College Counseling:  The Process

Ninth and Tenth Grades:

Context

You should focus on transitioning to Upper School and developing study habits that will make your high school and college careers smooth. The best preparation for college that you can do during these two years is to focus on coursework, get involved in activities you enjoy, and try out new experiences.

You should spend your ninth and tenth grade years exploring and discovering what you enjoy, what intrigues you, what challenges you. Counselors are happy to meet with you and your parents any time during these years.

Students and parents often ask about which extra-curricular activities, and how many of them, students should be involved in. The answer is – there is no “right” type or number. Our counseling team is known to say frequently:

Colleges do not want a student who has a long list of activities and volunteer hours, but who cannot articulate a meaningful interest in any of them. They want students who are engaged, who have active minds, and use their time productively inside and outside of the classroom.

Communication and Information

As you formally start the College Counseling Process in your 10^th Grade year, there are two communication platforms you need to be familiar with.

Outlook
This is our primary method for communicating with you outside of meetings. You will receive both email and meeting requests with important information.

SCOIR Family Connection
This is our online college counseling and application tool; it has a powerful search engine and is also your personal site for information and documents related to your college search and application process.

Eventually, the documents that support your application – transcript, school recommendation, teacher letters of recommendation. – are sent to your colleges via SCOIR.

Important Events

Practice PSAT and ACT
Through the Compass Education Group, EPS offers all sophomores the opportunity to take a free practice test in each of these formats. The tests serve as good practice, and as an indicator for each student as to which format might best fit. The results are not part of any formal record and only help guide students in future testing choices and preparation.

These tests are administered online. Students choose the date and time within a specified window, which is roughly a month long for each test during the winter of the sophomore year.

Class Visit to Local Colleges (April-May)
The tenth grade class and the college counseling spend a half day at two different local colleges.  This day is a great way for students to get an idea for what different colleges feel like and might offer.  These visits are referenced at the start of the search process.

Eleventh Grade

Context

In this year, you begin thinking in more specific ways about the college application and search process. You are given guidance about standardized testing (discussed in a later section) and start your search and application process.

Campus Visits
These are recommended throughout the process.  Visiting different types of schools and different schools of interest, is invaluable in beginning to get a feel for likes and dislikes connected to campuses and programs.

Even before you know exactly which colleges you plan to visit, it is wise to schedule time in your family’s calendar to make these visits. Our breaks offer potential times for lengthier college trips.  In addition, we have a number of Program Development Days when EPS faculty are in meetings, but students are free. These days provide a good chance to visit one or more of the many colleges within a few hours of Seattle, or even a longer trip further afield. See section below about visiting colleges during the summer.

Many students also elect to visit some campuses after they apply and are accepted.  While this is helpful in making a final choice, we caution that the window of time between acceptances and the date to notify the college you have decided to attend is fairly narrow.

Important Dates

Class Meetings (September – May)
During these meetings you receive important information and guidance on beginning your college search and decision process, including context on visits by college reps to the EPS campus, testing, and online resources.

College Rep Visits to EPS (September – early November)
Each fall, over 100 college admission officers take the time to visit EPS to learn more about the school, its program, and meet interested students.  There is no better way for you to help yourself in this process than to spend 30 minutes speaking with an admission representative from a variety of colleges. Juniors are encouraged to attend as many of these sessions as you like, which are held daily during our middle band and immediately after school so as to not interfere with classes.

College Counseling Night for Grade 11 Parents (November)
This event for parents/guardians and is focused on laying out a roadmap for the next year and half of the college counseling program. It will also cover the college counseling topics shared with students during class meetings.  Approximately half of the event is information presented directly by the college counseling team, with the other half dedicated to parent questions.

Standardized Testing Plan (December – January)
With the help of the college counseling team, you should form a testing plan and schedule. Each student is responsible for all registration deadlines. Do not wait until the deadlines to register. Many test sites fill up before the deadline. As a general rule, all students should take at least one administration of the SAT or ACT by the end of the junior year.

Family Meeting #1: The Roadmap (January – February)
This first meeting will be a time the Process Coach, Writing Coach, student and parents/guardians all meet together. This will set the stage for the search and admission process.   Because the best college “matches” reflect more than just admission numbers and desired fields of study, we’ll begin a discussion to help students and families identify their priorities. These meetings last 40 minutes. They are not intended to answer all questions and are only the starting point for a longer process. Students, being ready and willing to share your honest thoughts with your counseling team helps make this meeting most productive.

