News & Case Studies

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Here are the latest articles, selected by the Step One team, providing all you need to know about news in the career guidance world:

Key dates in the university application process

	Higher education - the foundations for applications Step One's Cambridge resources, EuroQuest and InterQuest will now contain foundation platforms for students to start preparing for their higher education applications. Read more ... in Stop Press

How do students with Dyslexia cope with the Japanese language?

After her 12-year-old son spent two years at a specialized school for children with learning disabilities, Lisa Lunday decided he was ready for a more challenging, mainstream environment. The school she chose, however, required all students to study Japanese as part of its academically rigorous curriculum. Ms. Lunday was unsure how her son, who is dyslexic, would cope.
The result surprised her. The boy, now 13, excelled in his Japanese studies. His lettering of Japanese characters was sharp and distinct. That was in stark contrast to his writing in English, which appeared to be the work of a kindergartner. Sometimes his English letters were so poorly composed that they were hard to read, a common problem among dyslexics.

"I looked at his Japanese binder and was amazed at how perfectly formed everything was," says Ms.Lunday, of San Mateo, Calif. "Just comparing two pieces of paper tells the story."

Experiences like that of the Lundays are providing scientists and educators with clues about how people with dyslexia learn and how best to teach them. Researchers have long observed that some dyslexics have an easier time with languages like Japanese and Chinese, in which characters represent complete words or ideas, than they do with languages like English, which use separate letters and sounds to form words.

A 12-year-old dyslexic boy in San Mateo, Calif., has difficulty writing in English, his native language. But in his Japanese studies class he is able to compose characters sharply and distinctly. Scientists say Japanese symbols are more like pictures than letters, which can be easier for many dyslexics to reproduce.
Now, recent brain-imaging studies are identifying possible reasons for the differences, and education experts say such research could point the way to improved teaching techniques.
"There are very real differences in the brain's reading circuit for an alphabet as opposed to a language like Chinese," says Maryanne Wolf, a professor of child development and director of the Center for Reading and Language Research at Tufts University in Medford, Mass. Dyslexics "think visually. They analyze patterns," she says.
Character-based languages are mastered through memorization, a skill that dyslexics tend to rely on more than do typical language learners, says Sally Shaywitz, co-director of the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity in New Haven, Conn. And language characters are more like pictures than letters, which can be easier for many dyslexics to reproduce, she says.

By Linda Himelstein

Read more at: care2.com

More expensive Higher Education in England for International Students

UK Universities are increasing their recruitment of overseas students - not just to boost funds, they say, but to ensure a diverse student body.

Among those looking to increase overseas recruitment are Durham, which aims for a 97% increase in the number of non-EU undergraduates by 2015; increasing their proportion from 9% to 16%; Exeter, which plans a 28% rise in the same timescale - 73% in colleges other than the business school - and Middlesex, which recently won a Queen's Award for Enterprise for outstanding achievement in international trade, after growing its overseas income by £10m over the last three years. It has overseas campuses in Dubai and Mauritius and a new centre opening near Delhi in October.

The average overseas student fee for 2010-11 was £11,435 - more than £2,700 higher than the average home/EU fee expected to be charged from 2012. Plus there is no cap - Oxford, Cambridge and Imperial College, London, all charged more than £18,000 for lab-based subjects last year.

Visa changes

Many institutions must now also cope with changes to the visa system.

These state that from July, foreign students at private colleges will no longer be able to work during their studies, and the right of foreign students at all institutions to work in the UK after graduating will be restricted.

Dominic Scott, chief executive of the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA), says that these changes will make the UK a far less attractive option for overseas study and predicts that many private feeder colleges could go under, with knock-on effects for universities.

Worst hit are likely to be poorer overseas students. While foreign students from wealthier backgrounds tend to go to Russell Group institutions, he says, those who are less well-off often choose private colleges in the UK that charge much lower fees for franchised courses.

