TASIS University Day Connects Students With University Admissions Experts

TASIS The American School in Switzerland was delighted to welcome admissions experts from University of Cambridge, University of Southern California, and ESADE Business and Law School—along with Dr. Eleanor Parker, a Student Transitions and Inclusion Specialist from the University of Oxford—to campus on September 3 to offer a range of workshops and question-and-answer sessions for 12th-grade students and their parents. The event was spearheaded by the TASIS College Counseling team, which is always looking for ways to connect High School students with admissions representatives both on and off campus.

The day started with optional drop-in sessions during the lunch periods in which students could meet individually with the university representatives to receive personalized feedback on their Personal Statements or application essays—a unique opportunity that many 12th-grade students took advantage of.

The visitors then ran a workshop in Casa Fleming that delivered parents practical advice for preparing their children for the transition to university. This was followed by a question-and-answer session for parents who wished to learn more about the university admissions process.

Later in the afternoon, all 12th-grade students attended a session in the Palmer Cultural Center in which TASIS Director of University and College Counseling Johanna Fishbein introduced the four guests, who then discussed some of the primary differences between universities in the United States, the United Kingdom, and other European countries while also providing some general advice about how to approach the college admissions process and prepare for the transition from high school to university.

As soon as classes ended, the university representatives led two 45-minute workshop sessions in which students could choose to learn more about a variety of topics. Workshop options included “Transitioning to University,” “Applying to Universities in Europe,” “Super-curricular Activities & UCAS Personal Statements,” and “USA Supplemental Essays.”

The highly productive day ended with an alumni panel in the Palestra in which three recent TASIS graduates—Jane Wilson ’22, Moritz Mohr ’20, and Sky Rourke ’20—discussed their post-secondary journeys and answered questions the current TASIS students had before enjoying a pizza party together on the Kay Hamblin Terrace.

“We are grateful to our Headmaster and the entire school for supporting this event so whole-heartedly, and we feel very fortunate to be able to bring leaders in the higher education field to campus to share their wisdom with our students,” said Ms. Fishbein, who works tirelessly alongside University and College Counselors Conor Fritz and Sam Wickham to help TASIS seniors find the right university fit year in and year out. “The expert advice these accomplished professionals offered was invaluable, and it perfectly supports our College Support classes and our individual college counseling meetings with our students. We are confident that our grade 12 students now feel ready to dive into the university application process!”