Support, scholarship and success at Alcanta International College

19 Dec 2019

leaders — Source: Alcanta International College

As more and more jobs become automated with the rise of artificial intelligence and robotic process automation (RPA), the role humans play in the working world will require us to think creatively and innovatively as well as to adopt an analytical mindset.

For our children to be prepared for this kind of world, a world unknown to us, schools play a vital role.

Twenty-first century education means preparing students for a world unknown to us; a world in which our children will live, surrounding by artificially intelligent machines which may do most jobs humans do today.

To outlast and to outperform machines schools of tomorrow focus on soft skills; they prepare students to become problems solvers by focusing on critical and creative thinkers, communication, and students who know how to access knowledge relevant to problems being solved as opposed to being answered.

One such school is Alcanta International College, a coeducational boarding school, located in Nansha District of Guangzhou, China. The school characterises itself as a school for the future, preparing students not only for success in university but also life beyond.

Source: Alcanta International College

Developing students to become leaders

As an IB World school, AIC has been serving its community since 2011 with a focus on preparing student leaders who will make the world a better place.

The school offers academic and leadership scholarships to bring, under one roof, students from all corners of the world to create a mini multicultural community that provide students with opportunities to hone their communication, teamwork and leadership skills.

Bob Darwish, AIC’s Director General, said, “The focus of education at AIC has always been on growth, be it personally, socially or intellectually. This is deeply rooted in our belief that every student is unique and that they deserve education which prepares them to become the best possible person they could in all aspects of their life.”

The school’s goal of ‘ok is not good enough’ is based on the ideal that the school inspires its community to do their best, and the belief that sky is the limit.

Former student Abdellah Lahnaoui credits his success today to this.

Abdellah, who is currently studying at Sichuan University on a full scholarship said, “Studying the IB in AIC was not only some of the best education I have received, it has also helped me a lot in my university studies.

Source: Alcanta International College

“My current studies in Sichuan University are made a bit easier because of the rigorous curriculum we had in AIC. A lot of the knowledge carried through, as well as learning how to properly manage my time and be more involved with extracurricular activities.”

A cosmopolitan campus that facilitates a dynamic education

The school fosters a close-knit community with an anticipated enrollment of 320 next year. They’ll learn in small class sizes of no more than 20, allowing for more interaction with teachers and peers to hone communication and interpersonal skills.

Learning here goes beyond just academics as students receive plenty of personal development opportunities, exploring new interests in state-of-the-art facilities.

These include a well-equipped library, sports field, multi-purpose room, science lab, collaborative classrooms. There are also dorm common rooms for students to mingle and socialise in during leisure hours.

The international and diverse community at the school also enables students to develop cultural competence, as they are exposed to those from a variety of different backgrounds from an early age.

As the school also has boarding facilities, students become more independent as they develop personal responsibility, which allows them to transition easily into adulthood.

Source: Alcanta International College

Justin Wang, Class of 2016, recalls: “I really miss the close friendships, the sense of community, the warm smiles of teachers, the chats in dorms, the busy happy art studio, the giggling in assemblies, the hard work when editing news articles, the lengthy student council meetings, and more.”

“A successful life is one lived to its purpose. But to find your purpose you have to explore your talents, to know your potential. AIC provides this through its balanced IB curriculum, and motivating teachers,” declared Marthens Hakizimana, KAIST University, full scholarship.

Guiding students towards future success in university and beyond

Along with offering a well-rounded education, students also receive personalised university counseling to ensure they get into a program best fit for them.

Peter, an engineer and ex-AIC student, who graduated from Kettering last summer, pointed out that he “was able to earn the credits for Physics without taking the courses at the university because Physics was one of my subjects at IBDP, which means I am ahead of other freshman students.”

Another feature of education at AIC are scholarships for international students in excess of RMB5,000000 a year. Scholarships are provided to students who are academically strong and/or possess excellent leadership opportunities.

Source: Alcanta International College

The school community represents 15 to 20 different countries, and this multicultural aspect of the community helps set the stage for students to become more open-minded, culturally sensitive, global citizens who would help make the world a better place.

A number of AIC students graduate from the school and enter top universities with scholarships of up to 100 percent as well. Landing scholarships for students at top universities is a challenging task, but the most rewarding for AIC faculty and staff.

Dear Hengsadeekul, who gained acceptance to The Hague University of Applied Sciences, Den Haag, The Netherlands on a Erasmus Scholarship, said, “I have gained not only the theoretical and technical knowledge from AIC, but also soft skills and social skills, which I would never be able to find from studying somewhere else.”

“The IB curriculum’s subjects like Extended Essay and Theory of Knowledge, as well as extracurricular activities like Model United Nations and Student Council and others have opened up a new world to me, preparing me strongly for university life.”

Source: Alcanta International College

Sudarshan Sigdel, a graduate of Minerva KGI, reiterated: “My two years at AIC made me realize that learning should not be thought of as a libera process but more of an exponential one. Whether being part of a student council to smoothly run Sports Day or running a CAS activity, there was always something new to learning. Most certainly, embracing the values of IB Learner Profile helped me become a better version of myself in both academic and professional setting.”

Jasmine Xie, who is attending University of Cambridge pointed out: “AIC has an extremely inclusive and friendly environment. The teachers are passionate about their subjects and are always willing to hear what you think.”

Such student success is what drives AIC to continue doing what it does best, ie. providing a world-class education that produces students ready to face any and all challenges that may come their way.

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