University offers roll in for students at American International School Hong Kong

In this discussion which took place in the Counseling Suite at AIS on 25 March, 2024, the students are joined by Head of School Ms. Anita Simpson, High School Principal Mr. Mike Wing, Director of Admissions and Advancement Ms. Vicky Lam, High School Counselor Ms. Ingrid Luk Van, and Learning Activator Mr. Jeremy Green to unveil their journey towards their dream universities and shed light on the invaluable support provided by the Student Support Team at AIS, which has been instrumental in navigating their paths to success.

The Grade 12 students who have received early university offers, include: Ms. Anjali Rungta, who has been at AIS since early childhood, Mr. Rian Mehta, who joined in Grade 1, Mr. Raghav Raman Ranjan, who joined in Grade 4, Mr. Oscar Yu, who joined in Grade 9, Ms. Doyeon Kim, who joined in Grade 10, and Ms. Danielle Chan, who joined in Grade 11.

What is your favorite memory of your time here at AIS?

Anjali: There’s not a single memory I can refer to but instead the collective experiences I have shared with my many friends at AIS. The experiences we’ve shared have created a lasting connection with ourselves and the school.

Danielle: Even though I have been at AIS for a short period of time, I have met so many kind people. The atmosphere here is very positive and encouraging – even small things like doing well on our in-class assessments to our AP Exams. These positive experiences will stay with me.

Can you share a bit about your college application journey?

Raghav: I started my applications after our Counselor, Ms. Luk Van, contacted everyone when we were in Grade 11. She asked us to begin researching universities and then to arrange a meeting with her to discuss the universities that we intended to apply to. She really got us thinking about the process pretty early on, in terms of getting into the questions that we can expect and the specific university requirements for admissions.

I also learned that it’s important to have “safety universities.” That was something I had not considered at all at that point. I am thankful to have quite a lot of time to think about that.

Along the journey, I have had a lot of help from Ms. Luk Van, but also Ms. Brown, our English teacher, and many teachers who have written letters of recommendation for me.

Through this time of preparation, I have managed to understand better the requirements for scholarships and have been given an offer from HKUST for their “entrance scholarship,” which was awarded to me for the grades I have achieved on my AP exams. I am thankful that I was able to learn about and meet those requirements.

Oscar: For my journey, we began researching a bit earlier when I was in Grade 10. I was looking at universities around the world but mostly in the USA, Canada, and Hong Kong. I wanted to understand their requirements first and then intentionally plan out my course selection at AIS to best match their requirements.

Although my grades were not as good as I had hoped, what I did was catalog all the things I have been a part of and done well in high school and used them effectively in my personal statements. My personal statements talk a lot about sports and my achievements in Taekwondo and being a member of the national team right now. I believe that having a particular strength like this makes applications stronger and, potentially, universities will want you to represent them as well.

Will you be continuing with your Taekwondo?

Oscar: If I stay in Hong Kong, yes. But if I go abroad, to the USA or Canada, I would likely represent the university, as I am not allowed to represent other countries. It is a motivation for me to study in Hong Kong so that I can continue on the national team and potentially represent Hong Kong in the Olympics.

What programs have you gotten into and what do you hope to achieve with your degree?

Doyeon: I have just been accepted into an engineering program at the University of Toronto’s main campus, and life sciences at other campuses. From HKU, I have been accepted into their Bachelor of Science program and will be selecting my major in sophomore year. The first year is a general science foundational year, including biology, biochemistry, chemistry, and other natural sciences, that all freshmen take.

I am looking forward to exploring the diverse realm of many sciences and seeing how that shapes the rest of my journey through graduate school and hopefully on to a Ph.D.

Rian: I have been accepted into the computer science program at the University of Toronto and HKUST as well. For the Chinese University of Hong Kong, I have also been accepted into their information systems program.

I just hope that the education that I gain from my university experience will land me a good and stable job in the emerging fields of computer science.

I have always been interested in technology and following the trends in the field. Right now, AI is very interesting. There are other big fields like cybersecurity and game development that are also areas of interest for me.

What has drawn you to the majors that you have selected?

Anjali: I applied to a variety of different majors. In the UK, I applied to computer science, but in Hong Kong and Canada, I applied to engineering. This is mainly because of my interest in STEM-related subjects, particularly software development. I have developed my interest in these areas through school activities and projects. For example, taking Computer Science Principles this year and having other introductory courses on the topic, as well as studying physics.

There have been a few clubs that I have been in that have also guided my interest. For example, I am the High School Divisional Lead for the TECHsperts, a student leadership group on campus at AIS. We are a service-oriented group who do a lot to help with tech support for students, teachers, and parents at AIS. It’s always nice to work with people who are engaging with technology in a variety of ways.

Even subjects that are not really technology-based, I have enjoyed finding ways to incorporate new tools. For example, I am currently taking AP Research, and with my research project, I am delving into how AI processes bias, which involves a lot of programming and coding. This is another way that I am honing my interest and skills in the areas I like, and another way that AIS supports me.

