College Counseling Handbook

CLASS OF

2026

College Application Information — A Quick Reference:

Hathaway Brown’s CEEB code for all standardized testing

Hathaway Brown Address: North Park Blvd Shaker Heights, OH

College Board (SAT)

www.collegeboard.org

ACT www.act.org

List of Test Optional/Flexible Colleges www.fairtest.org

CSS Proﬁle for Financial Aid http://css.collegeboard.org/ FAFSA for Federal Financial Aid https://studentaid.gov/

Mrs. Margaret Appenheimer, Director of College Counseling mappenheimer@hb.edu; ( ) -

Ms Britt Freitag, Associate Director of College Counseling bfreitag@hb edu; ( ) -

Mr Jesse Hernandez, Associate Director of College Counseling jhernandez@hb edu; ( ) -

Ms Victoria Popovich, College Counseling Assistant and AP/PSAT Coordinator vpopovich@hb edu; ( ) - ext

Hathaway Brown Ofﬁce of College Counseling

Part One

Part Two

Hathaway

Brown School College Counseling Handbook

Class of

Part Tree

College Counseling Philosophy and Purpose

Te College Search: Exploration & Investigation

● School Qualities to Consider

● College Research Resources

● Building a College List

The College Application Process

● High School Transcript

● Standardized Testing

● Extracurriculars

● Letters of Recommendation

● Application Essays

Part Four

Part Five

Part Six

Financial Aid

● Need-Based Financial Aid

● Merit Scholarships

College Calendar and Checklist

● College Process Calendar

● Checklist for Students

● Checklist for Parents

College Admissions Myths

Tis Handbook is a compilation of information, some of which was gathered from other college counselors and college admission ofﬁcers. We are especially indebted to the Gilman School, Miss Porter’s School, Punahou School, and Milton Academy for sharing their college counseling programs and handbooks with us

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Hathaway Brown Ofﬁce of College Counseling

PART ONE HB College Counseling Philosophy

Te college search is an exciting time. While it shouldn’t define a student’s high school experience, it is certainly a significant culmination of her education to date. We view a student’s college search as an educational endeavor, as it requires her to use the research, writing, organization, and planning skills that she has developed throughout her time at HB. Te college search is also closely tied to a student’s social and emotional development. Tis experience helps her strengthen many important “soft” skills (independence, resilience, open-mindedness, confidence, empathy, to name a few) that will ser ve her well, both in this process and in the years to follow.

In this spirit, our counseling is anchored by the four values discussed below. We have found that when these priorities are embraced by the counselors, students, and parents, the college search is a positive one.

Self-Awareness: Te better a student knows herself (her strengths, interests, motivations), the smoother the journey. Trough our Junior and Senior Forum classes, as well as through one-on-one counselor meetings and the implementation of various interest and aptitude sur veys, we assist students through this process of self-reflection. A keen sense of self-awareness helps the student identify schools that are a good ﬁt for her interests and goals

Student Agency: While a student will have the support and guidance of her parents and counselors, ultimately, this is her search and her life Te student is the leader of her search

Authenticity: Students need to simply be themselves Colleges want to hear her voice, her personality, her goals Abandon the notion that there is one "right" thing to be, do, or say Be you

Individuality: No two college search journeys look the same. Students each have a different level of readiness to dive into this process, and we meet them where they are. Both students and parents alike should resist the urge to compare one student's journey to that of others.

Use of Independent Educational Consultants and/or Writing “Coaches”

College admissions has become big business. Families are inundated with communications advising the importance of “getting ahead” by hiring a writing coach or Independent Education Consultant to work with their children in college applications and advising. It is important to understand that independent counseling arose to ﬁll the gap for students who attended public schools with massive caseloads (upwards of : student to counselor ratio).

We do not recommend HB families seek out separate college advising and writing support. Te HB student has robust, highly informed, and extremely personalized support at ever y stage of her college search We have three full-time counselors ser ving classes of approximately students We have found that when a student is working with an outside consultant, she struggles in the following ways: navigating conflicting advice, getting uninformed or incorrect advice, and allowing someone to revise her essays so much that they are no longer her own work (colleges spot those quickly) Additionally, she spends less time with her HB college counselor, and as a result, we don’t get the chance to know her as well, making it more challenging for us to advocate for a student effectively

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PART TWO Getting Started: Te College Search, Exploration and Investigation

Students, this handbook is designed to provide you with an introduction to the college admission process. During your participation in Junior and Senior Forum classes, additional materials will be provided to you as they are relevant in your search and application process.

We are delighted to be a part of this college conversation with you during your junior and senior years, and we look for ward to working with you and your family. Tis is an exciting time in your life, and the college search can be lots of fun (really!). Done well, it gives you a chance to learn a great deal about yourself while exploring the many possibilities open to you

While there are some aspects of the college search that you have little control over, there is so much that is in your hands. Te following pages outline the ways in which you can maximize both the learning process and outcomes of the college search:

You are the one who will be going off to college – not your parents, your teachers, your neighbors, or anyone else Take ownership of this process, and engage in it. Te best way to get started is to ask yourself some honest questions about what your values, talents, needs, and goals are. Deans of admissions at highly selective colleges have remarked to us that students who take a thoughtful approach to the search, and who construct a college list that makes sense in terms of “match,” are often seen as more compelling candidates. Te kind of authenticity that is reflected here is one of the qualities that help applicants stand out among the pack, while offering immeasurable beneﬁts to the individual student in the college search. Some questions you might ask yourself:

What values are most important to me?

What kind of person do I want to become?

What am I good at? In what areas would I like to improve?

What are my academic interests? When I have time, what do I pursue on my own?

What sort of learning environment is best for me? Do I like to speak up in class, or do I prefer anonymity?

How hard am I willing to work in college? How much effort am I able to put into fulﬁlling my goals?

What sort of social environment makes me happy? What sort of environment brings out the best in me as a person?

What do I wish I had done differently during high school?