Individual Meetings with the Process Coach (March – April)
During this time you meet at least twice with your process coach.  Meetings are focused on you building a picture of the kind of school that appeals to you. You also discuss your standardized testing plan, and any campus visits you might be planning. The important thing to know is that you don’t need to “know” specific things about college or colleges you’re interested in. These meetings are simply the beginning of a conversation that will help guide you in your college search and choices.

The Writing Process (April)
Writing Coaches will hold meetings with small groups in their cohort to begin the writing process. You will begin to assess what you most want to convey about yourself and be guided in general ways as to the best way to convey these ideas in your writing. All students will head into the summer with a great base from which to compose the main personal statement.

Family Meeting #2: Student-led (April – May)
At some point between April and the end of May, you and your family will meet with your process coach.  While each student is in charge of their path, keeping everyone informed and giving a forum for all thoughts to be heard is important.  Central to this meeting is an explanation of your College Criteria and a Summer Plan.

• Summer Plan
  • Summer Activities. Think about how you want to spend your summer. It is important for you, that you have an idea of what you want out of your summer break.  While we don’t recommend specific activities for students, we do recommend that students are engaged in activities that they value highly.
  • Build your “Following” List. Coming into this meet, through their individual work and work with their process coach, students should have a minimum of 15 to 20 perspective colleges on their SCOIR list.
  • Begin to plan/schedule summer visits to colleges. Most students and/or families find they do not have sufficient time during the school year to see all of the schools under consideration.  Summer visits do not provide an ideal evaluation of student life on campus, but they do help immensely in understanding the area, the programs, and the campus.  Also, admission offices are best set up to host students and their families at this time.  They will provide a great deal of insight to the college through group information sessions, tours, and sometimes individual interviews.  For students trying to narrow their choices, this information is often sufficient. Indeed, colleges receive more visits by prospective students over the summer than during the whole rest of the year. (Most students will make return visits to their top choices eventually before making a final decision on where to attend.)
  • Writing
    It is a good idea to be engaged in the writing process over the summer—writing notes, brainstorming, and drafting your personal statement. It is our strong hope that you return to campus in the fall with a complete draft of the personal statement and the bulk of the Common Application completed. In August, you will have the opportunity to work toward this goal by attending our application and writing workshop.
  • Continue to research schools. Continue to explore schools – search on SCOIR, read school websites and other materials more deeply (course descriptions, student life, etc.). Contact your counselor if you’d like to meet. We are always happy to meet with you.
• Campus Visits. Don’t find one college you like and quit there. With further research, other colleges may prove preferable. Also, the one in which you are most interested may not work out. The more colleges you see the more educated your choices regarding applications will be in the fall. Do everything possible to make each visit productive. If an individual interview is available, sign up. If you have a particular interest in theater, try to speak with a member of the faculty in that department. If competing in athletics is a focus, see the coach while on campus. Go on campus tours and listen carefully to any group presentations. The more information you gather the better. Also, remember that what seems clear in July may be tough to recall by November. Take good notes, recording your impressions, the name and title of anyone with whom you speak, etc. At the time of visits information seems clear that you will be able to remember it. Over time, without notes details from college visits will fade. Notes are essential.

Teacher Recommendation: Invite #1 (May – June)
Ask a minimum of one faculty member to write for you before the close of school. Ultimately, you will need to ask a total of two faculty members for recommendations. Initial requests should be made in person, and followed up with an invitation through your SCOIR account. Generally speaking, you should ask teachers for this first letter who have taught you during junior year.

Summer Writing & Application Workshop (August)
In this workshop, you will work with your Writing Coach on your personal statement (whether you are in the brainstorming stage or on your second draft), as well as other aspects of your applications, as appropriate (supplemental essays, for example).

Twelfth Grade

The balance of application-writing and coursework make fall and winter terms busy for you – but an exciting time as well. You begin to hone in on a final list of applications, while individual, family, and group meetings provide guidance through the process.

During the early fall, you should also take advantage of the college rep visits on our campus – we have college admissions officers on campus most days. One of the most difficult parts of senior year is actually not the busy fall and winter, but the months of February and March, when you are waiting to hear from schools. And – though most seniors don’t believe us when we say this in August before their senior year– the most intense period of the whole year for many students is late April, when they have received decisions from all colleges – and in turn need to make the final decision on just one to attend.