Danielle: For me, across Canada and the US, I have applied to commerce. For the University of Toronto, I have been accepted into the Rotman Commerce program. What has gotten me interested in pursuing business and finance was seeing my dad work in his field and hearing him talk about how dynamic it is, especially now with new technologies being integrated and businesses factoring in more cultural differences. The dynamism of the field, and even in school taking courses, including AP courses, micro and macroeconomics, and in the past, taking accounting, has made me realize that is what I want to do in the future.

How did the AIS student support team help you through the application process?

Anjali: The Student Support Team helped me a lot, especially since I wanted to send in all of my items early. I had several meetings with Ms. Luk Van regarding my personal statements and the application process for my chosen universities. Some of the applications I went through also required tests. For example, I have been accepted to an advanced mathematics degree program which required a math test as part of the admissions process, and Ms. Luk Van helped me to arrange everything and ensured that I met the advanced requirements, and that my personal statement best represented me to the university.

AIS really gets us thinking about this well in advance. Even in Grade 10, we had advisory sessions that already began guiding us on picking the right schools for us as individuals. I have had a lot of support from the teams at AIS who have helped me get into the universities that I had hoped to attend.

Danielle: Even though I transferred in the middle of high school, AIS has been very flexible and accommodating, ensuring that all of my credits transferred and guiding me through course selection to ensure that I best meet the requirements for the universities I have selected. In terms of applications, I have also had many meetings with Ms. Luk Van, and she has been incredible at making sure everything is thoroughly prepared and completed on time, and she helped me to learn to navigate the many portals for applying.

What Advanced Placement courses have you taken and how have they supported your application for university?

Raghav: I have taken a lot of STEM-oriented courses. I have completed Calculus BC, both physics courses – Physics 1 last year and Physics 2 this year, and AP Chemistry.

One of the things that taking the AP courses has really helped me with is determining what I want to do with my life. While taking Pre-AP Chemistry, I fell in love with the subject and have never looked back. I have applied to the chemistry and chemical engineering program in every university that I selected.

I also believe that taking AP courses can be very challenging at times, but at the same time, I find these small challenges to be quite enjoyable as they all eventually build towards the AP examination.

Overall, I think that the teachers I have had at AIS are great. There’s Mr. Raybaud for Calculus BC. He really made the whole subject seem quite easy, which was incredible. Dr. Rines and Ms. Nartia made physics and chemistry both very engaging and manageable for me. I am immensely grateful for my teachers who have helped me along this journey.

Oscar: In Grade 11, I took environmental science and computer science. Although it turned out that I was not particularly interested in these subjects, I have taken them and learned the topics and more about myself. The reason I took these two courses was that I thought I was interested in them and believed that their topics would be interesting to me, but instead, I found interest in other subjects. I have now switched to AP Psychology, and I find every topic very interesting, and I really enjoy my studies in that course.

What kind of clubs are you doing?

Doyeon: Currently, I am a member of the Human Rights and Inclusivity Club (HRIC) and the Math Club. In HRIC, we organize a variety of events with the purpose of serving and contributing to the society that we are a part of, particularly focusing on people in need. In the past, we have fundraised for Mind HK to support them as they address mental health problems in Hong Kong. In the Math Club, we explore deeper content related to math fields, engage in math games and puzzles, and organize math competitions like Kangaroo Math and the American Mathematics Competitions.

Rian: I am more involved in sports than other clubs. Sports take up three days a week, so I am not really able to join many other clubs. Additionally, I am a member of a student leadership group called the TECHsperts, which meets on Fridays after school. Last year, I participated in basketball and football, and this year I am doing basketball and badminton.

How does the AIS Student Support Team prepare students for early admissions and competitive university applications?

Ms. Luk Van: The AIS Student Support Team works closely with our students to reach best-fit outcomes and post-secondary success. My goal is to help students reach their full potential and explore opportunities to prepare for life after high school. 

We seek to instill student confidence, which we believe is the key to our students’ success.  This is integrated into the comprehensive university and career guidance program that students at AIS receive via the Guidance Counseling and Homeroom Advisory Program at our school. 

One of the key components of this program is helping students while they research and plan for their university admissions process and creating a student timeline for early/competitive applications, where we advise students on personal statement writing, standardized testing, and creation of the application profile. The school supports students every step of the way, from high school course selection, exploration towards matriculation, and preparing for postsecondary opportunities. Information sessions, university fairs, and university seminars are regularly offered to both students and families, and individual meetings with the High School Counselor personalize the process. 

AIS has a proud tradition of excellent university placements for our graduating classes, with destinations from around the world, including the USA, Canada, the UK, Europe, Hong Kong, Asia, and Australia.

Our key mindset, Confidence, continues to drive academic achievement and success in our students. With hard work, determination, and a strong belief in their abilities, our students can do anything they set their minds to, as these young people clearly demonstrate. Come and see what a difference an education at AIS can make.

The admissions office at AIS is always happy to answer any questions you may have and to provide you with more information about the school’s programs and offerings. 
American International School, 125 Waterloo Road, Kowloon Tong, 2336 3812, www.ais.edu.hk