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| Chris Jones has over five years of experience in Academy's college counseling office. |
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Kicking off the formal college search is the winter workshop for juniors and parents, followed by a "college interview" conducted with each junior. The student completes an information form, then schedules an appointment. The interview gives Director of College Counseling Sarah Brewer and Assistant Director of College Counseling Chris Jones an opportunity to get to know the student better, to learn about his/her background, achievements in and out of the classroom and interests pertaining to college. It also gives them a sense of which colleges the student might find worthwhile investigating in more detail.
In the fall, seniors meet with visiting college admissions representatives, attend evening presentations and make additional visits to campuses as needed. While they are kept up to date with general announcements and reminders, the counseling process requires a more individually tailored approach in the fall. Seniors and parents frequently schedule appointments with the college counseling office to finalize college choices and to discuss application procedures and financial aid matters. Once the final list is narrowed, seniors complete and send applications. The counseling office prepares and mails secondary school reports that include transcripts, test scores and comprehensive letters of recommendation. In January, mid-year reports – containing first semester grades – are mailed to all colleges to which each respective student has applied. A final report is mailed after graduation to the college where each senior is matriculating.
The college counseling program provides for this in a number of ways. A Parent Night is held for each grade level, giving parents a formal opportunity to hear about trends, ask questions and discuss matters of relevance to their child's respective age group. Information about parent nights, test registrations, college visitors and other significant events is published in the Viking Voice and is announced frequently in weekly assemblies. It is distributed to juniors and seniors on occasion also via e-mail and handouts. Students find that the Internet provides an enormous reservoir of college information.
The college conference room is stocked with a range of materials including videos, catalogs, guidebooks, common application forms, ACT and SAT registration forms, a VCR/TV and a computer with Internet access. Just outside the door of the college conference room are two cabinets holding materials and applications from a large number of colleges. All of the resources in these locations are available to students and parents. |
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