2-Day ACAMIS Workshop led by
Harvard’s former Associate Director of Admissions

Strengthening Admin-University Counseling Partnerships

Maximise Expertise and Support for Student Success

Shanghai Community International School - Hongqiao Campus
January, 2027

Register Now

Dates

Friday & Saturday
January, 2027

Time

8:30 AM – 4:30PM
including lunch and tea breaks

Certificate Program

16 Hours of Professional Development will be Awarded

Early Bird Price*

ACAMIS Members: USD 380
Non-members: USD 500

*Available until December 7, 2026.

Essential Questions

How do counselors and administrators talk about the university counseling program and its hopes and goals for each student?

How can we better advise and manage the expectations and anxieties over the college admissions process in our school community from both an administrator’s view and a counselor’s view?

How do we wrap up the college process for each student and ensure robust data collection at the end of each year?

How do counselors and administrators talk about the power of advocacy in the university admissions process, a power that outside agencies cannot provide?

What can we teach our admissions/marketing teams and our board/owners?

This will be a two-day workshop that supports school counselors and administrators in a partnership approach to strengthen the role of the university counseling office and improve how schools guide students through global university admissions processes. It is intentionally designed to support schools and enable teams to align their efforts.

It aims to serve school counselors or faculty who advise students and families through the process of applying to and matriculating at universities worldwide and at least one administrator who is a direct or indirect supervisor of these counselors.

The workshop is divided into four modules:

The worldwide college and university landscape
A high school’s responsibilities and added advocacy as a crucial piece of a student’s application process,
Helping internal constituents understand and support the college admissions process,
Preparing the next senior class

Participants will explore how schools can better align leadership and counseling teams, communicate effectively with families about admissions realities, and highlight the school’s unique role in advocacy, recommendations, and student guidance.

Target Audience

This workshop is for school counselors and administrators in a partnership approach. It is for counseling colleagues and those in relevant leadership roles, such as, Head of School/Director, Deputy Head, Principal, Associate/Assistant Principal, Academic Dean/Director of Teaching and Learning, IBDP Coordinator, AP Coordinator, CAS coordinator, Admissions Director, Marketing/Communications Director. Administrators in the lower and middle school divisions may also benefit from connecting their work to skill preparation for a university pathway.

Over-Arching Goal

By the end of this workshop, participants will leave with stronger goals for their university counseling programs, strengthened internal collaboration, identified areas for future growth, and next steps for ensuring consistent, aligned messaging to students and families about the university admissions process.

Workshop Outcomes

By the end of this event, participants will be able to:

Understand what universities are looking for in applicants, as they differ by country and institution, and why universities may contact high school counselors and administrators for late or clarifying information.
Compare the holistic American process with UK’s UCAS and other university processes worldwide, and understand how counselors and “referees” should continue to advocate for students after applications have been submitted.
Practice how administrators and counselors encourage self-reflection and self-discovery so that students can present their true selves in their applications.
Understand the power of advocacy that school administrators and counselors need to provide in supporting students throughout the university admissions process.
Learn about critical information schools need to provide colleges and universities worldwide, and how to create robust internal policies and protocol to support applications and conclude the college process effectively.

"I benefitted from the facilitator's willingness to encourage open and honest participation from the audience. Specifically, it felt beneficial to be with a group of colleagues who were willing to share their experiences and knowledge. Even though I was already familiar with some of the information that was shared, it was comforting to know that others shared my convictions about optimal practices."

— Bill Russo, Keystone Academy
"I would highly recommend this programme due to its extemely informative and engaging nature. It was highly valuable not just to University Guidance Counsellors but all staff working with high school students as well as senior leaders. The conference was very enjoyable and Grace's sense of humour shone through throughout, making for fabulous interaction between all participants. Great stuff!"
"This would help College Counselors build in-school College couseling lessons. Vibrant disucussions with experienced counselors. [I got] many practical tips. The College Counseling job has a holistic system. Attending workshops like this would help build up the inner stream and communication with students, parents, and administrators."
"Grace's unique perspective—gained from her admissions, counseling, and leadership experience—provides practical tools and solutions, even for seasoned counselors or those who have transitioned from the other side of the desk. Her workshops are among the most helpful and enjoyable professional development sessions I have attended."
"This program provided information and knowledge from up-to-date admissions policies of worldwide colleges to daily practical guidance work for preparing and guiding students with college applications. It is always fascinating to have chance discussing the encountered dilemmas, the contradictory scenarios as well as sharing experience and practices with counselor peers. It enhanced the confidence of counselor to guide students through the process with informative resources and backing connections."
"Abstract concepts were explained and analyzed in a visualized way. The instructor’s humorous and engaging language made the two-day training not only far from tedious, but also truly satisfying and thought-provoking. As a novice, I gained a wealth of theoretical knowledge and practical skills. The data provided will also serve as solid support for my future work. Thank you so much!"
"This workshop helped me move from 0-1 last year, helping me face my first year of college counselling with confidence and hope. Attending the workshop for the second year has helped me immensely. Better understanding terminology and processes this time around has helped me confidently ask more questions and get much more out of the session."

