The Learner's Journey

Helping learners and students around the globe navigate their way through the
complex process of finding their best fit university abroad!

Hi, I'm Heidi Sulcas!

I help talented, driven, young adults develop into the leaders of tomorrow by introducing them to international universities and tertiary learning institutions.

Limitless Options

I am not an agent and therefore am not limited to a portfolio of universities that I work for, or on behalf of.

I support learners to find their best-fit educational solution from any of the 25,000 universities in the world.

Tailored to the Individual

No two learners are the same. I'll tailor the journey to the individual learner's needs.

Application Assistance

Before our guidance session is over, your strategy for completing your applications will be in place with options like working with a writing coach for your personal statement or campus tour organizers.

How Can I Help You?

I have connected students with over 70 higher education institutions across 14 countries.

Find out more by clicking on the button that best describes you?

LEARNERS AND STUDENTS

looking for international university options

High School Management Teams

looking to expose your learners to international universities and to visiting faculty

International Universities

looking to grow awareness of your university in South Africa

Hear from a Proud Parent

We wish we had found Heidi earlier in our journey to send our son overseas. You cannot afford to make mistakes in the application process, and her knowledge of the British system and Universities was a great comfort. Don’t underestimate how helpful it is to be able to pick up the phone and speak to someone in the know, on your team, here in SA. With so many variants, we are very grateful for her clarity, and comfort, our son is placed in a great uni, going to do exactly what he wanted to do.

Mom of Cambridge Homeschooler

Learners and Students

An International University Education awaits you!

The question that I hear most often from parents and learners, “where do I start?”

Together, through a series of conversations either online or in person, I will help you to find an international university that best suits your needs. Whether you seek a university that is in a particular country, or the middle of the city, or in a campus town, or a large campus, or a small campus, or renowned for a specific subject choice I will guide you with unbiased and accurate information to the university with will ignite your journey forward.

Being a graduate of acclaimed international universities, and having lived as an immigrant, I have a deep appreciation for the excitement and challenges that face you at the start of this journey to a university abroad.

I have helped hundreds of learners and students find their way through the complex process of finding their best fit university!

This is what your path to success looks like …

Click on a step below for more detail…

Step 1: Initial Guidance Session

The initial guidance session can be in person or via Zoom depending on proximity. The session is usually around an hour in length and our goal for the session is to establish the starting point for the journey, degree interest, possible country destinations, and for the learner to start creating their criteria for their search. I am often asked the question if parents should join their learner for the initial session. This is a family decision. For undergraduate students, i.e., learners who are finishing high school, I like the parents to be present for the initial session to understand the guided-research process that we will be using.

If learners or students are in need of some additional career counselling or skills evaluation, I refer to my associates Tracy Starke or Ashley Hurwitz.

Step 2: First Round of Research

Within a week of the initial session, I send an email of research for the learner to do (Note: the learner, not the parent). This is the first step in taking responsibility for their education. This is the exploration phase, not the decision phase, of the journey. In this research process I am cognizant of academic performance and have realistic discussions with learners about their possibilities given their results, their work ethic and the amount of academic rigor that they are comfortable with during university. This affects the university choices.

Step 3: Creating the Short-list

We repeat the “meet/email” process for guided research until we arrive at a shortlist of around 10 degree programs.

Step 4: Virtual Meetings with Universities

I recommend that learners/students connect with university representatives to gather as much information as possible. This can be done virtually; I assist with connecting students to university officers. It can also be done by attending programs sponsored by visiting university faculty or by attending Expos like the ones organized annually by Global Education in May and September. These are excellent opportunities to meet international university representatives and get more information.

Step 5: Campus Visits

The only way to truly know if you have chosen well is to “step” on to campus. I can’t stress enough the importance of this. In fact, I am so convicted that this is an essential part of the process that The Learner’s Journey has collaborated with Alicia Butterfield and Jenny Hyde of Uni Tours by Lissajen to assist families in organizing UK tours. For other countries, I draw on my contacts in university offices and university resources to welcome families to campus.

Step 6: Final List

So, you’ve done your research, talked to university representatives, visited campuses, worked hard in your studies and have some results to show for what can be expected for a final aggregate. Now we have a look at what programs can be eliminated and which ones make the cut. It is quite common for learners as well as post graduate students to change direction for degree subject several times. That is all part of the journey. We take it all into account during our guided research to arrive at the Final List for applications.

Step 7: Application Process

The final step in our journey together is to have a strategy for getting your
applications done. I am not an agent and don’t do applications. However, given that
I was one, I know where there are resources to draw on to assist with applications.
This is the easy part!!! Why? Because of the associates in my network, Maxine
Kruger of Global Education and Sally Wells, Application Guru and THE writing coach

extraordinaire. Their combined experience is priceless to my students. Maxine is
the calmly competent application and visa processor (for universities that she holds
contracts with) who simplifies your journey. Sally has been coaching on application
essays for many years with incredible success by her mentees. It is optional to use
Maxine and/or Sally and any service fees are for your account and not included in
my fees.

Book your first individual guidance session and kickstart your Learner’s Journey

No two learners’ paths along the journey of education are the same. Individual guidance sessions aim to help learners develop criteria for their next step in education, guide learners in researching study courses, and create a shortlist of universities for application.

DURATION

60 Min / Session

FORMAT

In-person / Virtual

FEE

from R 2,995

The fee covers steps 1-3 of the learner’s journey.

This could be You!

Heidi was such an important piece in my college application process. Not just with regards to how to put together an attractive application but also on a personal level she was very invested. The daunting college experience that some of my peers went through is one that I am yet to experience. When you have someone that's as knowledgeable as she is about such a complex process it makes it super easy! Something that sets her apart from most institutions is that she understands different education curriculums and has great insight on how to make your application as compelling as possible. She's always had my best interest at heart, even after I finished my first semester she was still happy to help with any problems I ran into at the University of Arizona.

