School Report
Harrow
Prima Yontrarak (Pat), Head Girl at Harrow International School Bangkok
Top universities snap up Harrow Bangkok’s Head Girl ■ SECURING a place at a top university has never been more competitive. Every year, more than 200,000 students apply for Ivy League universities – with fewer than 8.5% gaining a place at this elite group of institutions. Prima Yontrarak (Pat), Head Girl at Harrow International School Bangkok, is in the enviable position of currently having received 12 offers of university places, three of them from Ivy League institutions. Her list of acceptances include: Dartmouth, Cornell, U Penn, University of California-Berkeley, Johns Hopkins and Stanford. She credits her amazing achievement to the many opportunities that have been available to her at Harrow Bangkok. “I have been here since kindergarten and have always been supported to achieve my very best inside and outside the classroom,” she says. “As well as
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academic achievement, sports and the arts are important to me. I am a member of the basketball team and play the guitar. These activities have helped me to develop my personal, teamwork and collaborative skills.” She has chosen to study sciences at Stanford University in California, one of the most selective universities in the world, and Pat encourages students to consider applying to US universities. “The US university system is appealing as you can major in some subjects and minor in others. There is also a focus on community service in US university life, which complements the ethos of Harrow Bangkok. “My Head of House advised me that to be a well-rounded student you needed to give back to society. This was my inspiration for forming the Lionheart Society, Harrow Bangkok’s student group
which coordinates a series of community service initiatives.” The process of applying for university places can be a stressful one, but Pat has this advice for her fellow students: “Time management is important; it’s best to start applications as soon as you can. I had a lot of support from the school with my university application – my Head of Sixth Form would work with me after school to make it as strong as possible.” It is this supportive atmosphere, at home and in school, which Pat credits for her amazing success: “My family’s view is that if I am happy, they are happy. I am also lucky, here at school, to be a member of a very supportive year group.” www.harrowschool.ac.th