From the Office of College Counselling
How to Become
a ‘Unique’ Applicant in
the Eyes of Colleges and
Universities
By Percy Jiang
Director of College Counseling at Keystone Academy
College counselors are often regarded as the last guardians of secondary students
before they graduate from high school. Counselors also act as “enablers” who push
students to their full potentials. The rising number of Chinese applicants to colleges
and universities around the world over the past few years reminds me of the security
staff in Tokyo’s subway stations whose job is to push passengers through the train
doors.
Many people ask whether colleague counselors feel immense pressure as they often
face students and parents who want positive results after submitting college and
university applications. My point is that there is no pressure on those who “enable”
people. The only real pressure is on those who want to receive acceptance letters and
enroll in their dream schools.
This is not a perfect analogy, of course, but this accurately reflects the challenges of
the university application processes and the intensity of the global competition for
university admission. The most important task for a college counselor is to help appli-
cants find and get admitted to a university that challenges their skills and matches
their long-term goals. However, we know it is not easy for our children (applicants)
to be accepted to a good university that is the best fit for them.
The Keystone Magazine 93