UKCISA have lots of useful advice and information for International Students and UK students considering studying abroad

The most recent estimate is that approximately 22,000 UK students are currently studying in other countries

Recent report (Research Paper No8) from the UK Dept for Business Innovation and Skills: Motivations and Experiences of UK Students Studying Abroad RESEA

"…. the Harvard website is pretty cool; I like the look of it. I guess that when I applied it was more like… I’ll give it a go and see what happens. I also applied to Cambridge. Maybe when I started, it was like a back-up in case I didn’t get into Cambridge, but I got accepted into Cambridge…"

Ben, undergraduate at Harvard, USA

International student mobility, especially diploma mobility (students taking their entire degree outside the UK), has received little attention from researchers. This report summarises the findings of research funded by the UK Department for Business, Innovation and Skills aimed at improving understanding of the motivations behind the international diploma mobility of UK students. It also seeks to evaluate the scale and significance of UK international diploma mobility.

The USA remains by far the most dominant destination (51%) for aspiring international students; France and Germany command little interest. Pupils who had applied to the UK’s top ten universities were more likely to also apply to world-class institutions in other countries.

Why have students left the UK to study abroad?

Students offered many motivations for their choice of studying abroad. Top responses included attending a world class university (55%), opportunity for a unique adventure (50%) and taking the first step in an international career (38%). It was also evident that motivations varied between different types of students as well as by destination. Interesting features to emerge from the study were also the identification of a small but significant flow of students who went abroad because they could not access their favoured course in the UK. Other students were concerned about fee levels in the UK Higher Education system. These concerns varied by destination of study.

Given the evidence from the survey, it is hard to argue that international mobility of UK students represents a brain drain of the country’s brightest and best. On the contrary it was the least well qualified in terms of 'A' levels that were most likely to have no plans for returning at some stage to the UK.

Is there not a real danger that in the long run the UK is in danger of missing out on training its brightest young people in world-leading skills that will be essential to the future vitality of the UK economy? If one accepts that globalisation implies a trade in knowledge just as much as an exchange of commodities, capital and labour, then UK international student mobility must be seen as a key part of a healthy engagement in this process

A key feature to emerge from the study is the extent to which international student mobility is shaped by the very pro-active role of some elite Higher Education Institutions in seeking to extend their global reach by recruiting the best students (including UK students) from around he globe.

The survey revealed a distinctive geography to the pattern of international applications. Not surprisingly, the Anglophone world dominated the pattern of preferred destinations, with the United States emerging as the top choice (51% of the total) with Australia coming second (13%).

It should be noted that Ireland attracted more than half of those opting for a European destination.

Destinations for UK national students who were applying, or had considered applying, abroad:

“I just wanted a big change. I’ve always been interested in Australia because my dad lived here for one year when he was my age as well, in between going to University and school, and I’ve always been interested in coming here, I wanted to experience another culture.”

Fiona, undergraduate, University of New South Wales, Australia

The authors of this report suggest that failure to promote a strong two-way exchange of
students, risks isolating the UK from access to critical skills and knowledge. These need to be embodied in UK students studying in foreign universities

To the authors of this report, it seems likely that the emerging global hierarchy of universities will become even more important over the next two decades and therefore that the desire to attend a world class university will become even stronger in the future.

British school expanding facilities in the UAE

ABU DHABI: The British International School will increase capacity by a third to accommodate more than 800 pupils in the next academic year.

Record levels of stress in college freshmen

A recent New York Times article highlights the increased stress factors facing our young people in education. How to help? As one mom put it:

“The opportunity to experience areas of interest prior to entering college as a freshman takes away the fear of the unknown when thinking about important decisions “

Step One has always believed that some understanding of potential future interests (without specialising too soon) alleviates stress and increases motivation and the hunger to learn. Our services we feel, will help the next generations reduce their stress levels and help make the right decisions, whatever the area of academic and vocational interest.

Archaeology and Indiana Jones!

Hear how an American Archaeologist describes her own history. We met Katherine on a dig at a medieval leper colony (yes - we do know how to have fun!) just as an Anglo Saxon skeleton was unearthed. A memorable meeting indeed. She said:

“Although it may sound unprofessional to say that Indiana Jones got me into archaeology, it’s also completely true - and I’m certain I’m not the only archaeologist of my generation to say this! I had always been interested in history, but discovered in high school that the Middle Ages fascinated me the most. When I went to university at the University of Evansville (Indiana), I took a minor in archaeology since the department focussed in classical archaeology, and I majored in history so I could concentrate in the medieval period. By this point I was fully aware that Indiana Jones in no way represented actual archaeology, but the reality of the field was interesting enough to keep me involved.

