Nowadays, many parents are eager to find the best schools for their children, and visiting schools has become an essential way to understand them. However, some school visits turn out to be unproductive, wasting time and energy. Today, let’s explore how to make school visits more effective and help parents avoid unnecessary detours.
I. Common Scenarios of Ineffective School Visits
1. Schools with No Available Slots
Some popular international or public schools, due to limited resources, often run out of available slots before the admission season even starts. Although these schools may have hundreds of students on their waiting lists, very few actually get admitted. Despite this, many parents still choose to visit these schools.
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2. Visiting Too Early
Some parents plan to send their children abroad after primary school but visit schools when their children are still in third grade. This kind of early visit is not very meaningful.
Since children are still very young, their learning abilities, interests, and adaptability are still developing and changing. It’s hard to determine which school will be suitable for them at such a young age.
Moreover, the admission policies and requirements of schools may change over the next few years. Visiting too early may lead to inaccurate understanding of the school’s information.
3. Ignoring Admission Thresholds
Some schools have high admission thresholds, such as requiring students to take written tests (like CAT-4, MAP tests) and then having interviews with both students and parents.
If parents don’t understand these requirements in advance or don’t prepare their children accordingly, they may find out during the visit that their children don’t meet the school’s admission standards. This can waste a lot of time and money.
II. Tips for Effective School Visits
1. Preparation in Advance
a. Understand School Information
Before visiting a school, parents should learn about the school’s slot availability, admission requirements, curriculum, faculty, and facilities through the school’s official website, admission brochures, and social media.
Especially for schools with limited slots, it’s important to keep an eye on their admission updates to avoid unnecessary trips.
b. Prepare Your Child
If the school requires tests or interviews, parents should prepare their children in advance.
For example, for schools with high English requirements, parents can help their children improve their English and get familiar with the question types and difficulty levels of tests like CAT-4 and MAP. At the same time, parents should also help their children develop interview skills, such as self-introduction and answering questions.
c. Clarify Your Visit Goals
Parents should know what they want to achieve from the visit. Is it to understand the school’s overall situation or to focus on a particular program or course? With clear goals, parents can ask targeted questions and make meaningful observations during the visit.
2. Choose the Right Time to Visit
a. Based on Your Child’s Age and Education Plan
If your child is very young, you can first pay attention to schools with rich educational resources that are suitable for young children. You can also attend some educational lectures and activities to understand different schools’ educational philosophies.
When your child is close to school age, you can then choose suitable schools for a focused visit based on the actual situation.
For families planning to send their children abroad, you can arrange the visit time according to your child’s learning progress and ability development.
For example, if your child has a good English foundation and learning ability in the primary school stage, you can start paying attention to some international schools in the higher grades of primary school to understand their curriculum and admission requirements.
b. Pay Attention to the School’s Admission Season
Most schools have specific periods (such as fall or spring) when they open for admissions. Parents should learn about the school’s admission season and try to visit during this time.
This way, you can directly understand the school’s admission policies and requirements and also exchange experiences with other parents and students who are interested in the school.
3. Participate in Open Days or School Visit Groups
a. Advantages of Open Days
School Open Days usually arrange a series of activities, including campus tours, course experiences, and admission lectures. Parents and students can get a comprehensive understanding of the school and feel its educational atmosphere and culture.
At the same time, Open Days also arrange face-to-face exchanges between school leaders and parents and students. Parents can take this opportunity to ask questions directly and get the most accurate information.
b. Advantages of School Visit Groups
Some educational institutions or agencies organize school visit groups to lead parents and students to visit schools. These visit groups usually have professional guides who can provide personalized suggestions and interpretations based on parents’ needs and children’s characteristics.
In addition, visit groups can also arrange exchanges with current students, allowing parents and students to get a more intuitive understanding of the school’s actual situation.
III. Summary
To avoid ineffective school visits, parents need to prepare in advance and understand the school’s slot availability and admission requirements. This not only saves time and effort but also helps you choose a truly suitable international school for your child.
If you also plan to visit schools, feel free to contact us for more information!
