An interview with Study Group partner Beijing New Oriental Vision Overseas Consulting
An interview with Study Group partner Beijing New Oriental Vision Overseas Consulting
As part of Study Group’s new blog Spotlight Series, we are delighted to share an interview with Joanna Song, Associate Vice-President of International Affairs at Beijing New Oriental Vision Overseas Consulting (NOVO). NOVO is a Study Group Agent Premier Club Platinum winner.
Q1: How do you feel about winning an Agent Premier Club award?
We feel very honoured to win this award, which acknowledges the hard work and tenacity of everyone at NOVO to continue to support international students to study global higher education programmes during the pandemic.
The past 18 months have not been easy for us. Students and their parents were unquestionably concerned about the continuation of education and plans to study overseas considering the ongoing impact of COVID-19.
The Agent Premier Club award from Study Group is welcome recognition of our organisation’s flexibility in the face of adversity and our ability to pivot and find solutions that would help students meet their academic goals in the middle of an unprecedented global health crisis.
Q2. Could you share what the past year has been like in terms of international student recruitment - highlighting challenges and how you managed to turn things around?
2020 was a very challenging year, with the entire education industry across the world deeply affected by COVID-19.
To overcome obstacles presented by the pandemic, everyone at NOVO focused on supporting students remotely, by using video conferencing software for ongoing communication. NOVO collaborated directly with students in this way to create personalised progression plans, based on their ambitions and academic strengths. We worked closely with students to really understand their needs, interests, capabilities and their future career ambitions. As a result, we effectively helped them choose suitable universities and higher education study destinations.
Despite travel restrictions, Study Group made sure that students were able to reach and take part in high-quality pathway programmes online, which provided a structured route to their chosen higher education institution. It was a pleasure to work with Study Group during the pandemic – they are a very supportive partner.
Q3. What is your view on the future of education?
According to research we recently conducted with students, most are still very interested in travelling overseas to study.
Although they have appreciated the flexibility of studying digitally during the pandemic, to not delay starting their pathway programme, ultimately, they would prefer an on-campus student experience with a mix of face-to-face and digital course delivery.
The students we work with feel that studying is about much more than attending classes. In addition to learning about their chosen academic discipline and gaining employability skills, they are really looking for the opportunity to experience a new culture and way of life, as well as interacting and making friends with people from different backgrounds and countries.
Q4. What is your view of the partnership with Study Group?
We have worked closely with Study Group for many years and cherish our partnership very much.
Study Group has a fantastic portfolio of high-quality university partners in the key overseas study destinations our students are interested in. We always feel that we can offer our students a range of excellent university options from Study Group.
We value our partnership and hope to keep working with Study Group for many years to come.
As Manoj Shetty, Chief Revenue Officer at Study Group comments:
“It is an absolute pleasure to work with NOVO.
“Due to their exceptional work ethic and deep knowledge of student needs, they consistently match them to the most suitable pathway programmes, in the higher education study destination of their choice.
“The personalised care and attention they give to students is truly outstanding and Study Group is proud to work with NOVO now and in the future.”