There is a hidden gem of interesting and helpful information about students, their futures and how Pearson College UWC works to support their ambitions and dreams that are discreetly posted on our website’s Publications page.
The profile is a compact three-page online publication packed with facts and content primarily intended to help post-secondary educational institution recruitment and admissions staff worldwide better understand the exceptional and challenging nature of a UWC education (and global citizenship-building) experience.
But the Pearson School Profile publication deserves to be read by more people, especially prospective students, their parents, school guidance counsellors, as well as friends and supporters of Pearson, because it lays out, without marketing hype or embellishment, many of the reasons why a young changemaker should consider pursuing a Pearson education.
This capsule profile can be invaluable in providing guidance and informed decision-making about why Pearson (and the UWC movement) may be the right place for a globally-minded, sustainability-minded and ambitious changemaker who seeks a unique residential educational and experiential program.
For example, the profile highlights the school’s unparalleled student diversity – about 91 countries are represented – that can quickly broaden a young person’s perspective. The average 1:9 faculty/student ratio reinforces an accessible and supportive academic approach and leadership. (All figures as of September 2023.)
Year-over-year excellence in International Baccalaureate Diploma Program scores (consistently higher than global averages) and a review of 2023 reported acceptances to post-secondaries around the world that far exceeds the number of graduates gives prospective students and their families a strong sense of the College’s excellence in providing a widely respected academic and experiential experience.
Underscoring these facts and figures are brief summaries of both the long-standing IBDP curriculum stream and the new and innovative Climate Action Leadership Diploma (CALD – an International Baccalaureate Career-related) program. Supporting both a widely recognized program and adding a new curriculum option that speaks to our mission of sustainability on a global scale not only offers students choice but also demonstrates an organizational commitment to always innovate to meet the needs of those future students.
Many secondary schools like Pearson create a School Profile. It is, de facto, a mandatory publication to ensure that universities and other post-secondaries near and far are familiar with the secondary school, their educational philosophy and practice and, most importantly, the students who are competing for places, as well as scholarships and the support they may need, to continue their educational journey.
“I joined the team at Pearson this summer bringing fourteen years of university recruitment and admissions experience,” said University Counsellor Stephanie Parker. “From the university perspective, a school profile allows an admissions office to evaluate a student’s accomplishments within the academic and social context of the opportunities available at the school. The profile highlights an overall context of the school, including the grading system, school-specific graduation requirements, and the rigour of the curriculum.”
Complementing this, throughout the academic year, university counsellors Parker and Becky Halvorson work with Pearson Academic Services and Student Records, and ultimately with all faculty members, advisors and other adults on campus to support graduating students in understanding their post-secondary options.
They also coordinate and host numerous student information sessions on campus led by recruiters and admissions personnel from universities and colleges and advise on the intricacies of standardized testing, admission requirements, scholarships, financial assistance and the student visa situation in different countries.
Halvorson added, “Overall, our students are highly sought after. Pearson (and all UWC) students are in demand because universities recognize the high calibre of students attracted to the challenge of undertaking the full UWC experiential, service and academic curricula.”
The facts and successes outlined in the Pearson School Profile suggest that this document can also help support students who are building a personal case to attend Canada’s only United World College!