Years of professional experience
Hi, I’m
Burcin Arslan
College Counselor
Istanbul
Summary
Dedicated college counselor with a proven track record of nine years in the field. I have successfully guided over 500 students and parents through the intricacies of the college application process. My expertise has been honed in the most selective high schools in Turkey, providing me with a deep understanding of the IB Diploma Program, AP courses, and Turkish Anatolian High School Diploma requirements. My comprehensive college application experience spans across the US, Canada, Europe, UK, and Asia, ensuring a well-rounded and globally informed approach to advising students on their academic and career journeys.
Accomplishments
Recipient of the University of Chicago Outstanding Educator Award - May 2020:
Award Context: Each year, newly admitted students have the opportunity to select educators who go beyond everyday teaching and leave an impression that is carried over a lifetime. An Outstanding Educator thinks carefully about their instruction, shares an infectious love for learning, and cares for their students both inside and outside of the classroom. https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/counselors-
educators/outstanding-educator-awards
Overview
15
10
Years of post-secondary education
2
Languages
Work History
CialfoSingapore (remote)
Senior Client Experience Manager
08.2022 - Current
Job overview
- Manages relationships with 60 school accounts, collaborates with counselors to facilitate seamless onboarding processes for them and their students on the Cialfo platform.
- Conducted training sessions for the Operations team, provided guidance on various qualifications, and instructed on the proper entry procedures for UCAS.
- Collaborated closely with the Product team to enhance and launch a proprietary application form aligning with UCAS standards, contributing to improved user experience and operational efficiency.
- Achieved a significant 30% net increase in account renewals through strategic client management and satisfaction initiatives.
- Successfully organized the Turkey leg of the Mega Summit, a collaborative event between Cialfo and UCAS, hosting 20+ college counselors from around Turkey. This event fostered meaningful connections and further established Cialfo as a key player in the education sector in Turkey.
- Organized and conducted guardian onboarding sessions to ensure parents are well-versed with the Cialfo platform.
- Held information sessions on different application regions, providing valuable insights and support to both counselors and students.
- Wrote engaging articles for the Cialfo Community, including a highly successful piece on summer programs that garnered the highest clicks and interaction in the community's history.
Uskudar American AcademyIstanbul
International College Counselor/AP Coordinator
09.2021 - 06.2022
Job overview
- Worked with Prep, 9th, 10th, and 11th-grade students and parents, guiding them through their academic plans in relation to their future post-secondary goals.
- College counseling responsibilities were divided within different grades:
9th grade: Worked closely with each student to determine their potential in succeeding in the IB Diploma Program. This was a crucial period for 9th-grade students as they needed to make a decision for choosing the IB Diploma Program.
10th grade: Guided students, who had not chosen the IB Diploma Program, for choosing the appropriate elective courses and determining the AP exams they needed to take that would best serve their needs and career aspirations.
11th grade: Developed two different college counseling programs for IB and non-IB students. Held regular classroom visits, presentations, and one-on-one meetings, aiming to prepare students in the best way possible before they moved on to the college application process. - Created and implemented an entirely new registration system as the AP Coordinator, allowing students to register for AP exams in the most convenient way (details available upon request).
- Dedicated an average of 16 hours per week for student meetings and 8 hours per week for parent meetings.
- Regularly prepared and delivered presentations for IB students/parents and non-IB students/parents.
- Helped students in planning for standardized exams such as IELTS, TOEFL, SAT, ACT, PSAT, and APs, and shared information on taking, preparing, and registering for such exams.
Robert CollegeIstanbul
Assistant Director of College Counseling
08.2016 - 06.2021
Job overview
- Assisted the Co-Directors in setting the tone, pace, and direction of the College Counseling Office (CCO) and general management of the office and its activities.
- Worked to create a positive student-centered environment and program suitable to Robert College (RC).
- Took the lead and/or assist with the organization of college counseling programs and student meetings concerning study in the US, UK, Europe, Canada, Asia as needed.
- Assisted with citywide college fairs and hosted visits by university admission officers at RC.
- Attended professional meetings and college tours based in Turkey and abroad to stay abreast of admissions trends and opportunities.
