Shrewsbury Bangkok Riverside Higher Education Counsellors Tour Top U.K. Universities, Form New Connections

Dominic Mochan, Director of Higher Education, and Allan Birimac, Associate Director of Higher Education recently visited the United Kingdom to tour universities and schools, making connections, forming relationships and discovering new destinations along the way. Throughout the two-week journey, they learned much about the everchanging realm of higher education and how Shrewsbury Riverside can adapt to these trends and changes to best support students on their post-secondary school journeys.

Dominic and Allan began their journey in Buckingham, where they toured Stowe School and met with Deputy Head of Pastoral, Michael Rickner. There, they discussed a wide range of topics, including iSAMS, transcripts and A Levels. 

The next stop on the U.K. tour was the University of Cambridge, where the pair attended a Fellow’s Dinner and discussed higher education topics with members of St John’s College. They connected with professors, tutors, undergraduate students and Fellows, strengthening preexisting relationships and forming new ones within the Cambridge community. Topics of discussion included the latest news regarding preferential overseas applications and the admissions process, as well as updates on the changing relationship between funding and overseas admissions numbers. 

While at Cambridge, Dominic and Allan met with Lynn Willmoth, the school’s Admissions Coordinator at Robinson College. Allan had the opportunity to meet with a former Cambridge advisee who is now studying Veterinary Science at Pembroke College, where he was able to learn more about the importance of academic writing at Cambridge, even for those students studying STEM subjects. 

From Cambridge, Dominic and Allan headed to the University of Birmingham, where they met with Christina Baghdady, Student Recruitment Marketing Officer at the College of Social Sciences, and Mark Pell, Student Recruitment Manager for the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences. They also had the opportunity to connect with Linda King, Head of Admissions, and Nick Hull, Director of Admissions. Afterwards, they toured the campus with a student ambassador, who provided valuable insight into student life at the university. 

Shortly after their Birmingham visit, they headed to Shrewsbury to meet with Chris Conway, a former HE staff member at Shrewsbury Riverside, as well as having an excellent tour of the school from two members of the Sixth Form. They also met with Toby Percival, Head of University Applications at Shrewsbury School, and Paul Pattenden, Head of Elite University Application. 

After their stay in Shrewsbury they headed to Manchester, where they attended an Alumni Dinner with former Shrewsbury Bangkok, Riverside students, Fluke, Jiajia, Saxon, Louis and Troy. While in Manchester, Dominic and Allan met with Tom Williams, Admissions officer at the University of Manchester. Later, Allan met with Florencia Franceschina, Lead Tutor and member of the International Admissions Office at Manchester Metropolitan University, while Dominic met with Ashleigh Rice, Head of Student Recruitment at Royal Northern College of Music. The two also had the opportunity to meet with two more Shrewsbury Riverside alumni, Tan (class of 2023) and Pam (class of 2022). 

The next stop on the tour was Leeds University, where they toured the campus and met with International Officers, Katie MacKissack and Fran Newton. After Leeds, the pair left for the University of Sheffield, Dominic’s alma mater. They met with Katy Woodford, Senior International Recruitment Manager and Robert Marchand, Director of Undergraduate Education at the Management School, before having a tour of the facilities— including the astonishing new state-of-the-art STEM centre. The next stop was the University of Newcastle, where they met with Lauren Marriott, International Recruitment Manager, Remy Bullimore, Recruitment Manager for the Business School, and Matt Larkin, Recruitment Manager for the School of Medicine. The pair also had dinner with Amelie, Riverside's class of 2023 alumni.

From Newcastle, Dominic and Allan headed to Durham University, where they met with Charlie Pybus, Director International, and Jasmine Bual, Regional Manager of South East Asia, before having a tour of the campus and colleges. Next, the pair ventured to the University of York, where they met with Vicki Wilson, Customer Service Manager. They toured the scenic campus, led by three international students, Catherine, Noor and Umar, who answered questions about why York is a good destination for international students. 

The penultimate stop on the tour was Loughborough University, where Dominic and Allan met with Lewis Ratcliff, International Officer for Central and South East Asia. The two then toured the campus, getting a closer look at the STEM faculties and high-class sports facilities. 

The final stop on Allan and Dominic’s U.K. tour was Oxford, where they first met for dinner with Riverside alumni Petra (class of 2021), Jane (class of 2018), Tay (class of 2020), Amy (class of 2022) and Poon (class of 2016). They finished off the trip by meeting with Peter Macdonald, Head of Higher Education at Magdalen College School, where they discussed higher education support strategies.

The university tour was extremely successful, with the conversations focusing on topics such as the changes to the UCAS references, proposed changes to personal statements, the importance of the EPQ and IA DofE in applications, changes to IELTS and how information systems may be used to streamline the application process. Dominic and Allan returned to Bangkok well-equipped with up-to-date knowledge, new connections and an advanced understanding of the current state of the realm of higher education, leaving them well-versed on how to best assist the students of Shrewsbury Bangkok, Riverside when they leave.