You’ve caught the travel bug and you’re itching to start exploring all the hidden gems and wonders of the world.

But according to your guidance counsellor and parents, that means you’re going to have to give up on your dreams of going to uni, right?

The good news is, they’re totally wrong.

By working as a student advisor for predominantly Chinese international students at an ESL school, I have been exposed to a different world I never envisioned. I thought I could relate to the students on a deeper level, because I came to the states from Mainland China about seven years ago as an international student.

For American high school seniors (and their parents), the first four months of the new year ring in an especially stressful period – the final throes of the college admissions process. Deadlines for applications arrive, decisions for early action are made, campus visits are made and weighing final selection all add to the angst. “Will I get in?” is replaced by “where will I go?” in the minds of these students.