Career, College, and University Admission Counselling
Personalised Admissions Counseling
Our personalised approach to university admissions counselling means helping students take a long-term view of their lives. Rather than simply focusing on getting them into a university, we help them conceptualize what long-term success means to them. We put students in the driver's seat to take ownership of their learning journey as it continues to university and beyond.
Our #BestFit Philosophy in our Counselling programme
Though we applaud our graduates for receiving offers from top universities, colleges and specialty programmes across the world, we place more importance on the fact that through our unique and extensive University Counselling programme, our students are able to attend the colleges and universities that best fit their interests and goals, irrespective of rankings.
Our graduates go on to a wide range of specialist programmes around the world including medicine, law, arts and design, music, business, the sciences, engineering, maths and economics just to name a few.
Our approach to college and university admissions counselling
1. Agency
Students have the knowledge and skills to take charge of their own application for admissions and matriculation journey.
2. Decision-making
Students understand decision-making frameworks and strategies.
3. Leadership & Initiative
Students are empowered to take initiative on their own behalf.
4. Values & Impact
Students understand their own values and the impact they want to have on the world.
5. Advocacy & Guidance
UCC counsellors act as advocates for students both internally within the College and externally with admissions offices.
In addition, our University and Career Counselling (UCC) Department provides ongoing communication with the entire community of students, staff, and parents) about the latest trends in post-secondary admissions through comprehensive information and resources that are easily accessible both online and in person.
Our UCC departments also builds and enhances close partnerships with post-secondary institutions around the world through attending conferences, hosting university fairs and visits, and much more. They also create connections for students to the world of work by facilitating partnerships with businesses as well as leveraging our vast Worldwise Alumni Network (WAN).
University Counselling Approach from Year 9 to 13
Our approach to university counselling is project-based, values-based, and student-led. Our engagement with Senior School students starts in Year 9 and proceeds in an orchestrated step-by-step manner.
- In Year 9, we introduce the overall university pathway to students as part of the I/GCSE options process.
- In Year 10, the theme is “World of Work”, where students are encouraged to be reflective of themselves.
- Year 11 is all about decision-making, exemplified by the “reverse university fair”, where students are challenged to put themselves into the shoes of university admissions officers.
- Year 12 students are placed firmly in the driver’s seat of the application process.
- Finally, year 13 is the time to reap the rewards of years of preparation.
Meet our University and Career Counselling team at Dulwich Shanghai Pudong
Luke Devlin, Director of UCC
Originally from the United States, Mr. Devlin is a contributing member of numerous professional groups including International ACAC (Association for College Admission Counseling) where he serves on the Communications Committee, as well as NACAC (US-based National Association for College Admission Counseling), and APCDA (Asia-Pacific Career Development Association).
Mr. Devlin received his College Counseling certificate from UCLA and serves as an external applications reader for UCLA where he reads hundreds of applications every year. He has extensive experience working with A-levels and IB as well as working in schools that have demographic majorities of Chinese, Korean, British, and American students.
UCC Counselor, Rorie Macdonald
Originally from the UK, Mr. Macdonald graduated from Cambridge University. He started his education career as a teacher of history at an international school in Shanghai where, in 2016, he also set up and ran their first UCC department. During that time he supported students to places in universities all over the world.
He is a regular attendee at EARCOS-CIS (East Asia Regional Council of Schools – Council of International Schools) institutes on international admission and guidance, as well as member of International ACAC.
UCC Counselor, Ruru Huang
Ms Huang is a Member of Research, Scholarship and Learning Committee at ChinaICAC, member of International ACAC First Timer’s Committee. She is a Certified College Counselor by UCLA, Career Advisor by IACA (The International Association of Career Advisors), with a Mental Health Certificate from South China Normal University. Ms Huang has more than 10 years of school-based college counselor experiences in Beijing, Shenzhen, and Shanghai.
UCC Coordinator, Julia Ju
Ms. Ju has been with Dulwich Pudong for 10 years and was the first standalone hire for our UCC department. Over the last decade she has built an incredibly wide network of contacts with universities all over the world. In addition to assisting graduates who are interested in applying to Chinese universities, she is always up to date about the latest admissions policy wrinkles no matter how small. She is a member of International ACAC and China ICAC.
Benefits of an extensive team of university counsellors
Our students not only receive personalised guidance from our university counsellors at the College but also benefit from the support that comes from having experienced counsellors with diverse backgrounds and area specialities sharing best practices throughout the Dulwich College International network of schools. Many of our counsellors serve on the International ACAC (Association for College Admission Counseling), working on committees alongside university representatives and admissions officers. Through this, our university counsellors are able to leverage the Dulwich name and network to lead global sessions for professional learning and development around the world.
Our 100% Guarantee in University Admissions
We are proud that 100% of the graduating class of 2021 were accepted at their first-choice university. A remarkable achievement! Even though that may not be the case every year, we do have a 100% guarantee:
In the last 10 years, all of our students who make applications during the term and intend to pursue university immediately entering their high school careers had a programme acceptance after graduation.
University Destinations
Here is a selection of university destinations for our recent graduates.
