Chronicle

2012-20132013CARREERS COUNSELLING –MISS ELLI KYROUHaving been a PASCAL student myself, starting with four years of study in Ελληνική Σχολή Πασκάλ andthen transferring to PASCAL English School in order to continue as an IB DiplomaProgramme student, I have first-hand experience of both systems. ΕΣΠ is an excellentroute for students thinking of studying at the Cyprus state university and Greek stateuniversities because they have the opportunity to prepare for the Pancyprian examinationswhile also having the chance to go to the UK or another European universityonce they graduate. Since I wanted to keep my options open, I started myhighschool education in ΕΣΠ. When I finally decided to study in the UK I moved toPES and enrolled in the IB Diploma Programme where I studied a variety of subjects,thus having many options for my higher education. I graduated in 2011 from the Universityof Surrey with a BSc in Psychology with an incorporated placement year inwhich I worked as a Special School Assistant at St Dominic’s School in Witley, Surrey.I am currently doing my Masters in Clinical Psychology at the University of Nicosiawhile at the same time undertaking a psychotherapy course on Systemic Family Therapy. The IB DiplomaProgramme has taught me to become more organised, more reliable, independent and proficientat meeting deadlines, giving presentations and conducting my own research during my university studies.It gave me the opportunity to develop critical thinking skills which were crucial for my essay writing andvery helpful in my everyday life.I feel very happy to be working at the same school I used to be a student at. Many of my ex-teachers arenow my colleagues, making the school environment friendlier since we have excellent communicationbetween us. I received pre-service training last summer and in-service training once I started working asthe school’s Careers Counsellor. I love counselling and working with pupils and I acknowledge howimportant it is for them to have someone who can understand their worries and concerns for the future.Career counselling is a serious matter as it is important that the right choices are made to satisfy andmatch each student’s needs, aspirations and abilities. It is for this reason that I spend time on each casereaching out to students and helping them find the right path. Certainly, such important matters cannotbe decided on one-to-one basis. The school has a team approach to career counselling, university choicesand handling university applications. It involves subject teachers, Heads of Department, Heads of Schooland the Director. It is of paramount importance for our students to do the university application throughthe school as the aim is the same for everyone: to ensure the best possible university placement for eachstudent. All our students and graduates are guided through the UCAS application process, including howto write their personal statement. The formal application process starts in Year 5 where a preliminarychoices questionnaire is given to our students as a starting point. Then, a series of individualappointments take place and colleagues are consulted until the final decisions regarding courses anduniversities are made. University applicants need to bear in mind that the closing deadline for the finalsubmission of the UCAS application is 15th of January for the year in which they begin their universitystudies. Boys doing their national compulsory military service may submit their application with a oneyear deferred entry. The closing application deadline for Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Medicine is15th of October. University applications for Art and Design courses may be submitted in March. Studentswho wish to study in the Netherlands and Hungary need to submit their application by the beginning ofFebruary of the year they expect to start their university studies.It is also part of my work to organize various events such as the ones given below:Student for a dayAs the school has an established framework of cooperation with the University of Nicosia, this March wehave organised the “Student for a day” event for all Year 5 and 6 students. During this day, students aremeant to observe a class of their choice and familiarize themselves with university life and lecturing inorder to get an idea of how things will be in their future studies.ARISTON TestIf the students are unsure or confused about which career to pursue, I would recommend that they dothe ARISTON test. This psychometric test, first introduced by Dr. Yiannakoudakis in Greece, explores thestudent’s personality, aptitudes, abilities, skills and interests. Having been trained myself on how to administerand read the test and the results, I believe that it can help a person to make a decision on theirfuture studies. ARISTON database includes 2000 career options. It is aimed at high school students oremployees who want to know the line of work that suits them. The visits were scheduled for the 13 th andthe 15 th of March at the University of Nicosia.13