The best fit - personalised guidance for individual student pathways 

Guiding students on the right pathways at this pivotal stage of their lives, according to their strengths, interests and aspirations, is of paramount importance. "Many students feel overwhelmed by academics, social media, societal pressures, and uncertainty about the future. Helping them navigate through all of this and find clarity is meaningful. It makes the job so incredibly rewarding when students have their lightbulb moment, identify their path or are later accepted to their dream university," explains Jane Costley, Head of University & Career Counselling.

 

The Scot focuses primarily on European applications, specialising in Germany, Austria and Switzerland as well as the Russell Group universities in the UK (e.g. Oxford, Cambridge, King's College, Imperial College). Her colleague Ms Conway provides guidance on the Netherlands, UK, Spain and hospitality programmes in Europe, while Mr Kan's speciality is North American and Asian universities. “As part of our individualised support for each student, we strive to identify the best fit option for each student. What matters is not which university is No. 1 in a ranking but rather which university is the No. 1  option for a particular student,” Mr Kan explains.

Comprehensive and passionate service

The advice of the team ranges from helping students to identify suitable post-graduation pathways to revising application essays to managing the collection of necessary documents to complete the applications. Ms Conway and Mr Kan are both English Language teachers, in addition to their role as university counsellors. Ms Conway explains that, "Our expertise with writing and revision is extremely valuable to students, during the application process."

 

In addition to hundreds of conversations, there are special offers such as the BIS Careers Day, Interview Day, university visits and fairs, workshops (e.g. special skills for writing an application, CV & Career guidance sessions, external speakers visiting from companies such as LinkedIn) and much more. The team also helps with internships and guidance on how to make the most of a gap year.

 

Access to German universities

Jane Costley is used to answering a recurring question by now, especially for German families. Can my child study at a German university with the International Baccalaureate Diploma (IBDP)? “We do have many students each year apply to German state universities and be accepted into various programmes. The process is slightly more complicated as you have to get the IBDP recognised as the equivalent of the Abitur and this involves picking a particular combination of subjects in the IB DP at the beginning of Grade 11,” says Ms Costley, who at the same time emphasises that the International Baccalaureate programme prepares students much better overall for university. “Every year we have students who go to the Technical University of Munich (TUM) or the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU), only to name a few.”

 

The journey starts in Grade 10 with a focus on understanding one's own interests and strengths. Grade 11 then concentrates on exploration and experience (e.g. internships, in-depth examination of options), before the actual application takes centre stage in Grade 12. The university counselling team has a unified approach: to simplify the process, reduce stress and help each student present the strongest possible application. Each counsellor emphasises student agency, in order to empower students to take ownership of their future paths.

 

Enhancing the programme

Jane Costley, who gained valuable experience at Phorms, a private business school in Munich and in the fundraising team at BIS during her career, is also responsible for the further development of the alumni programme at the Bavarian International School (“BIS Connect”) and would like to enhance her department, e.g. with a robust career and internship programme.

 

An opportunity to connect: If you work in business, science, administration, media, etc. in the Munich region and have vacancies for interns or working students or would like to speak at the famous BIS Careers Day, please contact Jane Costley directly: j.costley@bis-school.com.