- Served as an advisor for an assigned group of students and their parents in grades 9 - 12 with a significant focus on grades 11 and 12 during the college search and application process.
- Guided L10 and L11 students through the elective course selection process including the relevant AP courses offered at RC.
- Met with students and parents to discuss and help them in identifying their interests, goals, and abilities in order to make informed and individualized decisions about their future educational choices.
- Helped students in planning for standardized exams such as IELTS, TOEFL, SAT, ACT, PSAT, AP’s and shared information on taking, preparing, and registering for such exams.
- Guided students on how to research and find colleges, universities, and summer programs that are a good fit.
- Helped and encouraged students in generating a list of realistic foreign college and university application choices.
- Assisted students in their search for college and university scholarships and aid.
- Supported and guided students through the application and essay writing process.
- Wherever possible, advocated for students, aiming to increase RC awareness with university representatives.
- Wrote secondary school recommendations for grade 12 students applying abroad; summer school recommendations for younger students when appropriate/as needed.
- Oversaw the use and maintenance of the CCO’s Cialfo subscription, delegated assignments as necessary, to ensure that records saved on Cialfo and RC database are accurate.
- Maintained office statistics, both current and historical, of standardized testing, summer and college application numbers, results, etc.
- Prepared detailed application reports to be presented to the RC Board of Trustees.
- Took the lead in coordinating L12 awards and nominations.
- Oversaw the L11 scholarship and award nomination process.
- Oversaw the creation and publication of the RC Profile each year.
ENKA SCHOOLSIstanbul
College Counselor & IBDP CAS Advisor
04.2014 - 06.2016
Job overview
- Writer of the Reflections and Evidence section of the ENKA Schools CAS Handbook.
- One of the 4 CAS advisors within the IB Diploma Program to 11th and 12th grade students.
- Gave workshops to new CAS advisors and 11th grade students on how to use Managebac.
- Tracked all students’ CAS activities and wrote an individual CAS report for each student.
- Creator of the summer programs database - all hand-written and self-researched (available for your viewing upon request).
- Analyzed the matriculation data and prepared a detailed report for the Executive Board of Enka Schools.
- Worked with Prep, 9th, 10th, 11th grade students and guided/assisted them with their summer school applications.
- Wrote student recommendations for the summer program applications when needed.
- Did one-on-one meetings with parents and students concerning their summer program options.
- Prepared and delivered student and parent presentations in English and Turkish.
- Responsible for all steps of the PSAT exam (announcement of the exam, collecting the test fee, ordering the test books and answer sheets, proctoring the test, sending the answer sheets to College Board, one-on-one meetings with students to evaluate their score reports).
- Extracted/imported student data from the school’s system into Naviance (including the batch uploads).
- Assisted 12th grade students with their college application essays.
Education
Boston University, Boston, USA
Bachelor of Arts from Pure and Applied Mathematics
09.2004 - 06.2008
Yuzyil Isil High School, IBO, Istanbul
IB Diploma
09.2001 - 06.2004
University Overview
- Awarded with the Full Bilingual Diploma of the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO)
Skills
Career development guidance
Certificates and Training
- The College Board’s Summer Institute for International Counselors at NYU 24.06.2019 - 28.06.2019
1 week interactive college counseling training for counselors at international secondary schools and advisors from not-for-profit educational organizations.
- CAS and Experiential Education 25.08.2015 - 26.08.2015
2 day IB workshop on the changes in the 2015 CAS Guide, Experiential Education and Service Learning by IB extended essay senior examiner John Cannings.
- TBS Re-Think Counseling, Create Opportunities 27.02.2015 - 28.02.2015
An event by Toulouse Business School in Barcelona designed for counselors, focusing on the essentials for motivating students.
Timeline
Senior Client Experience Manager
Cialfo
08.2022 - Current
International College Counselor/AP Coordinator
Uskudar American Academy
09.2021 - 06.2022
Assistant Director of College Counseling
Robert College
08.2016 - 06.2021
College Counselor & IBDP CAS Advisor
ENKA SCHOOLS
04.2014 - 06.2016
Boston University
Bachelor of Arts from Pure and Applied Mathematics
09.2004 - 06.2008
Yuzyil Isil High School, IBO
IB Diploma
09.2001 - 06.2004
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