College Counseling
BFIS students are educated to become lifelong learners and active, responsible citizens fully prepared to continue their studies anywhere in the world. Our graduates leave BFIS to attend the best colleges and universities all over the world.
Rhonda Leshman
Grades 11 and 12 Counselor
Eva Gausa
Spanish Univ. Counselor
The College Counseling Program
Our College Counseling program is comprehensive, structured, and specifically designed to help our students be reflective, learn about their options, and successfully find an ideal ‘match’ in the college admission process in countries around the world. In fact, our students do apply to universities throughout Europe, UK, North America, Australia, and Asia. Our counselors help our students navigate the process and stay on track, increasing their chances of getting into their top-choice college.
The career and college counseling process provides specialized guidance through individual student meetings, family meetings, class sessions, workshops, and visits from college admissions representatives. The College Counselor helps students to complete applications and craft personal statements and supplements.
College Guidance
Our students receive this guidance starting in Grade 9. Each high school student is given a Cialfo account to access a state-of-the-art platform where they can learn about careers, complete learning style and multiple intelligence inventories, write their CV, research universities and more.
Our counselors’ knowledge can point students and parents in the right direction in the college process, facilitating learning about career and university options for both, students and families. From assessing personality traits and interests, finding colleges, informing about requirements, compiling transcripts and letters of recommendation, to sending supporting documents to universities, the counselor plays an important role in helping students and families make choices about future paths.
- BFIS Spanish Universities Counselor and Spanish Technical Director will guide students and parents through the process of applying to public and private Spanish universities and obtaining the validation for the ESO Certificate (Enseñanza Secundaria Obligatoria) and Spanish Baccalaureate Certificate (Bachillerato Español) for those students that meet the requirements.
- The counselor runs numerous informative sessions about requirements and procedures to guide students and parents about additional and optional exams (Pruebas de Competencias Específicas) to increase the probability of accessing Spanish public universities. The Spanish Technical Director provides the IB grades conversion to Spanish Selectividad grades.
- The Spanish Technical Director also provides additional classes through a partner academy to prepare for these additional and optional exams (PCE).
- Read the article: How to get to university in Spain as an IB student
BFIS College Counselor will guide students and parents through the process of applying to universities outside Spain, in both hemispheres. The College Counselor empowers students through the process of selecting and applying to universities outside Spain and will assist with all applications, transcripts, and recommendation letters. Ideally, the students take responsibility for knowing about deadlines and requirements for all applications.
The counselor also provides options for students to learn more about their interests, aspects of their personality, possible career matches, and university courses that align with their careers.
The Counselor also runs the Career Program at BFIS, which provides numerous opportunities for students to learn about different professional pathways through guest speakers and participating in summer internships organized by the school.
College visits and fairs
Many universities and colleges from Spain and other countries visit BFIS during the school year, giving students and parents the opportunity to talk with recruiting officers and get first-hand information about applications, deadlines, entry requirements, etc.
Our college counselors also provide students and families updated information on a weekly basis about information sessions that universities from all over the world are organizing online for international students.
College visitors
College admission representatives are welcome any time during the year. We are also happy to have multiple college visits at the same time on the same day.
Non-Spanish universities: Please contact Ms. Rhonda Leshman to schedule a visit.
Spanish universities: Please contact Ms. Eva Gausa to schedule a visit
BFIS is located in the northern part of Barcelona, still in the heart of the city. From the airport it takes around 20-30 minutes to get to the school and costs between 35 and 40 euros. The entrance of the school is located at Passatge Torras i Bages 4, 08017 Barcelona.
You can also take the bus from the airport to Plaça Catalunya and from there take the train (FGC) to Sarrià (nearest train station stop). From the station you have to walk approximately 10 minutes to get to the school. Total time from the airport to BFIS will take you approximately 1,5 or 2 hours.
Please bring your ID or your passport with you since you will be asked to register at the school's security cabin. Our security personnel will give you a pass and call the person you are meeting with at BFIS, who will come to the gate to pick you up.
How to get into University in Spain as an IBDP Student
This guide will help you to understand a bit more about the choices you have and how the application process works.
BFIS School Profile
Check the BFIS School Profile 2023-2024 with information about BFIS, High School Division at a glances and IB Results
University Acceptances
BFIS Graduates receive offers of acceptance and merit schoolarshiphs from some of the most prestigious universities in the world.
Career Program
The career program is designed to align with activities carried out by students in the classroom. Specifically, through exploring Holland codes which classifies careers and personality types, students learned what career fields match them. Counselors identify and invite speakers in different career areas to come to campus to speak live to our students about their professional journey.
Super Curricular opportunities
BFIS College Counselor promotes enrichment programs in the summer, and super curricular opportunities for students to further academic interests or explore academic interests not covered with traditional academics offered at BFIS. As a result, students are cultivating their interests and preparing themselves to be strong university applicants.
