SANTA MONICA, California, September 4, 2014—ArborBridge, a global leader in test preparation for students applying to university in the United States, has announced that it will be sponsoring and participating in Head Start for Higher Studies in Dubai for the second consecutive year. Sponsored by ADCB Bank and educational consultancy Counselling Point, this event welcomes high school students and their families to an evening of discussion about higher education around the world.
Coinciding with the United Nations International Day of Peace, Sept. 21, Head Start for Higher Education seeks to foster intercultural understanding through education. The event will provide students with perspectives on educational systems around the world, including those in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and United Arab Emirates. Students will receive information about curriculums, colleges, application processes, financing, and visa application processes.
Head Start for Higher Studies will be held Friday, September 19, at 6 p.m. at The Address Hotel, Dubai Marina.
“I found that there was a real need to help students and their families make informed choices when it comes to their careers,” said Rema Menon V, Director and Founder Counselling Point Training and Development and organizer of Head Start for Higher Studies.
“It’s not just about filling in application forms. It is important to help students prepare for life. Students are making a big leap of faith and want to be sure they are doing the right thing.”
Menon has organized the event for the past nine years. She also publishes an accompanying handbook that includes in-depth information about undergraduate education and the application process. The event and book are designed to help Dubai’s diverse array of students learn about college options in the UAE, their home countries, and elsewhere. The city is famous in educational circles for having the greatest number of international high schools in the world by far.
American Perspective
ArborBridge’s Director of International Development, Josh Stephens, will be one of four featured speakers. A longtime educator and former college counselor, Stephens will offer an overview of the American university system and the intricacies of the process by which overseas students can identify prospective colleges and, ultimately, gain admission to them. Stephens also brings to the event a particular expertise in international education: on behalf of ArborBridge, he has visited over 300 high schools in 30 countries in the past year.
“I admire students who are willing to immerse themselves in a new culture and I can only imagine how exciting the experience must be for them,” said Stephens, who earned his BA from Princeton University and his master’s in public policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School. “It is an honor to participate in Head Start and help families understand the opportunities that the U.S. offers and to give them insights into how to choose their prospective colleges and to navigate the application process.”
Stephens will speak about the vast array of colleges and universities in the United States and on the imperative for international students to do careful research so that they can take full advantage of the United States’ unique, renowned approach to higher education. He will pay particular attention to the opportunities presented by the United States’ most prestigious—and selective—universities, including those of the Ivy League. Stephens’ former students have gained admission to all eight Ivy League schools, plus other top universities, including Stanford, MIT, Duke, Caltech, and the University of California.
“I am very happy that a representative of ArborBridge has volunteered to share his expertise on the application procedures in America with families here,” said Menon. “I am sure the insights he shares will enable them to actualize their higher education plans.”
Standardized Testing: SAT
ArborBridge will be providing every student who attends Head Start with the opportunity to take a complimentary diagnostic SAT exam. The exam will come with a detailed score report that is the foundation of ArborBridge’s tutoring programs. Students can use the results to direct their studying and increase their scores efficiently and dramatically.
Students who wish to study with ArborBridge will work one-on-one with ArborBridge’s elite tutors, all of whom graduated from Ivy League or equivalent universities. Tutors use ArborBridge’s exclusive curriculum to determine exactly which lessons and practice questions a student needs out of ArborBridge’s bank of 481 lessons and 8,000 practice questions.
Efficient studying can be crucial for many international students who might otherwise be daunted by an unfamiliar exam.
“The SAT is not like academic exams or like other countries’ college entrance exams,” said Stephens. “It tests concepts, not information, so students do not need to spend time memorizing. They need to dedicate themselves to understanding the right concepts. After that, everything comes easily.”
Head Start for Higher Studies
When: Friday, September 19, 2014 6 p.m.
Where: The Address Hotel, Dubai Marina
RSVP: counselling@adcb.com
About ArborBridge
Geared towards students who are applying to American universities, ArborBridge provides online SAT, ACT, and Subject Test preparation to students around the world—currently in over 40 countries on all six continents. ArborBridge's tutoring takes place online, enabling its elite tutors to reach students anywhere, anytime. ArborBridge works with students of backgrounds and from all types of schools, including those that teach American, British, IB curricula and caters to the unique needs of international students, expats, and TCK's alike. ArborBridge collaborates with college counselors to ensure that test preparation complements advice that families receive. Programs are customized according to each student's testing profile, enabling ArborBridge to help students achieve outstanding test scores as conveniently and efficiently as possible.
Website: www.www.arborbridge.com
Contact ArborBridge: info@arborbridge.com
Contact Josh Stephens: josh@arborbridge.com
About Counselling Point Training & Development
Counselling Point is a small counselling centre with a big vision. Higher education is a major life changing decision for students and the plethora of options to choose from make it quite a daunting task for most. We enable students to make higher education choices based on their interest, needs, academic profile, values, aptitude, financial capability and maturity level. We support students and their families throughout the admission process and provide one to one and group counselling sessions. We also conduct seminars, talks and training programs in the interest of students. Our students are empowered to make informed choices to achieve their career and academic aspirations. We believe that education can drive change and that peace will be possible through mutual respect and understanding. We shape tomorrow’s leaders and are licensed by the Dubai Economic Department and the Knowledge and Human Development Authority.
Website: www.counsellingpoint.com
Contact Rema Menon: counsell@emirates.net.ae
