Kuwait International English School staff described HigherED as an opportunity for Years 10, 11 and 12 to explore university options early, while there is still time to turn questions into a considered plan.
University planning does not have to begin in the final months of school. For Kuwait International English School, an education fair can be useful well before a student is ready to submit an application. It gives younger secondary students a chance to ask what a degree involves and how their present studies connect to it.
Speaking to Diwaniya Media at HigherED in Kuwait, two KIES staff members said students in Years 10, 11 and 12 had visited the exhibition. They described the experience as a way to explore institutions in the United States, United Kingdom and Europe, and to begin thinking about options while there was still time to prepare.
Their account focused on the value of early exposure. A student does not need a settled career plan to benefit from meeting university representatives. Sometimes the most useful outcome is discovering which questions need a better answer.
Giving students time to compare
The staff members said this was the school’s second year bringing students to the exhibition. Their reasoning was straightforward: earlier contact with university options can help students understand what lies beyond the next set of school examinations.
That changes the purpose of a visit. A final-year applicant might arrive with a specific course and a deadline in mind. A younger student can use the same hall to compare subjects, discover unfamiliar institutions and test assumptions about studying in another country.
For a school, the opportunity is to connect those conversations to later guidance. A brochure collected at a stand can become the beginning of a discussion about subject choices. A question about admission can reveal a requirement that needs attention before the application year arrives.
The important follow-up is personal. Students visiting the same exhibition may leave with very different concerns: one wants to understand a particular profession, another is unsure about the country, and a third needs help identifying what they enjoy studying. Early exposure creates time to work through those differences.
Linking school subjects to future study
KIES’s official school information describes provision from KG and Reception through secondary education to Year 13. Its university-preparation role therefore sits within a longer school journey, rather than appearing only at the point of graduation.
The school’s secondary information is a useful reference for families considering how later school study connects with university entrance. The staff interviewed at HigherED discussed the British qualification route and the importance of helping students see the next stage clearly.
A practical conversation can begin with the subject a student is considering at university, then work back to the school subjects and evidence that institution expects. The answer should come from the intended university’s current requirements, with the school helping the student interpret what those requirements mean for their own timetable.
This approach also leaves room for uncertainty. A student who is deciding between two fields can compare their preparation needs before narrowing the choice. Doing that earlier makes the discussion more useful than discovering a mismatch when an application is already under way.
Why guidance needs more than information
The wider education research supports taking adolescent career preparation seriously. The OECD’s 2025 report on global teenage career preparation describes high levels of uncertainty and a gap between some students’ expectations and their educational plans. Those international findings are context, rather than a measurement of KIES students or Kuwait as a whole.
They help explain why simply making information available is not the same as helping a young person use it. An exhibition offers access to many institutions, but students still need to interpret what they hear and decide which details matter to them.
The KIES interview reflected that distinction through the staff members’ responsibilities. One described a counselling and wellbeing role; the other discussed work connected with school operations and communication. Together, their account placed university preparation within the school’s relationship with students and families.
A student may understand an entry requirement and still be unsure how to choose. Guidance can create space to discuss that uncertainty without treating it as a failure to have a plan. The aim is to make the next decision more informed, even when the final destination remains open.
Making the exhibition useful after the visit
The strongest test of an education fair comes after students return to school. Can they explain what interested them? Do they know which course page to read next? Have they identified a question that needs an answer from an admissions team?
A simple comparison can help. Students can record the programme, institution, country and the reason each option caught their attention. They can then add the requirements they have verified, separating confirmed information from details they still need to ask about. The exercise keeps enthusiasm connected to evidence.
Families have a role in that conversation too. Discussing cost, location and the kind of support a student might need can make the shortlist more realistic. The school can help keep the academic questions visible while the household considers the wider commitment.
KIES’s account of HigherED makes a clear case for starting that process before the final year. The immediate outcome need not be a university application. It can be a student who returns with a more specific interest, a better understanding of the choices ahead and enough time to prepare for them.
