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Grade 11 Counselor Panel: Building Core Competencies for Junior Students in International Education

September 17, 2026

On the afternoon of September 16, representatives from Harvard University, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and Claremont McKenna College held a special panel discussion with Grade 11 students under the theme “Thriving in the AI‑Driven Era: Building Core Competencies for Junior Students in International Education.” After the panel discussion, students also participated in a class activity titled “Who Am I?”



The first part of the panel focused on the distinctive admissions philosophies of the three institutions. Representatives introduced the qualities their schools value in applicants and shared how students should improve themselves in an era of rapidly advancing artificial intelligence. They encouraged students to consider how to integrate their personal interests and experiences into their future academic development, and how those experiences could further shape their growth.



In the face of rapidly changing AI technology, questions such as how to view it, how to use it scientifically and appropriately, and what kind of AI literacy universities expect students to possess were important topics discussed at the panel.


Drawing on their own professional experience, the representatives offered accessible and in-depth insights: although AI can provide students with powerful learning tools, it cannot replace independent thinking, intellectual curiosity, or authentic and sustained personal growth. Students should not rely solely on AI to generate answers directly; instead, they should treat it as a resource for exploring questions, testing their own views, and deepening understanding. At the same time, they believed that rather than trying to compete directly with AI, students should focus on the abilities and experiences that demonstrate their uniqueness. 


During the Q&A session, students asked questions about how to make the most of high school life, how to write personal essays, and overseas exchange and study programs, and the representatives gave detailed answers to each question.



After the main panel, students returned to their respective classes and continued individualized exploration under the theme of preparing for college applications. They were asked to identify several keywords that best represented their personal qualities and create a self-portrait based on them as a way to conduct self-trait analysis.


With the theme of “better preparing for college applications,” this CAS activity helped Grade 11 students recognize that AI should be a learning assistant, not a replacement for thinking; at the same time, they should clarify their interests and direction through self-exploration, so as to prepare for college applications and future growth.


(Written by 11(4) Victor, 11(4) Chaewon, 11(10) Emily, 11(1) Arianna    Pictures by Grade 11 Media Group    Supervised by Lijia Yu     Reviewed by Yueyue Zhang, Qian Zuo）