The college guidance program begins in the ninth grade, and gradually increases until the end of eleventh grade, when the process is in full swing. Freshmen are encouraged in the first year of high school to participate in the educational, emotional and social opportunities offered in high school. The department meets with the students to discuss standardized tests and the SAT subject tests. Sophomores take the PSAT and the college guidance counselors meet with students when the results arrive to help them understand the role of the tests and their results. A sophomore parent meeting, held in the spring, helps parents prepare for the formal college admissions process to begin in the junior year.
For juniors, college guidance is approached on two levels. First, in the winter, the college guidance department meets with juniors when they receive their PSAT scores to discuss the results and begin preparing them for the SAT. In the spring, the college guidance process begins in earnest. There is an important meeting of junior parents and students to outline the entire college application procedure. That meeting is followed by individual meetings with students and parents and a college fair. At the fair, juniors and their parents meet with representatives of some of the colleges that they seek.
In the senior year, the college guidance department focuses on the college application and selection process. In addition to group and individual meetings with the students to discuss their college plans and help them navigate the application process, our seniors have the opportunity to meet with the representatives of a wide variety of college programs. Throughout the senior year the college guidance department remains available through an open door policy to help students in every aspect of the college guidance and acceptance process.