Higher education

Higher education for the website

1. Where our children go
2. Getting there – guidance, advice
3. UK Higher education
4. US universities
5. Other destinations
6. Proud of our record, but never complacent

Overview

1. It is the expectation that all children who complete their schooling at St. Lawrence College will progress to higher education
2. About 80% of pupils who graduate from SLC go to UK universities. About 10% go to universities and colleges in the USA. About 10% are “other” either staying in Greece or following higher education at universities in countries as diverse as Canada, Australia, South Africa, Holland, Ireland, South Korea
3. Pupils receive guidance and counselling at every step of the process – in group presentations and meetings and on one-to-one basis.
4. Our university guidance counsellors have immense experience to help pupils arrive at the right choices and gain access to the best higher education institutions for them.

How do pupils enter university and how does the school support them?

1. A-Levels – being globally recognised as the traditional school-leaving qualification from British education, can take a child anywhere in the world for their higher education. Most of our pupils choose to progress to UK universities and higher education institutes
2. Initial discussions with pupils begins in the first year of A-Levels, shortly after pupils start the A-Level courses. Initial discussions are held with form tutors
3. Applicants for UK universities are given guidance through the completion of the UCAS application system, including meetings and handouts. University counsellors track the progress of pupils during the process of completing all stages of UCAS applications, advising pupils on their progress
4. Extra support is given in the preparation of the personal statement – a critical component of the UCAS application
5. University application advisers prepare detailed, sympathetic references for pupils, tailor-made to illustrate the strengths and suitability of that child in the context of their educational journey thus far.
6. Applicants are given full support on all subsequent communication with higher education institutions which can include sitting for aptitude tests, travelling for interviews, submission of portfolio work and more.
7. Mock interviews are arranged for Oxbridge applicants and for pupils who have applied for Medicine and Veterinary Science
8. Applicants for the USA are given support from a dedicated team of advisors for US universities
9. US applicants are given support whether their selected universities subscribe to the Common Application System or require a unique direct application.
10. US applicants are supported through the completion of SAT or ACT examinations and are provided with appropriate transcript documentation and key points during the final school year.
11. SLC has developed and maintains close relationships with a variety of higher institutions in the UK, the USA, in Greece and beyond.
12. SLC selects with care and invites representatives of top universities to come into school and talk to pupils about higher education.
13. SLC monitors a vibrant, lively facebook group of ex-pupils who interact with current pupils in the process of applying to higher education to offer advice, tell of their own experiences and to answer questions.

Where have SLC children progressed to?

1. UK university placements over last ten years: 

2. In last two years we have sent pupils to study at a wide range of UK universities, including the following universities:Cambridge, Oxford, Bath, Leeds, Queen Mary London, LSE Reading Manchester Edinburgh, Birmingham, King’s College London, Imperial College London, Durham, Warwick, York, Lancaster and Bristol.
3. Beyond the UK: USA: Brown, NYU, Columbia, UCLA Berkeley, Boston University, University of Miami, UMass Amherst, Worldwide: Concordia (Canada), University of Toronto (Canada), University of Oslo (Norway), Melbourne (Australia), Bocconi University, Milan (Italy), Erasmus Univeristy, Rotterdam (The Netherlands)

What do they study?

The A-Levels that pupils take at SLC can give access to undergraduate studies in any field. In just the last two years, pupils have left our school and begun degree courses in subjects a s diverse as

Medicine, French, Linguistics, Sociology, Government & Politics, Natural Sciences, Accounting & Finance, Law, Animation, International Relations, Computer Science, Chemical Engineering, Art, History, English Literature, Creative Writing, Film & Television Production, Biochemistry, Mechanical Engineering, Genetics, Nanotechnology, Economics

(Closing statement) SLC is proud of our pupils’ success and proud of our record in helping our pupils access many of the very best universities in the world. But we are not complacent. We recognise that receiving the right university studies at globally recognised institutions has never been more important, and has never been more competitive. We intend to build upon our success by remaining completely aware of changes to the demands made by universities. By continuing to develop the expertise of our university application advisory team and by developing our relationships with universities themselves and with organisations such as UCAS in order to give our school leavers the best chance to succeed.