Guiding Expat & International Students to U.S. College Admissions Success
Theodore J. Coburn - College Counseling Advisor
Charting a path to a college or university is one of the most important challenges faced by pre-
collegiate students and their families. I assist a select group of students each year with their
applications to U.S. colleges and universities. These students hail from English-medium
international schools located outside the United States. Our work together begins in the
students’ junior or senior years and supplements the efforts of their college counselors at their
schools. I serve students from the United States and many other countries in addition to “host”
country students - those students from the country in which the international school is based.
With ten years serving as head of school for international schools outside the United States and
thirty years working in various educational settings and organizations, I have significant experience with college counseling. All students I served were successful in attaining enrollment at U.S. colleges and universities.
The biggest challenge for the college counseling departments at non-US based international schools is
in serving students and families from a wide range of countries with differing objectives for their
application goals. In one school I served, there were 70 countries represented in the student body.
For expatriate and international students primarily focused on destination colleges and universities in
the US, many heads of schools would routinely recommend that parents engage an outside advisor to
support the student’s application efforts. The often-shared belief was that coaching, particularly for
essays, was essential for students seeking to apply to highly competitive schools and for scholarships.
My Work with Students and Parents includes:
- Establishing the student’s educational objectives and extracurricular interests.
- Investigating potential concentrations and major fields of study.
- Developing a broad and varied list of target universities and colleges that reflect the student’s strengths and interests.
- Preparing the student for interviews and visitations through mock interviews, speaking exercises, and addressing challenging and potentially sensitive topics.
- Examining the pursuit of a potential gap year and how it may be used.
- Providing guidance for the college application essays including selection and refinement of the essay topics, structure, and critique. Helping the student find their “voice” in the writing.
- Examining process and portfolio materials for application to programs in visual and performing arts, music, film studies, and architecture.
- Addressing a student’s interests in pursuing an intercollegiate sport, establishing a list of potential colleges and universities at which the student may be qualified to participate.
- Working with the student’s college counselor in exploring financial aid opportunities.
Let's Connect
I look forward to answering your questions.
If you would like to explore working with me, and, perhaps, on an essay together as part of your decision-making process, please fill out the section below.
