College Advising Update

PSAT Scores
Students in grades 9-11 should receive access to their PSAT scores on either Thursday, October 24 or Thursday, November 7. College Board has a wealth of information about scores online and you are welcome to call or email Sarah Kramer with any follow-up questions. 

Bluebook, which our students downloaded to take the exam, will also be a great resource for your family. It includes full-length practice exams, preparation timelines, and other ideas to help students get ready for the SAT.

The 44 seniors in the Class of 2025 are making steady progress on their college applications: as of October 24, 90% have applied to one or more colleges and 55% have one or more college acceptances. Congratulations to our future Charger alumni on a successful fall semester. 

Parents, if you are applying for financial assistance, the CSS Profile – required by many private colleges and universities – is already open for submissions. The FAFSA is slated to open in December. Each college where your child applies will outline its financial aid process on its website. You will also be able to find a Net Price Calculator, which will outline the anticipated cost of attendance for your family. 

Though fall is a senior-intensive time in our college advising office, work with juniors begins in earnest this month. On Tuesday, we had our first of a yearlong series of junior workshops during advisory. This week, they were also invited to complete a survey about themselves (and their ideal college environment). We will also be asking parents to complete a survey about their children. Completion of both surveys will help make our junior family conferences (January and February 2025) even more productive. During the week of December 2-6, juniors will have a brief, one-on-one college meeting so that we can get better acquainted as the college advising process begins. 

Parents, you are invited to Junior Parent Night on Tuesday, December 3 at 6:30 p.m. We will provide an overview of the college search, application and decision process.

Many students have also expressed an interest in a practice ACT. Becoming familiar with the format and comparing it to PSAT performance can be helpful as students consider college admission testing to be taken this spring or summer. We will offer this practice opportunity on Saturday, January 25, and more information will be shared in the coming months.  

Sophomores take their college trip March 4-7 (more details to follow). The intent of the trip is two-fold; first, we model for our students how to tour a school (e.g. questions to ask, things to observe, etc.); second, we show them different types of institutions (e.g. public, private, large, small, etc.). We look forward to working with your children and preparing them for college tours your families may take in the coming years. 

We are excited to announce that we will host our second annual College Conversations this winter. Please mark your calendars for Thursday, January 30 at 6:30 p.m. when we will hear from panelists Caroline Randall, Assistant Vice President of Enrollment, St. John’s College, Santa Fe, NM; Elena D. Hicks, Assistant Vice Provost and Dean of Admission, Southern Methodist University, Dallas; and Brandie Eneks, Director Freshman Admissions, Texas A&M University, College Station. Students in grades 9-11 will hear from these college admission leaders during their advisory and club time, and you are invited to attend the evening discussion.