Beijing National Day School (BNDS)

"Cialfo helped us better navigate students' college research and application"

Supporting a multi-curriculum approach to college counseling

College application counseling at BNDS has been integrated into the school's curriculum and broader educational philosophy. The counseling team faces the unique challenge of supporting students across four different academic programs while maintaining the school's core values.

"College application counseling is a part of BNDS curriculum," explains Teresa Tu. "We practice the goals of nurturing and cultivating students: to inspire students' aspiration to become leaders or talents in certain fields by guiding them in career and life planning and helping them confirm their own goals."

This educational mission extends beyond mere application support to character development: "To instruct them to behave with integrity, so that every student can become a trustworthy person; to strengthen students' sense of self-discipline and cultivate their self-management skills, encouraging independent thinking and cultivating students with their own ideas."

Streamlining multi-regional applications

With a large student body interested in universities across different global regions, BNDS particularly values Cialfo's ability to streamline applications to multiple countries.

"Some students applying to Australian universities take 'Direct Apply' to do the applications in a concise and effective way," Teresa Tu notes, highlighting one of the platform's standout features. The ability to manage applications to Australia and New Zealand directly through the platform has significantly simplified what was previously a complex process.

Professional implementation and ongoing training

The successful five-year partnership has been supported by a methodical implementation approach. "We conduct training sessions for students and teachers involved every year," says Teresa Tu, ensuring that both new and returning users can effectively leverage the platform.

The school particularly appreciates the responsive support provided by the Cialfo team. "Great service with prompt feedback towards questions in application process" was cited as a key reason for choosing and staying with the platform, along with "professional support during the whole process of application."

Self-discovery through technology

Beyond just managing applications, BNDS values how Cialfo helps students better understand themselves and their options. "Cialfo helped students do self-discovery with the tools offered on Cialfo," Teresa Tu shares.

This aligns perfectly with the school's philosophical approach to counseling—using technology not just to streamline processes but to help students develop their own ideas and aspirations.

Data-driven counseling

For a school with thousands of students across multiple curricula, data management presents a significant challenge. The counseling team has found valuable support in Cialfo's analytical capabilities.

"Cialfo helped efficiently manage application data and do the analysis," notes Teresa Tu. The dashboard features have become central to how the team monitors and supports students throughout their application journeys.

Building on five years of success

After more than five years of partnership, the relationship between BNDS and Cialfo continues to evolve alongside the changing landscape of international university admissions. The platform's flexibility has allowed it to remain relevant through various changes in global education.

While the school hasn't conducted formal quantitative analysis of the platform's impact, the qualitative benefits are clear in how central Cialfo has become to their counseling workflow—from student self-discovery through final application submission.

Image credits: Beijing National Day School;