All transitions are challenging; transitioning to a new school is no exception. “When I first went to MUIDS’ Open House I thought the school was fascinating,” twelfth grader Maprang recently confessed. “I thought the atmosphere at MUIDS was very welcoming. Still, I was nervous about leaving my old school for a new one.”
She soon enrolled in MUIDS and joined the class of 2021. “I realized early on that here I needed to work harder in my classes.”
Students can face some transitional challenges when moving to a new school, particularly if they are studying a more student-centered curriculum like MUIDS’.
“Some students before they came here were used to hiding in the back of the classroom and not answering questions,” Mr. Chanon Viriyasatien, MUIDS’ head counselor, recently commented. “Here they have to answer questions and become more independent learners.”
During her tenth grade year Maprang soon realized that she had to take control of her own education: “I needed to reach out and get advice from my parents, my teachers, and my counselors.”
Another transitional challenge students can face when entering a new school is learning in a new environment without their previous friends. This is a common challenge at MUIDS and often creates a common bond that results in lasting friendships, an experience Ms. Suthita Swatesuthisan, class of 2016, recently discussed: “It’s been four years since I graduated from MUIDS, and I still have a close bond with my friends. We still share everything with each other.”
Maprang will soon join Suthita as an alumnus. She is applying to universities in Thailand and abroad, and has some advice for MUIDS’ current tenth grade students: “My best advice for the new tenth graders is to be patient, focus on developing your time-management skills, and get involved in after school activities.”