Summer Writing & Application Workshop (August)

Family Meeting #3 (September – October)
This meeting is vital to review your progress over the summer and plan for the coming months. There is not a right or wrong place to be at this point.  A good general rule is to have identified a solid nucleus of colleges to which you will apply. They should each be appealing to you, and hold some realistic chance for admission. It is likely that your list will still change during the fall. Over the summer, many students revise their general criteria enough after looking that they might be eager for some new suggestions.

Individual Meetings with the Process Coach (September – January)
Although the choice of where to attend is always owned by the student, everyone is happy to listen and offer thoughts when they are desired.   Also, your counselor can offer proactive advice for students who are placed on a waitlist.

College Rep Visits to EPS (September – early November)
Numerous college admission officers take the time to visit EPS to learn more about the school, its program, and to meet interested students. There is no better way to help yourself in this process than to spend 30 minutes speaking with an admission officer. You must sign up for each visit on SCOIR. You must also be sure that you contact your teachers 48 hours in advance of the visit and that you have permission from your teachers if you want to attend these sessions during class times.

Be meticulous about following the calendar of college admission officers who visit Eastside Prep, and sign up for each visit on SCOIR. The actual meetings vary in content and style.  Some students may be just beginning to look at the institution and eager for general information while others will be following up on an extensive prior visit to the campus.  In either scenario, it is extremely important that you attend these sessions for the schools in which you have interest. Colleges keep records on how students have made contact with them. The visiting representatives are the ones most likely to first evaluate your application.

Prepare Each Application (September – January)
Read closely all of your applications, and then distribute the necessary parts to our office and your teachers. Please note that while this is largely done on-line through SCOIR, a small number of colleges require forms that must be submitted in paper. Take care to follow our in-house deadlines for the receipt of these materials—this task seems pesky, but following it to the letter is important.

Send Official SAT or ACT Scores to Schools (October – February)
EPS will not report any standardized testing results (SAT, ACT, AP etc.).  Many colleges will accept self-reported scores submitted on the application form. Some colleges require an official report from the testing agency.  (Note that you are entitled to four free reports each time a test is taken.) It is your responsibility to track these requirements at each college.

Submit any Early Action / Early Decision applications (October – November)
Most early deadlines are during or near the first two weeks of November. If you are interested in applying early to any school(s) please speak with your counselor at least one month in advance.  Early Action applications are non-binding, while Early Decision applications are a binding commitment to attend that college or university.

Finish and Submit Regular Decision Applications (November – February)
Work well ahead of deadlines to ensure your best product.  Ideally, you will have finished all of your applications BEFORE the December break. Remember that we need to know your schools and deadlines well in advance (keep SCOIR up to date!) 

Early Decision/Withdrawal of Applications (December – January)
This is an important step to remember, if you are accepted under ED, your binding early decision agreement requires you to do so and it will afford the colleges the chance to offer a spot to students interested in attending those schools.

Individual Meetings with the Process Coach (January- April)
Although the choice of where to attend is always owned by the student, everyone is happy to listen and offer thoughts when they are desired.   Also, your process coach can offer proactive advice for students who are placed on a waitlist.

Continue to Perform in Classes (January – June)
Your grades will be forwarded to each college to which you will apply.  It is often the last piece of information on you each college will receive, and thus your final chance to impact the decision positively. “Senior Slump” is no laughing matter. Colleges frown seriously on students who let their grades drop precipitously in the winter or spring of senior year, and reserve the right to rescind a student’s acceptance if the drop is severe enough and without legitimate extenuating circumstances.

Notify Counselors of All Decisions and Recommenders of Acceptances (December – April)
Although the school sometimes receives notification of decisions, it cannot be assumed.  Inform your process coach of each decision.  Also, teachers who took the time to write your recommendations are sincerely interested in your outcomes.  It is an important courtesy to inform them of your results and to thank them for their efforts on your behalf.

Notify Colleges of your Decision (December – April)
Obviously, the school you choose to attend must receive confirmation of your decision—the National Candidate Reply Date is May 1. It also is extremely important that you inform the other schools that you will not be attending. Colleges cannot act upon wait-lists until they know of the plans of the students they initially accept. In addition, this is a courtesy owed them after their offer to you.