How much time and energy does it take to get into one of the top UK public schools? 

Aimee, a student from BE, transferred from a Chinese public school to an international school to complete her primary school education. 

At the same time, she decided to bring forward her study abroad plan from 16+ to 14+. 

After six months of applications, preparation, improvement, examinations and interviews, Aimee finally received an offer from Charterhouse School, one of the original nine public schools in the UK.

Aimee's father wanted her to join the British education system to broaden her under- standing of the world

"We had always hoped to familiarise our daughter with the British academic system as early as possible. Before the establishment of Huili School, there was no real bilingual primary school for Chinese students in Hangzhou, so we sent Aimee to a public school. However, as soon as Huili School was established, we moved Aimee there".

Aimee is not only academically talented but also an extremely well-rounded student

Aimee has excellent hosting and drama skills. In the third grade, she joined Hangzhou TV Station as the host of children's news. 

In the fourth grade, she became the host of the Hangzhou Children's Spring Festival Gala. In 2020, she then went on to host the National Children's Spring Festival Gala broadcast by Oriental Satellite TV. 

In addition to her hosting experience, Aimee is also an actress; despite her young age, she has already worked with well-known directors such as Zhang Jizhong. 

Aimee was also one of young guests invited for the Asian Games' three-year countdown ceremony, along with Olympic champions such as Meng Guanliang and Sun Yang.

Aimee's study abroad plan - from 16+ to 14+

Whilst Aimee was studying at an international school, her family began searching for study abroad consulting agencies to help them prepare for a 16 + application. After being referred by the parents of Aimee's classmates, Aimee's family came to BE in July 2020. Considering Aimee's current situation, and the impact of the pandemic on enrolment, Aimee's family finally decided to apply for 14+ instead of 16+. Through research, BE's consultants found that Charterhouse School, one of the Original Nine British public schools, would begin accepting girls from 2021. Aimee and her family decided to apply.

Learn from failure and enjoy the rewards

Despite Aimee's successful application to Charterhouse, the road to an offer was not always easy. Since September last year, Aimee had been taking tutoring courses at BE for one hour each week.

In November and December, she then took exams for three schools. Unfortunately, the exam results were not quite enough.

This was a huge shock for Aimee, a girl who had always been outstanding. She even began to doubt her own ability.

Even when facing this huge pressure, Aimee and her family were not discouraged. Her father sat down calmly with her, reviewed the whole application process from the beginning, and learned from the failure. BE's consultants also upgraded Aimee's training to overcome the weaknesses exposed by her previous exams. Aimee herself also learned from her failure and worked hard to improve herself. During the New Year holidays when everyone else was celebrating, Aimee was studying in the BE classroom every day with her teachers. This renewed dedication led to great results: Aimee passed the exam for Charterhouse just after the holidays. The next step was the interview.

Whilst preparing for her interview, Aimee's teacher encouraged her to do extensive research by herself to complement the ideas she learned in class. This allowed her to stand out against the competition. Indeed, the admissions officer at Charterhouse was impressed with her performance during the formal interview and she was offered a place at the school. Looking back at the entire application journey, it only took Aimee six months to get an offer and advance her overseas study plan by two years. The hard work, effort and pressure Aimee endured along the way were all worth it in the end.