Keep working at these questions (and others), and come up with answers that make sense to you Tis will help you form a picture of the college environment that might be best for you

School Qualities to Consider

Tere are numerous criteria you can use in evaluating a college, but ﬁrst and foremost, they must be your criteria. You are in charge of researching colleges and need to be the primar y “data collector” in your individual search. Ever yone has particular questions and issues of personal interest, but the following is a good general list of factors to consider as you engage in the college search: 2

Academics

● What are the graduation requirements in terms of number of courses and speciﬁc required courses?

● What degrees are offered?

● Does ever y department offer a major? Do they offer liberal arts, professional technical degree programs, or both? Do they offer programs such as engineering, architecture, nursing, or physical therapy?

● If it is a university, what colleges does it contain? Can a student change from one program to another?

● Are there special academic programs? Junior year abroad? Exchange programs? Research opportunities? Interim intensive courses?

● If the school offers a joint program, is there intercampus transportation available so that you can take the courses you want on another campus?

● Is the college calendar run by semester? Trimester? Quarter? - - (four courses in the fall, one during the month of Januar y, four more in the spring)? When do vacations fall?

● What is the standard academic load? What are the maximum and minimum loads?

● Are honorar y and professional societies sponsored? Phi Beta Kappa?

● What courses are open to freshmen? Are there freshman seminars? What courses/disciplines are required?

● When can you take a seminar? Is it easy to get into the courses you want? How large are classes? How many are in the introductor y biology class? Introductor y psychology?

● What does the college consider to be its strengths? What does the college consider to be its weaknesses?

● Is there cross-registration with other area colleges? (e.g., the Five colleges in Western Massachusetts, the Claremont Colleges in California).

● What is the academic advising system like?

● What are the average class sizes for introductor y level coursework?

● When can you start taking specialized courses in your major of interest?

Campus Culture

● What is the school’s histor y, and how does that histor y affect its mission today?

● What is the campus atmosphere? Intellectual? Collegiate? “Preppy ”? Non-conformist? Anti-intellectual? Socially concerned? Experimental? Artistic?

● Co-ed or all-women’s? Religious afﬁliation or non-sectarian?

● Are the students satisﬁed with the way things are run? What are the “hot” campus issues?

● How big is it? Small (< , ), medium ( ,, ), large (> , )?

● Where does the student body come from? Is there racial, cultural, and socio-economic diversity? Is there genuine institutional support for a diverse student body?

● What is the ratio of women to men?

● Is it a ver y political campus, which way does it lean, and is this a ﬁt for you?

● Are there any other issues that are important to you, and if so, how attentive is the college to these factors (green campus, LGBTQ friendly, party school, work hard/play hard, religious, etc.)?

Educational Culture

● What is the student-faculty ratio?

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● Who will be teaching the courses you want to take, teaching assistants or professors?

● Is there a published student evaluation of courses and professors?

● Are the professors accessible? Do they post ofﬁce hours?

● What is the percentage of female professors? Tenured female professors?

● Is the faculty racially and culturally diverse?

Extracurricular Activities

● What kinds of entertainment are available on/off campus? Movies? Plays? Concerts? Exhibits? Lectures? Clubs? How often? At what cost?

● What percentage of the student body is engaged in community ser vice?

● Is the student body considered to be socially/environmentally/politically conscious? What organizations are the most active?

● How important are fraternities and sororities? What percentage of the student body joins? What is social life like for those who do not join?

● Are there adequate athletic facilities? Intramural sports? Intercollegiate teams? What percentage of students play intramural sports?

● What role do the arts play in campus life? What performing ensembles are offered? Are music lessons offered for credit? What sorts of activities are available outside the classroom? How are the facilities? Are studios/practice rooms/video labs/darkrooms, etc., open to ever yone or just to students enrolled in speciﬁc courses? Do you have to be a major in the Arts in order to gain access to studio-space or other facilities?

Regions

Geographic location: You may well have more freedom now than you ever will have at any time in your life. Consider the opportunity of living in another part of the countr y there are great colleges ever ywhere! Most colleges are “regional” in their population, so attending a college in New England, the Mid-Atlantic, the South or on the West Coast will allow you to live in a part of the countr y that is quite different from Ohio Also, since colleges are interested in maintaining geographic diversity, you may have an advantage at colleges further away from Ohio You may ﬁnd Maine or Missouri as different as Colorado or Georgia You will probably return home fewer times from California than from Massachusetts, but the tuition may be lower in other parts of the U S , which can offset the added travel costs

City vs. suburb vs. countr y: Are you a city person or countr y person or somewhere in between? How much do you make use of a city? Do you spend your free time walking in the woods? Do you want to tr y for both? Will the noise and excitement of a city be stimulating or wearing?

Residential Life

● What are the types and availability of residence facilities? What percentage of students live in dormitories? Off-campus? Are ﬁrst-year students housed together or in mixed-class dorms? Are all the dorms coed? By floor or room? How big are the dorms? What do they look like?

● Is housing guaranteed for freshmen? For all four years? Do you have to deposit by a certain date to be guaranteed housing?

● What are the dining facilities like? Dining plans? Accommodations for special diets (i.e. Kosher meals, vegetarian alternatives)? Is there a college nutritionist?

Student Resources

● What does the college do to orient its new students? What sort of guidance is available to new students?

● Are there advisors and professional counselors available? Are they used?

● How common is it for students to have internships or participate in co-ops, and does the college help students ﬁnd these opportunities?

● What are the librar y facilities like? Is the main librar y used for studying or socializing? Are there special collections? Do academic departments maintain their own libraries?

● What are the health facilities on campus? Medical or dental plans for students? How do current students rate the care they receive?

● What is the accessibility to both emergency and non-emergency mental health care? If you want to speak to a counselor, how easy or hard would it be to get an appointment?

● Is there a career resource center? How active is it?

● What extra academic support is available should you need it?

Financial Aid

● Is the admission process “need blind” or “need aware/need sensitive”?

● What does the college perceive your Student Aid Index (SAI) to be? Tis was previously called Expected Family Contribution (EFC), but both the funding algorithm and terminology changed as a result of the FAFSA Simpliﬁcation Act. Complete the Net Price Calculator for each college you are considering to get a sense of how much they expect you to pay.

