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Never too early a start when it comes to academic planning

Answer is at the earliest as the process of vetting student qualifications become intense



Ideally, students should have a firm grasp of what they want to do next with their college aspirations right from Grade 9.
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The ‘early to rise’ dictum from Benjamin Franklin certainly rings true when it comes to academic planning for students. Those who start early are able to stand out when facing admissions’ officials and thus have a higher chance of gaining entry into their dream universities.

Maintaining one’s academic career in a consistent manner is a key element to achieving success beyond the gates of graduation, and it all starts with early planning.

Building a robust profile

Having a profile that shows up is a critical element of admissions success. Presenting a multi-disciplinary approach and mindset towards academia and beyond is a key trait top universities look for. Such applications help showcase confidence, and which sets candidates up on the path to success.

Further, universities are interested in looking at other aspects of students aside from their academic backgrounds. What else do you have to offer? How are you going to make a change in our university and then in the world?

These are some of the questions universities desire to see answers for from prospective students.

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Academic performance, participation in extracurricular activities like sports, the arts, and more, as well as community service involvement are important factors universities take into account when evaluating student profiles.

Having an academic counsellor

Students can benefit monumentally from having an educational counselor, which is different from an applications counselor, as such experts can help shape students’ preferences on the basis of their strengths and weaknesses.

For students to thrive both as academic participants and as professionals in the workforce eventually, early academic planning makes a difference. And having an education expert on board can make the process seamless. To correctly assess the needs of students, education counselors are able to conduct in-depth analysis through the use of interpersonal analysis and psychometric tests.

Planning helps students find the right fit as all three facets of their lives — personal, social, and academic — are taken into account when making academic decisions.

Top universities are highly selective and one of the keys to unlocking their doors is showing them you have a long-term plan. There are several important factors taken into consideration when reviewing a student’s application, each of which carries a different weightage and necessitates careful assessment.

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Having an expert help identify and enhance these elements can significantly boost students’ chances of application success. Such counselors consider a variety of elements, including university acceptance rates, particular standards and prerequisites, as well as students’ backgrounds.

Formula to success

Admissions success entails an interdependent mix of one’s passions, capabilities, and experiences all of which are tied to student ‘needs’. Having an academic plan from as early as Grade 9 enables students to achieve success with applications, which eventually translates to career success.

Chayanka Mohan
The writer is a senior educational consultant.
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