With many university application deadlines rolling through this month, TALK explores how senior students can deal with the challenges that arise in their last year of high school.

It’s the last hurdle before crossing the graduation line. Obtaining high scores on college entrance exams, putting together applications and waiting for acceptance letters are all part of the stress that many senior high school students experience.

One of the first challenges for Shanghai students, is how to pinpoint the right post-secondary school.

“For students in Shanghai with an international background, they’ve often lived in different countries and been exposed to different styles of living, so they have a broader perspective of where they want to go,” says Greg Mason, a college counsellor at Shanghai Community International School. “Narrowing that down can be quite difficult.”

Jina Hong, a year 13 student at Shanghai Rego International School, is experiencing this challenge.

Originally from South Korea, Hong has so far applied for economics programs at the London School of Economics and University College London. But now, she’s starting to have a change of heart, and has begun looking closer to home.

“I lived in London when I was really young, and I also went there for a summer two years ago. I really liked the city and since then, I thought this is where I’d like to go for university,” says 17 year old Hong.

“But I’ve always lived with my family, so I’m scared about not being near them and my friends. I’m trying to look for a university in Asia now.”