● Does the college meet the total demonstrated ﬁnancial need of all accepted students? Or do they “gap” in their ﬁnancial aid packages?

● What is the standard grant/loan/work balance?

● Are merit scholarships available? If so, what is the academic proﬁle of someone who is competitive for a merit scholarship at this school?

● How do outside scholarships affect your ﬁnancial aid award?

● Are student jobs available only to ﬁnancial aid students or to anyone? What is the pay scale?

Admissions

● What is the academic proﬁle that is the rigor of curriculum, average GPA, and standardized testing results of last year’s freshman class? (Colleges post this information on their websites, and Scoir can be a helpful tool here too).

● Does the college require the SAT or ACT? Or is the college test-optional or test-flexible? What percent of the recently accepted class submitted a test score?

● Does the college require supplemental essays as part of its application?

● Does the college admit by major? How does the admissions competition differ among speciﬁc programs or majors?

● What is the difference in acceptance rates for early versus regular decision students? What percentage of the class is ﬁlled through either a binding early decision or nonbinding early action program?

● If a public university, what are the criteria for out-of-state students? Do they differ?

● If you are applying as an international student are there additional requirements (TOEFL, Afﬁdavit of Financial Support)?

Life After College

● What percentage actually graduate in four years? Five years? Eventually?

● What percentage of seniors go on to graduate school? Medical school? Law school? MBA programs? How are graduates employed?

● What is the average income of a new graduate? A graduate years later? A graduate years later?

● How active is the alumni network?

College Research Resources

Scoir

Scoir is an online system we use as both a college search resource and the mechanism through which we manage the college application process. Students received a Scoir account in the spring of their sophomore year. Tis online platform has many functions:

● It allows students to see anonymous HB based data for a wide range of colleges through Scoir Scattergrams, graphs which track the GPAs and test scores of HB applicants to a particular school during the last three admission cycles, along with the admission decisions.

● Te Scattergrams allow students to see how their GPAs and test scores compare to those who have applied to the school in past years, as well as the actual outcomes of past HB applicants to that school.

○ Only recently has the platform allowed consideration of whether an applicant applied with a score or without If you see an admitted student on the Scattergram with a score far out of range of other acceptances, she likely applied test-optional (but still has a score attached to her proﬁle in our system)

○ Note: Scattergrams are only able to track two quantitative pieces of data and do not consider other important factors such as rigor of course load, extracurricular involvement, leadership, character, writing, etc

● Scoir is a tool that will help you track the colleges you are interested in applying to throughout the process. It is also the mechanism the counselors use to send your school materials (transcript, letters of recommendation) to colleges.

● Students can “invite” their parents to a Scoir Parent account so that parents can use this research tool as well.

Fiske Guide to Colleges

Te Fiske Guide is a book consisting of narrative descriptions of over colleges and universities within the US, Canada, Great Britain, and Ireland. Its descriptions help bring to life a school’s academic, social, and campus qualities. We recommend this book as it goes beyond rankings and numbers to highlight unique and distinctive aspects of schools within a condensed, two-page description. Updated editions come out yearly, and our recommendation is to utilize one that is no more than a few years old.

Corsava

Tis online platform helps students consider the many qualities and traits that a college can offer, and identify which of those are most preferred by the student. Early in Junior Forum, students receive a Corsava account and 6

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complete a quick online assessment to identify college criteria that may help the student ﬁnd the right ﬁt as they begin to explore college options Tis is a dynamic activity, and it is expected that students’ preferences will change as their college search progresses and as they mature

Te Process of Building Your College List

It takes months to craft a ﬁnal list of schools to which you will apply. As you learn more about the schools and reflect on your strengths and interests, you will see your list evolve. Tere is no magic number with regard to how many schools to which you should apply. On average, HB students apply to between - schools. Strive to build a list of schools that is balanced in selectivity and consists of colleges you would be happy to attend.

Your goal is to identify schools that will be a good ﬁt for you and to build a list that has a balance of the following types of schools:

● Likely schools are those where a student’s scores and grades are at the upper end of their published statistics or they accept more than % of their applicant pool

○ We require that each student apply to at least two schools which we deem as “Likely. ”

● Middle schools are those where a student’s scores and grades are in the middle of their published statistics and they accept approximately % of their applicant pool

● Reach schools are colleges that accept fewer than approximately % of their applicants or colleges where the applicant’s scores and grades are lower than their published averages

● Far Reach schools accept fewer than % of their applicants and/or the student’s academic proﬁle is markedly below the college’s published averages. A student does not need to apply to Far Reach schools in order to have a balanced list!

During your Family Meeting, your counselor will provide you with an explorator y list of schools to begin researching. Te counselor builds this list based on student input outlining their interests and preferences, and also takes into account parent input, particularly within the realm of any geographic or financial considerations. Te Explorator y List is intended to be a starting point. You will continue to work with your counselor to refine this list, finalizing it by mid-November of your Senior year. As a student learns more about colleges, and herself, she discovers what she wants and what she doesn’t want in a college. Tis takes time and research!

We encourage students and their parents to keep an open mind and focus on finding schools that are a good academic, social, and financial fit. Looking solely at college rankings makes the college search and application process ver y challenging and usually ver y disappointing. Just because a college has a high rank doesn’t mean ever y student would thrive there. Tink about who you are and the kind of place where you need to be in order to be successful

PART THREE Te College Application Process

It is natural to wonder what colleges look for in their applicants. Te answer is as varied as the thousands of colleges and universities across the nation. For the most part, schools tr y to build a class that is “well-rounded,” with a diversity of students who bring different strengths, backgrounds and experiences to the table.

A student’s academic profile (high school performance, curriculum, and test scores if used in the process) plays the largest factor in a college’s decision, with the transcript playing the biggest role in a student’s competitiveness for a particular school. However, because the majority of applicants to competitive colleges meet the academic standards of these institutions, colleges find that they need to look beyond grades and scores in order to differentiate applicants and select those who will contribute most significantly to their campus community. Schools differ in terms of how much emphasis they place on an applicant’s extracurricular pursuits, writing, and letters of recommendation. Factors such as athletic or artistic talent, legacy status, or geographic diversity can sometimes play a role in the admission decision.

