My son from an early age was fascinated by STEM direction. Of course, his interests changed, but the general vector, the focus of attention - never. That is why a specialised school is the right choice for him.
He has been aiming at a technical speciality for a long time. Now he sees electronics engineering as his speciality. The choice of direction is based on the fact that it is a practical subject combining physics and computer science (areas of interest). There is no concrete understanding of the desired place of work yet.
The basics - inquisitive mind, analytical thinking, love to reading, work with text, ability to study independently and not to abandon what I started halfway, to formulate and argue my position, attitude to education, knowledge as a value, experience of studying in a competitive environment, choice of field of interest - were plus or minus at an acceptable level formed by the time I started studying in the UK. It is clear that in many respects this is natural data, but the character traits developed, as with everyone, with varying success.
The areas in which we, as parents, notice changes as a result of our son's studies at a British school on his own, away from home: the ability to decide and start acting (to make a choice or an important step) at the right moment, to concentrate on the main things, to optimise decisions, to take responsibility for the result, to believe in his own strength, to work in a team.
The opportunities provided by the school - STEM Communication Programme, participation in Olympiads, as well as in research projects in collaboration with universities - and the role of the school as a mentor can hardly be overestimated. Very accurate, positive and developmental feedback from tutor, subject teachers, house parents - very detailed and always to the point. Thank you for always drawing attention to how this should be handled!
The language level is definitely important. My son's situation is perhaps not quite typical - he had no tutors, he had good language training at school and one week's trip to England on holiday at the same time, 5 weeks in the summer at Bishopstrow college and pre-A level at NatMathSci, took IELTS in November 2023 - 8.5 points.
Definitely useful to attend open days at universities (Warwick, Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, the last three we accompanied). It seems that somewhere around here my son had an epiphany about the importance of the personal statement. He referred to these materials constantly during the preparation and application process.
Summer programmes (Imperial Global summer school, Immerse Education based in Cambridge) - definitely a great experience too. Again, probably not quite typical: both Engineering programmes, both last summer. From an academic point of view, they probably didn't bring much to the table, but they gave me the opportunity to feel the atmosphere, to communicate with professors, students, to discuss approaches to PC preparation in the process of working directly on the concept and formulation (rather than in theory).
A lot of independent work. Combined with adolescent maximalism and natural tendency to independently investigate the problem, rather than immediately take anything on faith. Studying additional material outside or deep into the school course on a daily basis, combined with repetition of lesson material, certainly instils discipline and changes the overall level of erudition.
At the same time my son has gone some way to recognising the importance of not just in-depth knowledge in itself, but the ability to apply, share and also demonstrate it, including the skill to pass exams.
The support provided by Ksenia Starostina and her team when applying to university is very valuable: planning and providing counselling tailored to the specific needs of the applicant. Not limited to the more obvious ones related to the direct admission process, but also including such atypical ones as organising a conversation with an academic postdoc from a top university to discuss the difference between career tracks in industry and academia, controlling deadlines, prompt response to any questions and doubts.
We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your co-operation!
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