In a survey conducted by our University & Academic Counselling Department, our Grade 12 students had asked for a day with free food, time to hang out with their friends, no “real” classes and no tests, zero stress, music, prizes, a movie and time with their teachers. With the support of the Grad Transition Planning Committee, the graduating class of 2021 were invited to the first ever YHS University Transitions Day on June 9th.
With a jam-packed schedule, students attended a number of workshops aimed at introducing them to university life, navigating their first year and keeping healthy. They also enjoyed a virtual panel of recent graduates who offered tips on those first few weeks of university with a focus on making connections and finding your people.
Over lunch, the grads enjoyed delicious salads from Tractor Foods sponsored by the YHS Alumnae Office before heading into their final workshop on wellness, led by our counselling team.
The day ended with a fun beading activity and an opportunity to sign each other’s polo shirts (a YHS tradition) while connecting with their teachers who came down to say a casual hello.
Feedback from students was overwhelmingly positive and plans are already underway for next year.
As we begin a new year in the university admissions cycle, we are pleased to get news of our graduates in their new post-secondary homes.
Class of 2014
Kelly Steeves ’14, is enjoying her time at Harvard College, taking interesting courses such as Everyday life in Nazi Germany and Society and the Witch (she will be researching Harry Potter). Alice Xiao ’14 stopped by on a brief trip home from the University of Pennsylvania. Coco Yang ’14 is doing very well in her Hotel Management program at Cornell, while Ashley Chen ’14 is most involved in her Business program at Johns Hopkins.
In California, our students Fiona Yu ’14 and Elaine Cui ’14 are very happy in their architecture programs at the University of Southern California, while Ellen Chuan is busy at Caltech. Ms. Gionet met with Candice Wang who is enjoying her time at Berkeley. Natasha Lu and Hazelle Wang have left for Warwick and Imperial, respectively, in the UK.
On the Canadian front, we hear that Coco Morton has had her first three hour Accounting class in her Commerce program at Queen’s University. Laura Abrioux has been chosen to be one of three executives in the new Medical Science program at Dalhousie University. Thus far our graduates at McGill, Western and Queen’s are all busy with their studies.
While we have had some visits from students at UBC, such as Vanessa Lee at the Sauder School of Business, we hope to meet more of our graduates at an event hosted by our Alumnae and Advancement office.
As in past years, the graduates of the Class of 2014 are studying in a variety of programs; Science (including Kinesiology, Nutrition, Engineering), Business, Humanities, Fine Arts (including Architecture and Industrial Design). Please note that these are just a few mentions; news of our graduates are included in Alumnae eNewsletters (York eRose).
This fall, we continue to have a host of universities visit us. We have recently had visits from several universities in the UK including Cardiff and the University of Bath. Last week, York House was one of the few schools visited by a group of elite UK universities; Newcastle, Durham, York, Warwick, Bristol and Southampton. These universities belong to the Russell group , which consists of 24 research based universities, sometimes referred to as the “Ivy League of the UK”. The representatives of these universities not only presented to our students but provided one on one support and guidance to UK applicants by offering feedback on their personal statements.
UBC has already had their annual presentation. Other US and Canadian university visits will follow (including UCLA, Washington University at St. Louis, McGill, to mention but a few). Next week, York House School is delighted to host Johns Hopkins University for an Explore Hopkins event, which will take place in our very own theatre on October 15, at 7:00pm. Interested parents and students can attend this session (please pre-register here) or our Lunch Hour (1 pm) individual session on October 14 in the Bentley Room.