Te Transcript

While colleges look at a variety of factors to determine what each applicant might bring to their community, most begin with an examination of the high school transcript, the ofﬁcial record of your courses and grades throughout high school. Hathaway Brown School uses a . GPA scale (an A+ is a . ); Honors and AP classes are given an extra . weight. In reviewing your transcript, admissions ofﬁcers typically ask:

What kind of grades has the applicant received over the years?

Is there a trend (upward, downward, consistent, up and down) to her grades?

Has she taken advantage of advanced classes? Did she have access to these classes? How does her senior year program look? Is she challenging herself during this important year? Is she taking the bare minimum requirements, or has she taken more than is required for graduation? Does she have a particular academic interest?

In examining your transcript, colleges are hoping to both understand your academic experience and assess your academic potential. Typically, schools focus on your English, math, histor y, science, and foreign language courses, and they look for a transcript that surpasses minimum graduation requirements. Along with your transcript, HB provides information about course selection policies and course offerings in order for colleges to be able to interpret individual transcripts. Hathaway Brown (along with many independent and public schools) does not rank students.

Testing

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Standardized testing requirements continue to change. While many colleges have indicated they will remain test-optional indeﬁnitely, others have reinstated testing requirements for all incoming applicants. We anticipate colleges will continue to update their testing policies as late as the summer before the Class of ’s senior year. Because the requirements continue to evolve, we recommend students in the Class of take a standardized test. Moreover, as we continue to learn about upcoming changes to the ACT (more detailed information is in the sections below), we have adjusted our advice about which test to take: we recommend that all students sit for the digital SAT. If there are students who want to pursue the paper-based ACT, they should complete their test sittings by summer (by June if testing with ACT accommodations). SAT testers can continue to test into their senior year without concern of the tests being accepted by colleges

Students will work with their counselor in fall of their senior year to determine which scores, if any, they will share with colleges Students should not be sharing any test scores with colleges until their testing proﬁle is complete and they have discussed it with their college counselors

For a list of colleges that are test optional or test flexible, see www.fairtest.org. Colleges interpret standardized tests in a variety of ways, which are further discussed in individual sessions with the college counselors.

PSAT/NMSQT

Te PSAT (Preliminar y Scholastic Aptitude Test/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test) is given at Hathaway Brown to juniors in October Tis examination is designed to measure verbal, mathematical and writing ability, and has a score range of to on each section Tis is used as a practice test to acquaint students with the kinds of questions found on the SAT Scores are reported to the student and to HB, and are used as rough predictors of later scores on the SAT Te results of this test are also used to select National Merit Scholarship Semiﬁnalists, along with College Board African American Recognition Program Scholars and National Hispanic Recognition Program Scholars. Students receiving these honors will be notiﬁed by fall of the senior year. PSAT scores are not used for college admission. HB faculty also refer to PSAT scores when determining some course eligibility.

THE SAT

Tis test is given on the following dates at national test centers listed by state Te SAT is digital and adaptive in format We recommend that Juniors take their ﬁrst SAT either in December or March of their junior year and again later if necessar y (many students take it again in May or June, with any necessar y follow up test sittings in August or October of the senior year).

Te SAT consists of two sections (Reading and Writing, and Math) each broken up into two modules. Scoring is on a scale from. Te test is just over two hours in length, and is adaptive, meaning the better a student does on the ﬁrst module, the harder the questions they 'll receive for the second module but also the more points each one will be worth. Tere's no penalty for guessing, but it is still important to answer as accurately as possible on that ﬁrst section so that students can maximize scoring opportunities on the second.

Due to the upcoming changes to the ACT (discussed below), we recommend that students in the Class of make sure to take the SAT at least once.

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Class of SAT Test Dates & Registration Deadlines

Register at https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/sat/registration. When students set up their account, make sure to use their legal name and list Hathaway Brown as their high school (school code 361260)

Test Date

March , Februar y , Februar y , May , April , April , June , May , May ,

August , (anticipated)

October , (anticipated)

November , (anticipated)

(Fall 2025 dates and registration deadlines will be conﬁrmed by the College Board in May 2025)

Registration dates are several weeks before the tests; you are responsible for meeting all registration deadlines You should be able to access your scores online about two to three weeks after the test date

Students in the Class of already have a College Board account; students should use their HB email to retrieve access to their account should they not know their password. Do not create a new College Board account when registering for the SAT.

THE ACT

Starting in April , the ACT will be undergoing signiﬁcant alterations and colleges have not yet responded to how they will evaluate the new version of the ACT Terefore, if students have a preference for the ACT, they should plan to take the paper-based ACT test and complete their testing by summer (or June for students with approved ACT accommodations). Tis will ensure that the version of the test they complete will measure skills in four major curriculum areas: English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science (the writing section is optional for all colleges except for the United States Ser vice Academies). Starting in April , the version of the test with all four subject areas will be called the “Classic ACT.” Te new “Core ACT” will include just English, Reading, and Math, and there is currently a great deal of uncertainty as to whether colleges will superscore that new test with previous sittings.

If a student does not feel conﬁdent that she can complete her ACT attempts before the summer of , she should instead exclusively focus on the SAT.

After April , the ACT product will phase out the current iteration of the test (and students will need to specify that they want to take the “Classic ACT” on paper in order to use the familiar tests). Starting in September , the ACT composite result will exclusively consist of three content areas: English, 10

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Mathematics, and Reading (the Science section will become optional with its own separate score) Tis new version of the test will be referred to as the “Core ACT ”

Besides making the Science section optional, there will be additional signiﬁcant changes to the test Te multiple choice options will go from ﬁve choices to four and the test will become nearly an hour shorter Industr y experts have flagged a number of potential problems with the Core ACT; mainly, there is no concordance between the Classic and Core ACT, nor is there a concordance between the Core ACT and the SAT Industr y leaders have also noted that the Core ACT is designed to increase unpredictability in scores, to encourage students to retest multiple times in order to gain a higher superscore. Moreover, colleges have no means of evaluating the Core ACT since no concordance exists between this new product and preexisting, reliable ones. Terefore, we do not recommend that students take the Core ACT.

