A Counsellor’s Perspective: Behind The University Careers Counselling Approach

Contributed by: Eric Laug, Co-Head of University Careers Counselling

Grounded in a best-fit philosophy, the approach to University and Careers Counselling (UCC) at Dulwich College (Singapore) begins long before any application is submitted.

It starts with students understanding themselves: their academic strengths, personal values, and what they genuinely want after graduating. From there, meaningful applications and plans follow.

Central to the approach is the Student Journey Plan in Year 12. Rather than having students fill out a prescriptive checklist, they lead their own research based on the criteria that matter most to them, from course content to location, campus culture, sporting and creative opportunities, and career pathways. From there, students then create a considered and individualised shortlist. The outcome we are working towards is not the most recognisable offer, but the most appropriate one.

We then support each of these individual processes through broader initiatives, such as lunchtime sessions with Year 12 and 13 students throughout the year so they can ask any questions related to their university applications. For those navigating more complex processes and destinations, such as the UK and US, the UCC team provides targeted and detailed support about the testing requirements and institutional expectations, such as essay development guidance, interview preparation, and personal statements.

Taster lectures by various university representatives, guest professors and academics allow our students to find out about academic life and what studying in these countries involves, so they get a genuine sense of what university study looks and feels like before making their decisions.

The Class of 2026 university offers outcomes reflects the strength of that preparation.

Across 167 graduating students (including graduated DCSG Alumni in NS), 594 offers were received worldwide, with an average of 3.6 per student and a 100% offer rate.

Students were offered places at top institutions globally from the University of Oxford across Chemistry, Biology, Law and Computer Science, to Imperial College London across Engineering, Physics, Medicine and Computing, US Ivy League institutions including Columbia and Dartmouth, and around the world: University of Michigan, Ringling College of Art and Design, University of Melbourne, National University of Singapore and McGill University.

Psychology placing second in our subject offer rankings, just behind Mechanical Engineering, is a further reminder that the IB diploma produces analytically rigorous, intellectually versatile students.