— Paula Zhou
"I definitely learnt a lot! It helps that Grace has come from both sides of the admissions and school counselling. I want to bring her to Shenzhen and share her with my colleagues there."
"Having now attended a second training with Grace Dodge, I will always try to attend any workshop with her name on it. You always come away having learned something new, but beyond that, you are in a room full of counselors who are not only going through the same struggles but are also doing things differently and with such passion. It is a space where you learn from each other, and it is very fulfilling. I always leave these workshops feeling more confident, and this is clearly reflected in my conversations and meetings with parents and students."

— Burcin Arslan

Pricing

ACAMIS Members

USD 480

USD 380 pp*

Non-members

USD 600

USD 500 pp*

Register Now

*Early Bird Discount ends on December 7, 2026.

Agenda

Day 1

Module 1

The Worldwide College and University Landscape

9:00AM - 10:30AM, 15’ break, 10:45AM - 12:15PM

Given the breadth of tertiary education options across the world, high school counselors and administrators are charged with supporting students and families in looking to the university experience after high school. Counselors must be adept in supporting students in choosing and applying to a manageable list of schools, and administrators must understand the range of options and the extent of university selectivity today. In this module, participants will look at the world context, current world politics affecting international student mobility and start with the US admissions system, its timeline, and implications of being placed on a waiting list.

Module 2

A High School’s Responsibilities and Added Advocacy as a Crucial Piece of a Student’s Application Process

1:15PM - 2:45PM, 15’ break, 3:00PM - 4:30PM

The goal of this module is to distinguish what schools are able to contribute to a student’s college application that outside consultants and agencies cannot. It is crucial that families understand the power and expertise you have within the school and that outside resources may be providing outdated, unhelpful, and simply wrong advice that may be counterproductive to a student’s process. This module will help administrators and counselors with an overall communication plan and content. It is crucial that the university counseling office and administrator talking points are aligned, relevant, and timely in support of the counseling office and of all your students.

Day 2

Module 3

Helping Internal Constituents Understand and Support the College Admissions Process

9:00AM - 10:30AM, 15’ break, 10:45AM - 12:15PM

The goal of this module is to have counselors and administrators better equipped to have conversations with other members of the school community so that communication and logistical expectations make sense. Inevitably, there will be many pieces to a college counseling office and its programming that will affect and possibly disrupt the work of other colleagues i.e. scheduling of student group workshops, visiting college representatives, required meetings with individual parents with their child, and the time and energy necessary for students to dedicate to their college applications in their final year. This module will help administrators and counselors manage these arrangements so that intent remains student-centered.

Module 4

Preparing the Next Senior Class

1:15PM - 2:45PM, 15’ break, 3:00PM - 4:30PM

The goal of this final module is to ensure counselors and administrators feel confident in ending their work every year and are ready for the next class. Everyone deserves a strong and healthy finish to the year, including knowing that the partnership between counseling and the administration is strong and ready for the next year! This module shores up the partnership and support network between the administration and the university counseling office, and is designed to facilitate peer-sharing of practical information so that participants are able to increase their capacity in how to develop and sustain a robust college counseling program.
This module wraps up the work covered in two days so that school teams can return to their school with a renewed sense of teamwork, purpose, and eagerness to demonstrate their expertise in university counseling to their community.

Facilitator

Grace Cheng Dodge

Education: Graduated from Harvard University, MS in Accounting, MBA, and EdD from Northeastern University

Career: Head of School, Director of Admission, Associate Director of Admissions, College Counsellor, Director of College Counseling.

Grace Cheng Dodge is retired as Head of School of Taipei American School, Taipei, Taiwan. She is also a former Director of Admission at Wellesley College. Prior to joining Wellesley in 2015, she was an Associate Director of Admissions at Harvard in charge of training all admissions officers to assess applications. From 2009-2012, she took a professional leave from Harvard and spent three years at Taipei American School as a college counselor and Director of College Counseling. TAS sent approximately 70% of students to the US for college. Grace returned to the TAS College Counseling office in 2018 before assuming the position of Deputy Head of School in the 2019-20 academic year. Dr. Dodge served as Interim Head of School during SY 2020-2021 before her selection as the 15th Head of Taipei American School.
While at Wellesley, Grace was selected to be a US Department of State Office of Overseas Schools/College Board Overseas Schools Program traveler to western Europe. In this capacity, she traveled to various international and American schools, presenting to lower, middle, and upper school communities of expatriate children and parents on developing the whole child and mastering the building blocks to being a successful student in an American school system.
Grace has presented worldwide on subjects such as college application essay writing and has been active in EARCOS (East Asia Regional Council of Schools), NACAC, (National Association of College Admission Counseling), IACAC (International Association of College Admission Counseling) and national College Board Forums. She was Chair-Elect of the New England College Board Regional Council before relocating to Taiwan.
Grace is a graduate of Harvard University with a cum laude degree in applied mathematics. She holds an MS in accounting, MBA, and EdD from Northeastern University. She is certified as a PreK-12 administrator by the District of Columbia Office of the State Superintendent of Education. Prior to entering the field of education, she was employed by PwC LLP as an auditor of independent schools, and she remains a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Grace is currently an independent consultant to international schools in order to train counselors, heads/Directors, and boards to better understand university admissions processes around the world.

Learn with Peers at
Shanghai Community International School

1161 Hongqiao Road, Shanghai, China 200051

Daniel Eschtruth

Director of Schools
Shanghai Community International School

2-Day ACAMIS Workshop led by Harvard’s former Associate Director of Admissions