Class of ACT Test Dates & Registration Deadlines

Register at https://www.act.org. When students set up their account, make sure to use their legal name and list Hathaway Brown as their high school (school code 361260)

*Februar y , Januar y , Januar y , April , Februar y , March , June , May , May , July , June , June ,

*Students with ACT-approved accommodations should plan on taking their ﬁrst ACT in Februar y. Please be in touch with Mr. Samad (see information below) to discuss how to apply for accommodations and to learn when special ACT testing is available.

Receiving Accommodations for College Board (PSAT/SAT/AP Exams) and ACT

Te College Board and ACT may provide testing accommodations to students who have a documented disability (Learning Disability, ADHD, or Health Impairment). Te accommodations for students at HB have generally been in the form of % extended time, use of a computer for writing sections, extra breaks, and/or preferential seating Please review Te College Board’s discussion of College Board approval of accommodations on their website Likewise, ACT Accommodations approval must continue to come through the ACT Accommodation Center. Please review their process on their website. Note that approval for accommodations with one testing agency does not conﬁrm accommodations with the other - they are separate entities.

If you feel you may qualify for testing accommodations and/or need to discuss the procedure to document a disability and apply for accommodations, please contact the Upper School Learning Specialist, Rashad Samad rsamad@hb edu

Advanced Placement Tests (AP)

AP Examinations are given in May at Hathaway Brown Tese are three-hour, college-level subject tests used by some colleges for placement and credit, but are not required for admission Te Common Application has a space for students to report any AP tests and scores on the application. Students may make the choice to self-report their AP scores or not, though higher levels of performance (scores of or ) may be cited by teachers

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or counselors within the written recommendations that are part of the application process We recommend that students self-report AP scores of or when applying to colleges

Sending Scores to Colleges

A message to students: when you are ready to report your scores for the SAT or ACT (which is likely in the fall of your senior year), you should be aware of each school’s test reporting policy Some will want you to self-report your scores on the Common Application or their college’s applicant portal, while others will want an ofﬁcial test report For those colleges, you will need to pay a fee to the testing agency in order to send your results Do not send scores to colleges prior to seeing the score and consulting with your counselor. Students are responsible for sending test scores (or self-reporting scores) to the colleges to which they are applying if they are including scores as part of their application.

Standardized Test Preparation

Te HB college counselors consistently track the standardized testing landscape and provide the following support:

● Updated information about the tests

● Practice ACT and practice PSAT

● Individual score assessment in each subsection for counseling and review

● Access to free ACT and digital SAT prep, offered through Method Test Prep, includes self-paced classes and numerous practice tests. Students have free access to this test prep from Januar y of sophomore year through December of their senior year.

Extracurricular Activities

Participation in extracurricular activities can influence admission decisions. While the most important consideration to a college admission ofﬁcer is, “Can this student be successful academically at our institution?,” they are also interested in a rich campus environment for all of their students and therefore look to admit students who bring special talents outside of the classroom. While colleges are not necessarily looking for a “well-rounded student,” they are hoping to build a “well-rounded class” with room for the symphony flutist, the ﬁeld hockey goalie, the community ser vice leader, and occasionally, the alumni child.

Remember: it is the quality of participation in an outside activity, reflecting your commitment and contributions that is most important to colleges. Joining ever y club in sight merely to generate a lengthy list for college applications is counterproductive, but sustained participation in a few activities is impressive to colleges It is important, therefore, that the College Counselors understand what outside activities have been meaningful to you and your depth of participation in them Also, it’s important to remember that there are many different types of extracurricular activities that are relevant to colleges, including involvement in HB Fellowships, working part-time jobs, and having family and home responsibilities In the Counselor Letter of Recommendation, we include information on how a student has spent her free time In some instances, however, in areas such as athletics and the visual arts, it is important that the student work not only with the College Counselor, but with her coach or arts teacher Below we have described the general path a student must take if she wants to highlight these particular talents. It is most important that the student consult with these teachers early in the college counseling process.

Employment

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Working a job during high school, both during the school year and/or over breaks, is valued as an extracurricular activity and such involvement is typically listed within an activity section of an application While they don’t expect all students to have held a job during their summer vacations or during the school year, colleges do recognize the value that can be gained from work experience

Family Responsibilities

Sometimes a student may have signiﬁcant home responsibilities that take up much of their time outside of school Tis may include taking care of a sick family member, having a larger role in the care of larger siblings, or needing to regularly ser ve as a translator for parents/guardians, to name a few Colleges recognize this work may severely limit a student’s ability to participate in other activities outside of school, and likewise welcome the sharing these responsibilities in an application activities section.

Visual Arts

Te Hathaway Brown Visual Arts Department works with seniors directly in the development of their art or photography portfolios. In the fall of the senior year, student work is photographed to be submitted to colleges with the assistance of the art department. Portfolio requirements and preferences var y from school to school, so students will be making multiple portfolios, not just one. We encourage students to attend “National Portfolio Day ” events for portfolio feedback for speciﬁc institutions; these are typically held throughout the fall of a student’s senior year. Please check https://nationalportfolioday.org/ for details.

HB’s Visual Arts Department works ver y closely with each student in the conception, development, and execution of her portfolio. Tey tr y to help students build up areas where they are weak and focus on creating the best possible body of work for each student. Most importantly, each student preparing a portfolio must be self-motivated and demonstrate personal commitment to the task it is, after all, her work.

Questions regarding portfolio preparation can be directed to the Visual Arts teachers A student intending to complete a portfolio should consult with one of them in spring of the junior year

A dance, musical, or theatrical audition or a SlideRoom submission of your work may also be part of a student’s college application Tese should be discussed on an individual basis with your college counselor

Athletics

If you are thinking about continuing with athletics in college and want to know how it might factor in the college admission process, read on Te Ofﬁce of College Counseling and the Athletic Department work together with the student-athlete in this process.

