MLES International Education Fair
Christina Napier, Student Experience Officer, Report on MLES International Education Fair, Nov 17-28 2017
Friday, November 17 (Dalian)
18:00 – 20:30 Welcome Banquet, Inn Fine Hotel, Kaifaqu, Dalian
Welcome speeches by the organisers and musical performances by students, followed by dinner and networking.
Saturday, November 18 (Dalian)
09:00 – 17:00 International Education Fair
There was a group photograph taken and then we were led to our booths by our Student Volunteers who helped to set up the stand. Grade 12 students were the first to visit and there was a great deal of interest in the University of Edinburgh. A press conference took place from 11 – 12 noon. This was one of the fairs where I gave a talk about studying at the University of Edinburgh and this was also well attended.
Many students said they had offers from Edinburgh. The main areas of interest were engineering and business with a few interested in economics.
Sunday, November 19 (Dalian)
09:00 – 15:00 International Education Fair
Day 2 at Dalian was mainly Grade 11 and 10 students (and parents). Again, the main areas of interest were engineering and business with a few interested in economics and art/design.
Monday, November 20 (Tianjin)
08:30 – 17:00 International Education Fair
The Tianjin Fair was also very well attended and we had large queues waiting to talk to us. The revolving image display on the iPad was popular with those waiting. I gave another talk about studying at the University of Edinburgh.
Wednesday, November 22 (Chongqing)
08:30 – 13:00 International Education Fair
Attendance at the fair was very good and I was able to speak to students who currently hold offers.
We were given a lovely gift of a panda dressed in the uniform worn by the juniors at the school.
It was a short fair because of the travelling involved but worth the visit.
Thursday, November 23 (Wuhan)
08:30 – 16:00 International Education Fair
This fair was slightly quieter for us – except for the presentation about studying at Edinburgh.
Friday, November 24 (Luoyang)
09:00 – 15:00 International Education Fair
Lovely performances from the students
Sunday, November 26 (Zhenjiang)
11:00 – 15.30 International Education Fair
Monday, November 27 (Yiwu)
10:00 – 14.15 International Education Fair
Another busy day and we had a lot of enquiries from Grade 10 and 11 students so maybe of great interest to future students.
Tuesday, November 28 (Shanghai)
09:30 – 14:00 International Education Fair
Quite busy – I actually had difficulties closing up in time to make the bus to the airport.
Overview
There was a good amount of interest and I was very impressed with the quality of the students. Many had done quite a bit of research into the subjects they were considering. The main subjects of interest were engineering, the sciences, business, art/design and economics.
The students were very pleased that we accept Mandarin/Chinese as one of their five Grade 12 subjects and also that we accept English Grade 12.
Maple Leaf did an excellent job of arranging transportation around hotels/schools/airports/railway stations etc. and kept us updated with travel arrangements via WeChat.