Middle & Upper | University Counseling | WIS

University Counseling

IN THIS SECTION

FINDING THE RIGHT FIT

The goal of the university counseling office is for students to apply, be accepted, and ultimately attend a college or university where they will be both academically successful and socially comfortable.

Our university counseling team begins working directly with students in Grade 10, helping to guide them in selecting their IB Diploma Program courses and explaining how these choices may impact university admissions. Over the course of Grades 11 and 12, an individual counselor continues to work with each student (and that student’s parents/guardians), defining goals and ensuring students are on track to submit university applications. This personalized and tailored approach is a hallmark of the WIS experience.

While WIS students attend the institutions that are often recognized as the best in the world, we want families to understand that the selection of a university is a personal choice not to be overly influenced by external factors. Families are asked to sign a University Counseling Honor Code to help minimize the anxiety surrounding college application and acceptance.


UNIVERSITY COUNSELING FAQS

When do students start meeting with the university counselors?

The university counselors start meeting with students mid-way through Grade 10 to guide selection of IB DP subjects. Individual family meetings start in Grade 11. Additionally, beginning in Grade 9, the University Counselors will be part of presentations and will communicate with families about the college process.

How do colleges view the IB Diploma Program for admissions purposes?
Many colleges recognize the breadth, depth, and international components of the IB DP that make a WIS student more than prepared for college work. However, "prepared" does not mean "more competitive" for admission purposes at all universities. The more selective the institution, the more demanding its expectations in terms of course work, grades, interests, and activities. The most competitive colleges expect students to take the most demanding course load they can, while still maintaining their grades and outside interests.
Does WIS rank students?
Like many other small, independent schools with rigorous curricula, WIS does not rank students. Colleges are familiar with this practice and use the School Profile and their knowledge of the difficulty of the DP curriculum when evaluating our students.
How do colleges make their decisions?

See below for a brief description, organized by country, of what is considered/requested as part of the admissions process.

UK: appropriate IB Diploma Program classes for the course selected; predicted IB DP Exam grades; Personal Statement (used to evaluate how a candidate has shown interest in the future course); school reference

CANADA: appropriate IB Diploma Program classes for the course selected; predicted IB Exam grades; school reference

UNITED STATES: rigor of high school curriculum; transcript since Grade 9; standardized test scores; extracurricular activities; school and teacher references; essays; special considerations such as diversity, legacy, athletic talent, artistic talent, musical talent, and demonstrated interest in the university

UNIVERSITY MATRICULATION

WIS publishes a School Profile each year. This document compiles key facts about the Upper School experience and is submitted along with every college application, in order to provide universities with context.

While the IB Diploma Program has become increasingly recognized worldwide, we are sometimes asked how U.S. universities view it. This brief video featuring Stanford University's Assistant Dean of Admission (and parent of a WIS alumnus) offers one perspective.

In the UK, where the IB Diploma Program has been well known for decades, a survey of admissions tutors at selected UK universities yielded interesting results. When asked, “96% favored the broader programme offered by the [IB DP], and 97% were satisfied that IB Diploma students were well prepared for undergraduate courses. 57% thought that the IB Diploma gave students an advantage over A-level students.”

Typically about two-thirds of the graduating class attends universities in the United States, and the other third spread out across the world.

CLASSES OF 2021-2024 MATRICULATIONS

Canada
  • McGill University (14)
  • University of British Columbia (3)
  • University of Toronto (11)
  • University of Waterloo (1)
Europe (Non-UK)
  • Institut d'études politiques de Paris (Sciences Po), France (1)
  • Sciences Po-Columbia University Dual BA Program, France (3)
  • Jacobs University, Germany (1)
  • Technological University Dublin, Ireland (1)
  • Trinity College Dublin - The University of Dublin, Ireland (1)
  • Bocconi University, Italy (2)
  • Erasmus University Rotterdam, Netherlands (1)
  • Tilburg University, Netherlands (1)
  • University of Amsterdam, Netherlands (1)
  • IE University, Madrid, Spain (1)
  • IE University, Segovia, Spain (3)
  • Universitat Ramon Llull - La Salle, Spain (1)
  • University of Navarra, Spain (1)
  • École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne Vaud, Switzerland (1)
  • University of St. Gallen, Switzerland (1)
United Kingdom
  • Durham University (2)
  • Goldsmiths, University of London (1)
  • Imperial College London (3)
  • King's College London (1)
  • London College of Fashion (1)
  • Newcastle University (1)
  • University College London (3)
  • University of Bristol (1)
  • University of Cambridge (1)
  • University of Edinburgh (4)
  • University of Sussex (1)
United States
  • American University (1)
  • Barnard College (5)
  • Boston College (2)
  • Bowdoin College (1)
  • Brown University (3)
  • California Institute of Technology (1)
  • California Institute of the Arts (1)
  • Carleton College (1)
  • Carnegie Mellon University (3)
  • Case Western Reserve University (1)
  • Colby College (1)
  • College of William and Mary (3)
  • Colorado College (1)
  • Columbia University (5)
  • Cornell University (3)
  • Dickinson College (1)
  • Drexel University (1)
  • Emory University (1)
  • The George Washington University (5)
  • Georgetown University (3)
  • Hamilton College (1)
  • Harvard University (3)
  • Haverford College (2)
  • Indiana University at Bloomington (1)
  • James Madison University (1)
  • Johns Hopkins University (1)
  • Lake Forest College (1)
  • Lewis & Clark College (1)
  • Macalester College (3)
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1)
  • Morehouse College (1)
  • New York University (4)
  • Northeastern University (7)
  • Northwestern University (2)
  • Oberlin College of Arts & Sciences (3)
  • Occidental College (2)
  • The Ohio State University (1)
  • Pitzer College (1)
  • Pomona College (1)
  • Pratt Institute (1)
  • Princeton University (3)
  • Purdue University (1)
  • Rhode Island School of Design (1)
  • Rice University (1)
  • Rochester Institute of Technology (1)
  • Savannah College of Art & Design (1)
  • Sciences Po - Columbia University Dual BA Program (4)
  • Sewanee, University of the South (1)
  • Spelman College (2)
  • Stanford University (4)
  • Swarthmore College (1)
  • Syracuse University (1)
  • Temple University (1)
  • Tufts University (4)
  • Tulane University (3)
  • University of California, Berkeley (1)
  • University of California, Davis (1)
  • University of California, Los Angeles (4)
  • University of California, Santa Barbara (1)
  • University of Chicago (14)
  • University of Colorado, Boulder (2)
  • University of Maryland, College Park (2)
  • University of Miami (2)
  • University of Michigan (12)
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1)
  • University of Pennsylvania (9)
  • University of Pittsburgh (1)
  • University of Rochester (1)
  • University of Southern California (3)
  • University of Vermont (1)
  • University of Virginia (4)
  • University of Virginia - Wise (1)
  • University of Washington (2)
  • University of Wisconsin, Madison (1)
  • Vanderbilt University (2)
  • Virginia Polytechnic Institute (3)
  • Wake Forest University (4)
  • Washington & Lee University (1)
  • Wellesley College (2)
  • Yale University (3)