Supporting students to study in the US

The GDST launches Explore American Universities Programme, in partnership with GenHERation®.

Summer for the Class of 2021 will look different to the way it might otherwise have done in the light of another academic year influenced by Covid. At the GDST, we reframe, adapt and embrace change: in the absence of a GCSE exam period, we are proud to present our transition to sixth form programme, which seeks to make the most of a different kind of summer term for our Year 11 students. We are using this time to encourage our girls to learn, enjoy, develop, broaden horizons and anticipate the excitement that the sixth form journey has in store.

The decision to study at an American university has long been perceived as a choice only for those with family connections to the US, or the means of paying international tuition fees.

At the GDST, we are forward-thinking and seek to put our girls first, providing the best opportunities for learning and exploration so that they can make informed decisions and be future-ready.

With this in mind, we are delighted to launch our Explore American Universities Programme, hosted online by GenHERation®, a US-based network that connects young women with education and careers opportunities across a wide range of professional areas.

From Monday 21st – Wednesday 23rd June, GDST Year 11 students will have the chance to access a three-day immersive virtual workshop to meet US industry experts and university students. The workshops will not only include an overview of the collegiate landscape in the United States’ college system, and the logistics of the application process, but will also allow students to develop the requisite skills to make a competitive application if they decide they would like to look into state-side study.

Although the choice of degree course and place of study is at the forefront of our sixth formers’ minds as they begin to think about higher education, they also need to address the practicalities: Where will they live? What else is there to do? Not to mention: what will it cost? A session to connect with current university students and recent graduates originally from the UK who chose to pursue higher education in the US is also included in the workshops. The programme will also feature a session about how international students can identify financial aid and scholarship opportunities.

“We are excited to partner with Girls’ Day School Trust to democratise the American university admissions process and highlight the variety of academic paths young women can pursue in the United States,” says Katlyn Grasso, CEO and Founder of GenHERation®. “Our mission is to close the gender leadership gap and this begins with creating opportunities for young women to envision a future with unlimited possibilities.”