College Counseling
After submitting 1,344 applications, the 148 members of the Class of 2020, George School’s largest senior class in recent history, will impact the classrooms and campuses of 98 colleges in the United States, United Kingdom, France, and Canada. This accomplished group was admitted to such distinctive programs as the Vagelos Scholars Program in the Molecular Life Sciences at Penn, the IDEAS (Integrated Degree in Engineering, Arts, and Sciences) Program at Lehigh, and NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts for acting and directing. For many in this class, the process of discerning where to matriculate was different. In lieu of attending on-campus admitted student days, students engaged in virtual visits, connected with George School alumni, and evaluated financial aid packages with help from the college counseling office. Their final choices included small liberal arts colleges like Bates, Grinnell, Guilford, and Reed; national research universities like Johns Hopkins, MIT, Stanford, and Vanderbilt; public flagship institutions like Penn State and the Universities of Colorado, Vermont, and Virginia; historically Black colleges and universities like Hampton University, Howard, and North Carolina A&T; such international universities as Ecole d’Ingénieurs ParisLa Défense (France), University of British Columbia
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Director Beth Ann Burkmar
(Canada), and University of St. Andrews (Scotland); and portfolio-driven art programs at Rhode Island School of Design and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. The Class of 2020 plans to study everything from astrophysics to sports management, linguistics to environmental engineering, creative writing to international affairs. Having faced many challenges, these students showed their strength and resilience, qualities that will serve them well in their journey after George School. Juniors, who began their college research in earnest in January 2020, were also impacted by changes brought by the pandemic. Unfortunately, we were unable to host our spring, in-person college fair (in partnership with Solebury School), which normally allows us to exchange information with the admission officers who read George School applications and to introduce students to schools they may wish to pursue. Instead, our office partnered with CIALFO, our college list-building tool, to host our first virtual college fair, offered to guests from Solebury and Episcopal Academy as well as our own students. The event was a great success. Global test dates were also canceled. Because we knew this might cause stress for our families, in April we held an informative virtual session on the changing landscape, and we continue to provide them with the most up-todate information. One thing that has not changed is our ability to offer equal access to SAT/ACT test prep, thanks to a generous grant from an anonymous donor. Since August 2019, college counseling has partnered with a highly regarded local company to provide test prep for interested students (currently virtual). Through the grant, students may receive assistance for the prep course at the same percentage they receive in George School financial aid. Not only have students gained confidence in their ability to take the test, but they have also increased their scores, strengthening their college applications. We will continue to adapt quickly while we help each student think about how and where they will let their lives speak after George School.