If you are being contacted by college coaches on the Division I, II, or III levels, it is likely perceived that you have the ability to compete in college at some level. If you have not heard from any coaches, but hope to continue in college with a sport, we suggest the following:

● Self-Assessment: Take the time to be honest with yourself about your abilities and potential. If you have never been a starter at HB in your sport, can you really play on the college level? How good is the program at the college you are considering? Do they welcome all players to the program, with potential for development, or only those they recruit?

● Talk with others: Make sure your coach is aware of your athletic goals. Request honest feedback on your potential to compete in this sport collegiately, and also ask for suggestions to gain greater exposure in your sport.

● If you feel that you might be of interest to some college coaches after completing these initial steps, we recommend you talk to your coach at HB about the kinds of colleges you are considering. Discuss other 13

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programs that might be of interest to you Ask if he or she will contact these colleges on your behalf If you are in a sport where college coaches request videos or ﬁlm of your play, start to discuss what you might send

● When communicating with the admission ofﬁces at these colleges, be sure to inform them that you are a varsity athlete and tell them which sport(s) you play. Tey will often pass this information onto the pertinent coach.

● Contact college coaches directly. Let them know of your interest in applying to their college and your intention to participate in their program. You may want to ﬁll out their online questionnaire, send them an athletic resume, or set up a visit to meet with them. All contact with coaches should be from the student, not from the parents.

Depending on your ability, some college coaches might be interested in you, while others might not. Do your best to be realistic in your self-assessment of your athletic talent and the teams for which you are most likely to play. Remember that while you may be good enough to play on a particular college’s team, your athletic talent may not be of a caliber to play a role in the admission committee’s decision making. Coaches have var ying ranges of ability to support you in the admission process, so it is important to understand their system.

Remember that your interests and a coach’s interests don’t always overlap to your advantage. A coach’s goal is to build the best team possible Typically, a coach is allowed to present to the admission committee a list of his or her most desired candidates from among the applicant pool Tere is no guarantee that the admission committee will admit all candidates on a coach’s list nor follow her order of preference; academic and personal factors have to be taken into consideration It is the admission committee that makes admission decisions, not the coaches. For this reason, coaches often create their lists by striking a balance between an applicant’s athletic ability and academic credentials, while factoring in a student’s enthusiasm (or lack of interest) in attending that college Coaches who guarantee you admission are probably overstepping their bounds A coach may lead you to believe that you will make his or her list, but you could be bumped from that list at the last minute if the coach ﬁnds a better athlete or an equivalent (or even somewhat less talented) athlete with stronger academic credentials who is more likely to make it through the admission process. It is not unheard of for a student to be courted regularly, only to be bumped from the coach’s list in the ﬁnal hours of the admission process.

It is not unusual for a coach to ask you to state which college is your ﬁrst choice. After all, in choosing which athletes to support in the admission process, a coach does not want to waste energy or a high position on his or her list on a candidate who is not likely to enroll. We do not want you to lie to coaches. Nor do we want your honesty to put you at a disadvantage in the admission process. If coaches start asking you to commit, it is of critical importance that you discuss this with your college counselor before responding. Remember: there are no guarantees in the college admission process, and this can be particularly true when athletic recruiting is part of the picture.

It is important that you keep us (the College Counselor, the Athletic Director, the Coach) posted throughout the process about communication with college coaches. Our work as your advocates is strengthened if we know which college coaches seem most interested in you. If coaches make unfounded promises to you or ask you to commit when you are not ready to do so, please let us know so we can do our best to advise you

Please be sure to read our HB Athletic Recruiting Handbook if you are interested in playing sports in college, and begin discussing this with your counselor, if you haven’t already It is your responsibility, too, to read and understand the NCAA publication “Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete” available on the NCAA Eligibility Center website

Te Counselor Letter and Teacher Letters of Recommendation

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Te College Counselors prepare a recommendation that details students’ academic and co-curricular strengths, and attempts to convey the “essence” of who they are as students and members of the HB community Students will also ask two teachers to prepare letters of recommendation on their behalf

Te following guidelines have been established regarding teacher letters of recommendation for college applications:

● In the spring, you should ask two th grade core teachers, ideally one instructor from humanities and one from math or science, for a letter of recommendation.

● Letters should be written by faculty who know you and your academic performance well; it is not necessar y to have received an A in the course for faculty to write a good letter of support

● You must indicate to the Ofﬁce of College Counseling which teachers have agreed to write letters of recommendation for you; this is an assignment discussed in Junior Forum

● If anything additional is requested by the recommending teacher, you could supply that information through an informal inter view or discussion.

● Teachers will submit their letters of recommendation to the Ofﬁce of College Counseling via Scoir. We will communicate with all teachers to keep them informed of deadlines you provide to us.

● Letters of recommendation written by faculty members or other school personnel are considered conﬁdential and will not be given to you or your parents. We are all dedicated to writing robust letters of advocacy for our students.

● You should follow up with a thank you, in writing, in grateful acknowledgement of the hours that faculty spend writing recommendations.

Application Essays

Essays are a unique aspect of the college application process that you have signiﬁcant control over. Tey provide an opportunity to bring your personality to life for the admissions team and share subjective insights that go beyond the quantitative data on your transcript and standardized test scores. Use your essays to present the most authentic and compelling reflection of who you are as an individual.

Applications typically involve two types of essays: the Personal Essay (one essay used across applications), and Supplemental Essays (essays speciﬁc to a particular college and considered alongside the application and Personal Essay) Te college counselors will work with students on both types of essays

Te Personal Essay

Te Personal Essay is a key component of the college application process Often referred to as the Common App essay (as the Common Application platform is the mechanism through which the majority if not all of a student’s applications will be submitted), this single essay, up to words in length, is shared with all colleges and universities to which a student applies. For the Common Application, students can choose from six provided prompts or select a seventh option that allows them to write on a topic of their choice. When preparing to write this essay, consider the following guidelines:

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Goals of the Personal Essay

● To help the reader get to know you using the essay as a window to your personality, values, and goals

● To illustrate your uniqueness as a thinking, motivated, curious, committed, or creative person

● To enable the reader to evaluate your writing and thinking

● To help the reader create a full picture of you

General Guidelines for the Personal Essay

● Read the essay question carefully and be sure to answer the question asked.

