Since every student has different interests, academic needs, talents, and personalities, the LAS university advisors recognize the need to personalize a plan to help each student develop a realistic and balanced list of universities to which to apply in order to maximize acceptances.  At LAS, our philosophy is to guide students in their quest to find the pathway that “best fits” their abilities, interests and needs. LAS graduates are highly regarded, and each year approximately 100 university representatives from a variety of countries visit our Belle Epoque campus to meet with LAS students and their university advisors. 

The university advisors at LAS are experienced, have visited over 250 universities, and maintain direct contacts with admission reps in over 600 universities worldwide. They constantly have the most up-to-date information on trends in the university admissions world. As such, they serve as resources who can answer or find answers to any question that may come up in the application process. So, whether a student is planning for university, a gap year, or military service, the LAS university advisors are here to help each student succeed in the journey to university. Please read through the university advising process below or schedule an appointment with one of our university advisors: John Blake, Rich Modica, Sholay Ramlall, and Millie Mung.

Leysin American School University Guidebook 
The LAS University Guidebook aims to clarify the university admission process to countries that our students research and often apply to. Please take some time to familiarize yourself with the useful information in this guidebook.

Leysin American School University Advising Approach
The University Advising at Leysin American School brochure is designed to provide our current LAS families, as well as prospective families, with an overview of our university advising program.

 

Services Offered by the LAS University Advisors

• Ateliers (group presentations)
• Course selection advising (IBDP, APs, and LAS high school diploma pathways)
• Individual university advising
• Essay/Personal statement review
• Developing a standardized test plan and organizing standardized test prep
• Coordination of university admission representative visits to LAS
• Transition to university presentations

 

Overview of the LAS University Advising Process by Grade

 

GRADE 9

LAS university advisors encourage Grade 9 students to focus on transitioning into high school, doing well academically, and joining extra-curricular activities. Therefore, instead of concentrating on university, we would like Grade 9 students to do those three things well and get to know their learning style.

• To assist students, we provide students with opportunities to learn more about their strengths and their learning style(s) through activities in MaiaLearning, a tool that students can use to explore interests and career options, keep track of important extracurricular activities, research universities, and submit important application materials directly to universities.  

GRADE 10

The focus for Grade 10 students is on further leveraging their strengths, personality and interests. In Grade 10, academic planning (IBDP, APs, and LAS high school diploma pathways) is a major focus.

• Research shows that students who work to their strengths are more likely to be engaged and motivated learners and less likely to experience stress. Additionally, students who know their personality type will have a better insight and understanding of how they do things best and most comfortably.
• A student’s strengths, personality traits, and abilities play a major role in our in-depth individualized academic planning process in Grade 10.
• In order to assist in creating the most appropriate academic plan, Grade 10 students will continue their familiarization with MaiaLearning, and they will complete career interest and personality type inventories.

GRADE 11

In Grade 11, the focus is on doing well academically and on researching post-secondary plans. This exploratory time is one for the student to concentrate on their learning, their aspirations, and to honestly self-evaluate strengths and weaknesses. This will inform their research on what options are available to them.

• To achieve this, students have a Student Success course scheduled every week. Grade 11 students should work regularly with MaiaLearning, and UK applicants should also be using the UCAS search tool. Grade 11 students will also meet individually with their University Advisor to discuss the application process, which includes talking about to which country/countries the students are applying, their university list, application essays/personal statements, and developing a testing plan if necessary, 
• Some LAS students must submit standardized testing as part of the application process. Therefore, we are a test center for the PSAT, the SAT, and IELTS. The ACT can be taken at another school nearby for students who prefer it to the SAT. Students should work with their university advisor regarding a testing plan.

GRADE 12

For most LAS students, Grade 12 is the time for applications. Depending on the country and course to which they are applying, university deadlines can be as early as October 15th or as late as July after graduation. Grade 12 students also attend a weekly Student Success course, which is focused on the university application process.

• The goal is for the students to be self-reflective; to demonstrate their abilities, individuality, strengths, and character; and to explain how and why that makes them competitive candidates for admission to the universities on their ‘Applying to List.’
   

Scheduling a Visit to LAS

We look forward to welcoming you to our beautiful campus in the alpine village of Leysin. LAS uses MaiaLearning to schedule visits. If your university is already registered with MaiaLearning, then please sign in to schedule your visit. Otherwise, please register here to access MaiaVisits.

Due to a revised class timetable starting in August 2023, LAS hosts in-person visits during lunch Monday through Friday at the following times: 

• Monday and Friday: 11:40 - 12:35

• Tuesday and Thursday: 11:30 - 12:25

• Wednesday: 11:25 - 12:25

If you have any questions, please contact John Blake, who coordinates our university visits from admission representatives, at universityadvising@las.ch.

Wishing you a safe and successful travel season!

 

LAS School Calendar

Check LAS School Calendar

LAS School Profile

Download the Academic Profile 2025-2026

 

Getting to LAS

You can get to Leysin American School in Switzerland through public transportation or personal car. You can pre-purchase train tickets through the Swiss Rail Network (sbb.ch) or you can purchase them upon arrival at Geneva or Zurich airports.  We have several train stations in Leysin, but the Leysin-Grand-Hôtel station will deposit you behind our Belle Epoque building (where our University Advising Center is located).  Please contact us for more information.

If you are driving, Google Maps and Apple Maps will both find us with a name search.  If prompted, please choose the Belle Epoque Campus. Also, please expect some delays due to the road construction on the road up from Le Sépey to Leysin.

You can also manually enter our address:

Chemin de la Source 3
1854 Leysin
Switzerland

 

Other International Schools Near LAS 

If you would like to maximize your time in our area of the Swiss Alps, there are several other international schools that you can visit, including:

Kumon Leysin Academy of Switzerland
Aiglon College
Collège Alpin Beau Soleil
 

To assist you with scheduling visits to international schools in Switzerland, the Swiss Group of International Schools, a collaborative network of university counsellors based in international schools all over Switzerland, has created this document with useful info for you.

The LAS university advisors are here to assist you. Therefore, we encourage you to just stop by our office anytime or if you prefer to schedule an appointment, please feel free to do so using your university advisor’s Calendly link.

There are a large number of useful university resources available for various countries under the Resource tab in MaiaLearning. Each student has his/her own MaiaLearning account. Remember to ‘Sign in with Google’ when you go to the MaiaLearning login page. Please explore all of the features that MaiaLearning offers because students will be asked to extensively use it during grades 11 and 12.

In addition to country specific university resources in Maia, below are some of the other presentations and documents that students may access in it:

• Short podcast interviews with admission experts from around the world
• Writing effective personal statements/essays
• How to request teacher recommendations
• Studying medicine in Europe
• Standardized tests
• Application timelines
• Country-specific 101 presentations

Your university advisors are a valuable resource during your journey through the application process. Therefore, please find time to meet with them as often as possible, especially since they are also required to write a letter of recommendation for you. Remember that we are here to assist and support you, whatever your post-secondary plans are. Have a great school year, and we look forward to working closely with you during your time at LAS.