This summer, Head of Futures Mrs Rebecca Demetriades joined other international university counsellors on the Great Outdoors Admission Tour through New England, visiting five leading US institutions: Dartmouth College, Middlebury College, the University of Vermont, Bates College and Bowdoin College. 

Through campus visits and conversations with admissions teams, Mrs Demetriades explored key questions facing today’s students: What should a university education prepare young people for? How important is finding the right university ‘fit’? And, in an age of artificial intelligence and instantly accessible information, which skills will matter most? 

These visits offered valuable insights into how universities are rethinking education for a rapidly changing world, and how we can help our students identify the environments in which they are most likely to thrive. 

Learning How to Think, Not Just What to Know  

One idea repeatedly surfaced across all five universities: as AI transforms how easily we can access information, knowledge remains fundamental, but the value of education increasingly lies in students’ ability to question, interpret, evaluate and apply what they know.  

This was particularly visible at Middlebury, Bates and Bowdoin, where the liberal arts model combines breadth of study with small classes, close relationships with professors, and opportunities to approach complex questions from different perspectives. 

At Bates, for example, the distinctive Purposeful Work programme connects students’ interests, strengths and values with internships and real-world experiences, allowing them to explore possible directions rather than feeling they must have their future mapped out from the beginning. 

It is an approach that resonates strongly with the St. Catherine’s Futures philosophy: university guidance should not simply be about gaining admission to a highly ranked institution, but about helping each student identify where they are most likely to flourish. 

Designing a Future  

At Dartmouth College, Mrs Demetriades was struck by the approach to helping students take ownership of that journey.  

Dartmouth’s distinctive D-Plan allows students to structure their academic calendar around ten-week terms, integrating study with research, internships and global experiences. Its Center for Career Design similarly encourages students to think intentionally about their future through four principles: Know Yourself, Explore Widely, Prototype Boldly and Reflect Honestly. 

Rather than identifying one ‘perfect’ university or career path, students are encouraged to explore possibilities and reflect on what they discover about themselves. In a rapidly changing world, the confidence and self-to navigate change may be just as important as certainty about a particular destination. This ‘design-thinking’ approach has particular resonance for our own Futures programme, where students are increasingly encouraged to explore and test possibilities, rather than viewing university and career decisions as a single, irreversible choice. 

The Great Outdoors as a Classroom  

The University of Vermont (UVM) offered another perspective on modern higher education. 

UVM achieved R1 research status in 2025, the highest Carnegie research classification, but what particularly impressed Mrs Demetriades was how its research connects students with real-world challenges. 

Learning takes place not only in laboratories, but aboard a research vessel on Lake Champlain, across research farms, alongside clinicians and throughout Vermont’s mountains and ecosystems. Through initiatives including Planetary Health and STEM Scholars: Leading Change, scientific education is connected to leadership, community engagement and questions about how research can serve society. 

For students considering STEM, the message is powerful: future scientists will need not only technical expertise, but the judgement to understand the human, ethical and environmental consequences of discovery. 

Access Beyond Admission 

At Bowdoin College, the concept of ‘access’ stood out. 

Bowdoin is one of a small number of US colleges that currently practices need-blind admission for international applicants and commits to meeting 100% of admitted students’ calculated demonstrated financial need. 

That philosophy extends into the student experience, with support potentially encompassing study abroad, internships, travel an awareness d career exploration. 

Bowdoin is also examining how students can engage thoughtfully with emerging technology. Its ‘Hastings Initiative for AI and Humanity’, established through a $50 million gift from Netflix co-founder and Bowdoin alumnus Reed Hastings, brings AI into conversation with philosophy, neuroscience, the humanities and social sciences, asking not simply what AI can do, but how humans should use it. 

Together, these institutions pointed towards a broader shift in higher education. In a world where careers are less linear, technology is evolving rapidly and students will need to adapt repeatedly throughout their working lives, universities are increasingly thinking not only about what students learn, but about how they learn to navigate uncertainty, make thoughtful choices and continue developing beyond graduation. 

Bringing the Experience Back to St. Catherine’s 

For our students, perhaps the most important takeaway is that rankings alone cannot tell them where they will thrive.  

Five outstanding universities can offer five very different experiences, and understanding those differences is at the heart of effective university guidance.  

The five institutions also demonstrated that there is no single model of an outstanding US university experience: from intimate liberal arts colleges to Dartmouth’s distinctive undergraduate environment and UVM’s larger public research setting, each offered a different combination of scale, community, research and opportunity. 

First-hand visits and conversations with admissions professionals give our Futures Team insights that go far beyond prospectuses and league tables, helping them provide informed, personalised guidance to our students. 

As Mrs Demetriades reflected: 

“I left New England not simply with a better understanding of five outstanding institutions, but with a renewed appreciation of what some top universities are ultimately trying to achieve.” 

As the new academic year begins, our Futures Team brings such insights back to St. Catherine’s, ready to help students explore their options, understand where they can flourish and approach their futures with curiosity, confidence and ambition.