● Tere is a strict word count ( words). Focus on reflection rather than overly descriptive narrative writing.

● Use your own voice informal, conversational not stilted

● Tink small Anecdotes and rich details work

● Accentuate the positive, even in a painful experience. Show triumph over struggle or learning from mistakes.

● Humorous essays rarely land the way the writer intended. Likewise, overly morose essays can leave a limited impression of the writer.

● Avoid extended metaphors to tell your stor y. We have found that this path can be limiting and often cliche, with the reader actually learning ver y little about the student.

● Obviously, there should be no spelling or grammatical errors

● Avoid lists of activities or duplicate your resume

● Your writing should be your own. Admissions ofﬁcers can quickly detect when an adult has authored an essay. And, when you submit your college applications you are required to attest you are submitting your own work.

● As AI grows, admissions ofﬁces have begun using AI detectors to conﬁrm that the writing is the student’s work. When a student submits her application, she must attest that the writing is her own.

● Avoid the ﬁve paragraph essay as it is too mechanical; let your essay be purpose-driven.

How to Write the Personal Essay

● Decide what your message is ﬁrst; think about the “so what?” of the essay In other words, the “why ” of the stor y – why does this matter to you?

● Spend as much time thinking as you do writing. Brainstorm or free write before the ﬁrst draft after ward, revise Usually, we need to write to discover what is important

● Each junior will have an essay idea meeting with their counselor before they leave for summer in addition to multiple sessions of Junior Forum dedicated to brainstorming.

● If you write about an activity or an experience, focus not on how good you are or what you have accomplished, but what it means to you.

● Don’t ask yourself or anyone else, “What should I write about?” Te appropriate question is, “What should I tell them about myself?”

● Write your essay over time so that you have the opportunity for considerable feedback and multiple revisions

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Many colleges have supplemental essay requirements in addition to the Personal Essay Tese supplemental essays are typically shorter, ranging anywhere from to words in length Colleges that require these often put a greater emphasis on the supplemental essays than the Personal Essay, as they use them to evaluate how well a student knows that particular college and/or if they are a good ﬁt for a particular program Supplemental essays usually require extensive research of the colleges’ academic and co-curricular programs Some supplemental essays are listed as “optional,” but students should view them as required Supplemental Essays can change for each college on a yearly basis, and will not be updated for this class until August of For this reason, Supplemental Essay writing takes place in the fall of the student’s senior year

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PART FOUR Financial Aid

Financing a college education is becoming increasingly difficult for many families. If you believe you will need financial assistance in order to attend college, be sure to acquaint yourself with the procedures that must be followed in applying for financial aid. All colleges have their own requirements for financial aid applicants, so be sure to research financial aid information from each school you are interested in. It is the responsibility of the student and her parents to keep on top of all financial aid deadlines.

Need-Based Financial Aid

Need-based financial aid exists in an effort to provide access to higher education for qualified students regardless of their financial circumstances. Awarded based on demonstrated financial need, need-based financial aid is used to make up the difference between what a family can pay and the total cost of education (tuition, fees, room and board, books, supplies, transportation, and personal expenses). In determining what a family can afford, the need-analysis systems work under the principle that students and their parents bear the primar y responsibility for financing education costs to the full extent that they are able; families are expected to make sacrifices in order to pay for college.

Tere are two primar y formulas used to determine a student’s eligibility for need-based financial aid. Te Federal Methodology is used to determine eligibility for all federal grants and loans as well as most state aid. All students applying for need-based financial aid must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Te Institutional Methodology, used by many colleges and universities to award their own funds, considers some financial information not taken into account by the Federal Methodology. Te College Scholarship Ser vice CSS Profile, owned by the College Board, is used by many schools to collect the data needed to employ the Institutional Methodology; please see https://profile collegeboard org/profile/ppi/participatingInstitutions aspx for a list of schools which use the Profile

Te single most important factor in determining aid eligibility for most families is parental income Other factors may include non-discretionar y expenses (such as taxes, medical expenses, and basic living expenses), parental assets, the student’s assets, and the number of children attending college

Ever y college has a NET PRICE CALCUL ATOR available on their website, which offers an estimate of ﬁnancial aid, based on the data submitted. Some colleges use MyIntuition: Quick College Cost Estimator in addition to their NetPrice calculator. We have found MyIntuition is less precise, but it could be a good start.

We strongly recommend that families who feel they need ﬁnancial assistance complete the Net Price Calculator for several schools prior to their family meeting with their college counselor.

FINANCIAL AID APPLICATIONS

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

Te FAFSA is an online government form used to determine eligibility for U.S. government grants and loans, federal work-study, many state grants, and, for some schools, institutional ﬁnancial aid. It asks families to 18

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provide income, investments, savings, and other financial information in order to determine a student’s need-based financial aid eligibility Tis form must be completed by ever y student seeking need-based financial aid and can be filed online at https://studentaid gov. Te FAFSA has undergone significant revisions in their formula for aid calculations, as well as the actual application platform We are optimistic that for the Class of , the FAFSA process will be smoother than it has been for the last two years

CSS Proﬁle (College Scholarship Ser vice Financial Aid Proﬁle)

Managed by the College Board, the CSS Profile is an online form used by some schools to award institutional aid (grants and loans from individual colleges/universities). It should be completed only if the college/university to which you are applying requires it. For those schools that use it, the CSS Profile is often used in conjunction with the FAFSA to determine a student’s financial need. It asks additional, often more-detailed questions about a family ’s finances than the FAFSA, such as home equity medical expenses, and non-custodial parent information. Te CSS Profile is available online at https://cssprofile.collegeboard.org/

Institutional Forms

Additionally, some colleges/universities use their own form(s). Institutional forms will var y considerably with some covering only basic biographical information and others asking for detailed ﬁnancial information.

