ILS held a motivational meeting for older students, led by Aleksandr Prosekin, the director of a corporate training and management consulting company.

Aleksandr lived for many years in New York, where he provided consulting services to high school students preparing to apply to colleges and universities. At ILS, Aleksandr shared his knowledge of the application process at institutions overseas, indicating which elements of the process require students’ particular attention.

Aleksandr explains: “Many people wrongly believe that to study overseas, you need to be exceptionally rich or exceptionally brilliant. In fact, such people make up only about 5% of the total. What you really need is a carefully considered plan of action that will take you to your goal.”

Aleksandr recommended that students begin the process by identifying and eliminating the things that do not interest them, which should make it easier to be clear about their preferences. He also urged students to devote sufficient attention to their extracurricular activities, and these carry great weight in the eyes of college and university admissions officers. And of course English language, quite often a prerequisite for overseas study.

“Our school offers students the IB Program, which gives them a significant advantage when applying to overseas institutions,” notes ILS Principal Olga Shevchenko. “Our graduates study at leading universities in Russia and around the world, thanks in no small measure to the knowledge of foreign languages they gain at ILS.”