilst being immersed in a new culture. Others wanted to study overseas for a wider curriculum: in the US, a four-year degree allows more room for exploration before settling on a major. One student described their interest in studying in Holland because ‘not only is the Dutch education system very well-renowned, but the corporate world in Holland offers a lot of international opportunities for me as well’. For many, the representatives at the fair gave them the chance to meet their potential admissions officers face to face, while others were introduced to a whole world of opportunities they had not considered before.

As Sheena Mehta says, ‘there’s so much out there that you don’t know you don’t know’. At Berkhamsted, we are making sure our students know the breadth of options that are available to them in higher education, offering advice and guidance to make sure they find their ‘perfect fit’.

If you are interested in learning more about our opportunities and careers provision at Berkhamsted Sixth, please come along to our Open Event this Friday – booking is essential.