Nan-Yoong Rin shares his experience with us on how BESSA has helped him and his son, Josh, gain a better understanding about British boarding.
“BESSA was like a well organised supermarket of fine foods” says Rin. With no prior knowledge of British boarding, BESSA allowed Rin and his son, Josh, to grasp what a UK education can offer. The event ticked many of their boxes and alleviated the fears and apprehension of sending Josh off to be schooled thousands of miles away from home in Singapore.
At BESSA, each exhibiting school has the opportunity to present their merits and culture to attendees in a face-to-face setting. This allows prospective families to gather in-depth knowledge from school admissions directors, helping them to then assess each one individually and find the best fit for their child. Some schools had current students on hand as well to share their honest and personal experiences about boarding. The speaker programme was particularly helpful for Rin as it gave him a deeper insight on how British boarding can benefit his son. One of the talks was about the importance of the co-curricular in boarding schools.
When asked about important factors that led to their choice of school, Rin explained that his decision was based largely on the schools’ academic achievements and legacy. Other factors such as class size and the ratio of full boarding to day students were also taken into consideration by him and Josh. Having the BESSA event booklet as a reference guide and the wide range of school pamphlets helped paint a broad spectrum. However, Rin feels strongly that the final choice had to be made by Josh: “A child’s participation in this decision process is very important and BESSA allowed the interaction between my son, the schools and its pupils. BESSA played an active role in deciding and charting his future.”
Josh has since started his journey in British boarding. Within a couple of months, he had settled well into his new school and already made several good friends for life.
Find out which British boarding school is best suited for your child at BESSA Malaysia and Singapore on 25th and 27th October 2018. Be Informed.