John Sy is the founder of and senior counselor at Universitas College Counseling. He is the only Philippine based member of the Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA), the premier professional organization in America for consultants who focus on helping high school students find a good college fit. He is also a member of the Overseas Association for College Admission Counseling (OACAC). He obtained his college counseling certificate with distinction from UCLA in 2013.
He was an international student twice obtaining a bachelor's degree in physics from Santa Clara University (1983-1987) and a masters degree in physics from Washington State University (1990-1992). He is also the parent of an international student; his elder son, Tyler, is currently enrolled as a math major at the University of Waterloo in Canada. He has over 20 years of experience in education and has worked at Xavier School, Ateneo de Manila University, and Chinese International School Manila.
Universitas is a Manila based US / Canada college admissions counseling company. We work with Filipino students who wish to do their college studies in the United States and Canada. Together with the student and his/her family, we will put together an individualized college list based on the student's academic abilities, extracurricular interests and career aspirations. We put together an application strategy to maximize admission chances and minimize stress during the application period.
We are committed to finding an ideal college for each student based on fit rather than ranking or prestige.
We provide C.P.E. college admission counseling.
Certified – We hold professional certifications in college counseling granted by universities in the United States.
Professional - We are backed by professional organizations to guarantee that the information we give is both timely and accurate. We are also committed to professional growth by continuing to visit US and Canadian universities and by attending relevant conferences abroad.
Ethical – We are members of the Overseas Association for College Admission Counseling (OACAC) and the Higher Education Counselors Association (HECA). We are proud to be bound by the high ethical standards of these American professional organizations.
