A delegation from Admissions and the English Language Institute discuss opportunities at the University of Delaware with representatives of Chinese high schools.

China partnerships

UD Admissions, ELI representatives develop partnerships in China

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8:29 a.m., Dec. 18, 2014--The University of Delaware Office of Admissions and English Language Institute (ELI) recently sent a delegation to China to participate in an event designed to create partnerships between UD and high-achieving Chinese high schools that are preparing their students to pursue degrees in the United States.

The trip was judged a “huge success” and should lead to a steady stream of top-quality Chinese students attending the University of Delaware beginning in fall 2015, said Scott Stevens, director of ELI.

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In addition to Stevens, the UD delegation included Jose Aviles, director of admissions; Doug Zander, deputy director of admissions; Karen Asenavage, associate director of ELI; Michael Alexo, coordinator of the ELI Conditional Admissions Program (CAP); Tyler Cuddeback, admissions counselor; and Emily Liu, ELI financial analyst and an alumna of CAP and UD’s dual master’s degree program in business administration and civil engineering.

The UD representatives visited Beijing and hosted a special reception for administrators of top high schools, as well as representatives of their international departments.

Aviles provided an overview of UD and Stevens discussed ELI, with Zander going over UD admissions requirements and Asenavage offering information on academic preparation programs.

That was followed by the presentation of certificates of partnership as a symbol of UD’s commitment to maintain strong relationships and support the Chinese schools in their efforts to prepare students for the University’s admissions process.

Turnout for the event exceeded expectations, with about 60 school administrators representing institutions across China on hand.

Aviles said the administrators “were extremely excited to have this opportunity to form a relationship with the University of Delaware.” 

Stevens noted that “UD is particularly attractive to them because it is a top-ranked university that has put a great deal of resources into helping international students to be prepared for success in our degree programs via a variety of special programs and activities.”

In addition to CAP, those include the Accelerated University English Program; the Cohort Model, a special curriculum promoting international student engagement in campus life and personal and academic development; the Bridge Program; the Student Transition to Academic Readiness (STAR) Program; and the Edge-ELI: Summer Pre-College Program.

Chinese students also are attracted to UD for its central location on the East Coast near Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and New York City.

The weeklong trip concluded with an “on-the-spot admissions” event. Can-Achieve International Education Consultants, the University’s partner agency in China, collected all of the required admissions documentation for 38 students and ensured that those students completed their application for admission to UD. When the delegation arrived in China, the Can-Achieve representatives provided the files to them so that they could read the applications during the days prior to the on-the-spot admissions event.

Delegation members interviewed each of the candidates, who were provided with a decision about their admissions status. Several were granted direct admission, and 33 were given conditional admission, required additional studies at ELI to perfect their English language skills. Five of those students have confirmed that they will begin studies at ELI in January.

"For me, the highlight of the trip was the opportunity to interview candidates for admission to UD programs,” Stevens said. “In relating their personal stories, the best candidates demonstrated a passion, determination and perseverance that convinced the Admissions and ELI teams that they would be a great fit for UD and bring unique cultural perspectives that would enrich the classroom and campus life experience for their American peers."

UD is creating relationships with the Chinese high school because they produce the type of high-quality students that faculty are excited to see in classrooms. The relationships also will help UD admissions staff be more knowledgeable about the schools and the quality of instruction and will help the Office of Admissions and ELI better focus and align recruitment strategy in China.

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