After my bachelor’s degree, I was uncertain about what sort of career I desired but knew that I enjoyed learning and wished to continue my education. After learning about interdisciplinary departments in medieval studies and the very existence of the field of medieval archaeology, I decided to apply for a taught master’s degree and eventually enrolled in the programme in medieval archaeology at the University of York.

Upon completion of my master’s degree, the thought of doing a doctorate was both appealing and yet daunting, as the intensity of the master’s programme made me wish for a little time off between the degrees. I eventually took a job at the Portland (Oregon) Art Museum, where I worked as an assistant registrar for the permanent collection. My training and skills in terms of artefact handling and record keeping both helped me to gain the position and do the demanding job well.

When it came time to look into my doctorate, I knew that I wanted to maintain the interdisciplinary approach that I had always valued, and also to continue to study the Middle Ages. I found the University of Winchester, and was impressed with the hands-on nature of the supervisors and the faculty’s willingness to supervise an interdisciplinary research project. Although my research topic is in gender visibility in England ca. 900-1200, I’ve also had the opportunity to be involved with the Magdalene Hill Archaeological Research Project, which is the excavation of a medieval leper hospital in Winchester co-directed by Dr Phil Marter and Dr Simon Roffey, my dissertation supervisor. Even though I have actually done little fieldwork as an archaeologist, as my work is generally theoretical and desk-based in nature, I have been able to excavate at the site as well as begin to research via the site another aspect of my archaeological interests, which is the public interpretation and perception of archaeological sites. At this stage of my PhD candidacy, with one year complete, I'm excited about my research project and the direction it's taking, as well as the opportunities that joining a University as a doctoral candidate have afforded me. After its completion, I hope to gain a position in higher education in order to continue to research but also to teach and pass on my enthusiasm for archaeology to others.”

Top Formula 1 car designer struggled with Math

The world's most successful Formula 1 car designer (Adrian Newey) knew from the age of 6 that he wanted to be a motor racing engineer but he nearly quit in the first year of his aeronautical engineering course owing to his problems with Math. Luckily his tutor persuaded him to stay and he progressed. What does he enjoy most about his work (currently with Red Bull Racing)?

“The immediacy of the field ...what we are working on now, we will see realised in months or hours, whether that is good or bad, for all the world to see and trying to marry fresh, creative ideas that will stand the test of physics. “

And tips for new graduates?

“If you are not fortunate enough to get your dream job, then accept a position that is close and will put you in the job market and keep striving towards your goal.”

Welcome to our new Step One colleagues:

Owing to Step One's continued growth, we are delighted to welcome:

Parents - the economic realities of life.

Step One continues to grow and become even more popular with students and particularly parents. It is with parents that the main demand for Step one's work comes from. Parents are increasingly aware of the importance for their children to make the correct decisions when thinking about courses and especially universities.

Parents are very much aware of the intense competition for good higher education places and beyond that, good career openings with professions across the world.

It is not an exaggeration to say that many parents make enormous commitments to encourage their children to participate in Step One's services and indeed to be present at their child's interview. One father detoured from his appointments between the World Bank and IMF to attend his son's interview.

A quote that is now often heard runs along the following lines "I'm not going to pay good money for my child's higher education unless he/she has got some focus and goals to aspire to".

The harsh economic realities of the world are significantly reinforcing the essential value of impartial, independent and above all, expert guidance.

Higher education - the foundations for applications

Step One's Cambridge resources, EuroQuest and InterQuest will now contain foundation platforms for students to start preparing for their higher education applications.

Meeting requests especially from parents and also students and schools, Step One has worked with its Cambridge Analyst publishers of Euro/InterQuest to enhance the value of these resources to start preparing students for their higher education. The resources will start to point students in the direction of post school studies, laying the foundations for their applications.

Students completing Euro/InterQuest will subsequently have the opportunity in grade 10/year 11 to complete another exercise, as part of Euro/InterQuest, giving detailed information of all personally appropriate and relevant higher education courses provided in English, throughout Europe.

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