By Juliane Delisle-Pye, Y13
Over the past couple of months, year 13 students have been going through the stressful process of applying to universities, and possibly even receiving responses from their dream schools.
Students have applied to universities in plenty of different countries, reflecting the international nature of our student body. Overall, the most popular countries students have applied to are the United States (US), the United Kingdom (UK), Canada, Switzerland, The Netherlands, and Italy. A popular choice in Switzerland amongst LGB students is the Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL), a school which has the advantage of being one of the top hospitality management schools in the world and may be favourable for some thanks to its proximity to Geneva. On the other hand, most students have been working on their US and UK applications for the past six months, seeing as some of the world’s most well known and highly ranked universities are located in these countries. However, as a result of the complications brought about by the ongoing pandemic, certain students have decided to limit their applications to Switzerland, or at least to Europe.
The application process can be a long and complex one, entailing the redaction of a personal statement (in the UK) or an essay with the aim of presenting oneself, or examinations, or interviews, or the compilation of a portfolio… It is therefore understandable that receiving an acceptance can be an incredibly joyful and reassuring experience, as much as a rejection can be a painful and disappointing one. Students who were asked about the responses they have received had, on the most part, received acceptances or not heard back yet. This makes sense because universities receive thousands of applications and can’t be expected to have gone through all of them, at least before the end of February or March. It can be nerve-wracking not to know and being waitlisted can be frustrating yet encouraging. I believe the many acceptances are thanks to the exceptional education we are granted, as well as the incredible privilege of having committed counsellors who advise us and aid us in our applications.
Another aspect to take into account is the cost of university studies, which can be a limiting factor. As applicants, year 13s have to consider the offers they are given from each university; will they obtain financial aid, or will tuition have to be paid completely out of pocket? Also, some universities offer more scholarships and financial aid than others, which can incite people to apply there, making admission even more competitive. This year, due to Brexit, university fees for European students in the UK have been risen to the past non-European international fees, which more than doubles the tuition fee, making the UK a less attractive study destination this year.
Students having applied early decision or action to the United States or applied to universities a long time before the deadline have probably already received responses, but that is not the case for all students. The UCAS (a platform used to apply to universities in the UK) deadline extension to the 29th of January, means that all students haven’t yet received any news from the universities they’ve applied to, or have yet to apply. Of course, we can’t forget about the students who’ve chosen to take a gap year, a choice which may be rather smart in terms of current events.
The schools applied to by this year’s students range from huge research universities to specialised schools of art or music. It’s difficult to make a generalisation of all of the year 13s’ applications and choices because every single person has different interests and priorities. There are students who decided to take on the challenge of applying to Oxford and Cambridge and the big ivy league schools, but there are also students who decided they didn’t want to apply to an overly competitive university and felt extremely content with this decision and the program that it offered them.
It’s not so much about where you go to study as it is about what you study, and if you learn something important in the process, viewing it as a life experience as well as an academic one. You should be (somewhat) pleased with whatever decision you make regarding the next few years of your life.
I think we can all wish the year 13 students success in their university endeavours.