Cambridge Homeschool Student

High School Management Teams

Be part of The Learner’s journey and support your learners to access their best-fit international university

As an independent counsellor focusing on the international space, I am here to support school counsellors.

Keeping on top of what it entails to attend university internationally, and to support learners to guide them toward that goal is a full time endeavour and one that many high school counsellors do not have the time to incorporate into their busy schedules. That’s why I founded The Learner’s Journey, to be your “go to” person for unbiased, impartial information on international university options for your learners.

I have developed programs for learners and their parents on “Where to Get Started” as well as programs to help high school learners make the mind set shift to a university student. These are available for you to “call on” so that you can extend your offering to your learners. In addition, I am on a perpetual search to create opportunities for counsellors to attend educational events or programs aimed at raising awareness of international opportunities for your learners.

One of the tools created with counsellors in mind is University Speaking, an open source, free publication that I conceptualized to be a feature in every counsellor’s office to offer information and guidance.

There are two ways to engage with global universities:

GROUP SESSIONS

Host Heidi for a Group Counselling Session for your parents and learners – it’s a great “Starting point” presentation for families looking for international universities.

UNIVERSITY PROGRAMS

Let your learners understand life abroad by raising your hand when universities offer cross-cultural value-added programs for your learners and event-sponsorship opportunities for your school.

CLICK THE BUTTON BELOW AND COMPLETE THE CONTACT FORM TO GET STARTED

Another Success Story

We have just completed our journey to register our daughter to study in Exeter through yourselves and Heidi Sulcas and I just wanted to drop you a line to say what an incredible, journey it has been with Maxine and Heidi guiding us. From a “what if” though to it coming real, we have been guided by the two most attentive to detail, caring, knowledge and competent people I have met in the service industry. We have been prompted guided so efficiently every step of the way and I would like to formally give these two ladies credit. I have recommended yourselves to a number of my friends and look forward to dealing with you again in the new year for our son. Now to hope that that exchange rate stays where it is.

Mom of Durban Girls College Learner

International Universities

Be part of The Learner’s Journey
and attract learners and students to your university

Though I am not an agent, I am at the “coal face” of the discussions about international university happening around dinner tables in South Africa.

My introduction to international education was as an agent. After spending a few years in the agent space, I realized that my strength was in process counselling and guiding research to make sure that learners and students are making informed decisions based on unbiased, impartial information.

As a parent of international students and a few hundred more who are not biologically mine, but who I feel a responsibility toward to help them to make their best decisions, I want what you want….happy students! That is your best marketing tool!

Universities can get involved in The Learner’s Journey by offering value-added programs, asking to be connected for sponsorships of events, supporting University Speaking via placing ads in the digizine, and being available to meet with my students when they come to visit your campus. All of these activities contribute to the information necessary for a student to make a well-researched decision on their next step in education.

There are two ways to engage with our learners:

UNIVERSITY SPEAKING

Advertise in our feature-rich publication geared at helping high-school learners and university students navigate the world of international study.

HIGH SCHOOL CONNECT

Support high-school learners with value-added programs and sponsorships. Go beyond the marketing presentation.

CLICK THE BUTTON BELOW AND COMPLETE THE CONTACT FORM TO GET STARTED

Take the Stress out of the Journey

There were times over the past year that I wondered if she would ever get to the UK and I know that we could never have done this without your assistance – so from all of us, a BIG THANK YOU! Just before we left I read your University Speaking - UK, which is a great resource for families contemplating this journey.

Mom of Parklands College Learner

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you help with applications?

Yes – depending on the universities – I have access to resources for applications and I make sure that my students know how their applications are getting done before our sessions are completed.

Do you help with essays?

I do limited editing but I refer my students to a writing coach if they are wanting assistance with bringing the relevant information into their essays.

How do we get more information on UK University faculty and organize campus tours?

One of my network associates is a campus tour organizer in the UK. Lissajen Tours is run by two women who were international officers at a couple of UK universities. They have a great network of associates and can assist with planning your campus tour. In other places, I can assist with contacting the international offices to organize campus tours or Zoom meetings.

Do you work with specific universities?

No – I work with students who are looking at universities and that can be any one of the 25 000 universities in the world. I regularly travel to international universities to learn about their faculty and any potential value-added programs that can be adapted to high school learners in South Africa

Are you an agent?

No, I am not an agent. I was one, but I decided in Aug 2021 to go into private practice in international university admissions counselling. I noticed that there was a lack of resources available for admissions counselling for overseas study. I use agents to help with processing student applications and study visas.

What is University Speaking

University Speaking is wholy owned by The Learner’s Journey as a free access guide to international study. It is sponsored by university advertising so that it can be a free publication to counsellors, parents and learners.

With you Every Step of the Way!

My son and I started the daunting task of looking for universities in England and America and came across a few local companies who offer services to assist with overseas placements. We were fortunate to make contact with Heidi who immediately stood out from the others with her knowledge, friendly manner and patience. We dealt with Heidi over the coming months and she was always available to assist with queries, questions and to put our mind at ease. The whole process can be daunting and scary but Heidi is so knowledgeable and experienced and walked us through the whole process. I would highly recommend Heidi. She is a pleasure to deal with and is the best in the business!

Mom of Rondebosch Boys High Schoole Learner

Let's Get Started

Another Happy Parent

Heidi was amazing with my daughter. She helped her find the right degree. Guided her to the right university where she is so happy and excelling in her new life abroad. Thank you Heidi your kindness and patience helped us make the right decisions.

Mom of Somerset College Learner