Other Requirements

Most colleges/universities require other documentation or information from ﬁnancial aid applicants, including federal tax forms (for the student and the parent(s)), W- forms, Divorced/Separated Parents’ Statement (see below for more information), and the Business/Farm Supplement (see below). Please check each individual school’s requirements

Divorced/Separated Parents

Many colleges and universities will also require information from the non-custodial parent with the expectation that s/he will contribute to college expenses Many of these colleges use the College Board’s Divorced/Separated Parents’ Statement which should be available from the schools’ ﬁnancial aid ofﬁces

Business And Farm O wners

Parents who own a business or a farm, or who are other wise self-employed, may be required to complete a Business/Farm Supplement in addition to the CSS Profile. Te form is available from the financial aid offices of the colleges/universities that require the form.

Early Decision Candidates

It is critical that ED candidates communicate directly with the college financial aid office. In most cases, you will be required to complete the FAFSA and the CSS Profile in the fall, and you may also need to complete other institutional forms. Te college will likely give you your financial aid package at the time of admission. Families should ensure they have completed a college’s net price calculator and feel comfortable with the estimated cost of attendance before committing to a binding Early Decision application.

Questions

If you are unsure about any aspect of the financial aid application process, be sure to seek help. Contact the financial aid offices of the colleges to which you are applying. Each financial aid officer knows his/her own school’s particular policies and procedures better than anyone else and is, therefore, in the best position to answer your questions Don’t be shy!

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Award Packages

Once the admissions office has decided to admit a student and the financial aid office has determined that she qualifies for financial aid, the financial aid office will put together her financial aid package, comprised of several different types of financial assistance:

● Grants: Federal, state, and institutional grants are ﬁnancial aid awards that typically do not have to be repaid

● Loans: Frequently interest-free during enrollment, student loans must be repaid, with interest, over several years following graduation Subsidized Stafford Loans and Perkins Loans are need-based loans on which the federal government pays the interest while the student is enrolled in college and for six months after graduation Students may also qualify for an unsubsidized Stafford Loan

● Work: Te vast majority of ﬁnancial aid recipients will be expected to hold part-time (usually around hours per week) campus jobs in areas such as the librar y, academic departments, food ser vices, administrative ofﬁces, etc

Note: Many ﬁnancial aid packages combine loans and work-study under the heading “Self-Help” and some schools allow students some discretion as to the ratio of loan to work.

In comparing ﬁnancial aid awards from different schools, it is important to look not only at the total family contribution but also to compare the types of aid offered; the ratio of grants to self-help (loans and work) may var y signiﬁcantly

Not all schools guarantee that they will meet the full need of ever y admitted applicant Most schools that are unable to fund ever yone practice “gapping,” meeting less than the full need of some or all applicants Other schools that are unable to offer aid to some applicants choose to deny admission instead Still others practice a policy under which a student is admitted to an institution but denied aid or put on a waiting list for ﬁnancial aid.

Merit Scholarships

College-sponsored merit scholarships are awarded to students based on academic achievement (in general or in a specific discipline); geographic, ethnic, or racial diversity; a particular talent (artistic, athletic, etc.); extracurricular involvement (community ser vice, for example), etc. Tey are not based on demonstrated financial need, though, in some cases, financial need is a consideration Schools differ widely in the number and size of scholarships offered Merit scholarships are also available from a wide variety of non-school groups or organizations (for example, religious organizations, corporations, and foundations) In addition to scholarships shared throughout the year in Upper School Updates, students should consult fastweb.com, the largest scholarship database in the United States

For recipients of need-based ﬁnancial aid, merit scholarships will be incorporated into the aid package Each institution will adjust aid packages according to its own policies, but generally, schools are unable to use the scholarship to reduce the federally-determined family contribution. Most schools will take one or more of the following approaches:

● If the need-based ﬁnancial aid package does not meet the full need of the student, the scholarship can be used to ﬁll the “gap.”

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● Te scholarship may replace self-help (loans and work-study) funds

● Te scholarship may be used to reduce the institutional grant.

If you receive notification of an outside scholarship after you have received your financial aid award, schools typically require that you inform their financial aid office of your scholarship. Te school will then often prepare a revised financial aid award which takes into account the additional scholarship funds.

A note about private scholarship search ser vices: many promise to locate scholarships for which you are eligible, for a fee. In most cases, the same information can be gathered for free from colleges and reliable internet sources such as www.fastweb.com

Additional Financing Options

Many colleges offer individual payment plans allowing monthly payments of the annual fees. Tere are also a variety of loans available to assist in the financing of educational expenses. Individual financial aid offices are typically the best source of information about these programs Sometimes families who have equity in their homes find that a home equity loan may offer the most favorable terms because of possible tax advantages Students and families are encouraged to be assertive in exploring with their college financial aid administrator all possible financing options

Renewal of Aid

Most (though not all) colleges guarantee four years of financial aid to all students who initially enroll with financial aid, as long as they file the required application forms and continue to demonstrate financial need Schools often adjust the loan components of the package as the student gets closer to graduation (for example, reducing grant aid and increasing self-help), and some schools have academic and discipline-related standards attached to their financial aid awards. If the student’s GPA falls below a certain level, for example, her financial aid would be reduced or eliminated. Make sure that you understand a college’s policies on renewal of aid before accepting an initial award.

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PART FIVE College Calendar and Checklist

THE YEAR AHEAD FOR THE CL ASS OF

September , Attend Junior College Info Night at HB

October ,

Dec. , or March , Take the PSAT at HB. Take your ﬁrst SAT.

December , or Feb , Take your ﬁrst ACT. NOTE: due to changes with the ACT beginning in April (and colleges not weighing in yet if they ’ll accept their new test choices), we only recommend you take the ACT if you anticipate being fully done testing by the summer of .

Januar y , Parents only attend Junior Parent College Night, pm in HB Dining Hall

Januar y , Tune in to CCIS Dean’s Event Webinar featuring admissions deans from various selective colleges.

Jan. - May, Student and parent meetings with the College Counselors to begin the college process. Juniors must complete the Biography, and parents the Parent Questionnaire, before the family meeting.

Jan - May, Junior Forum: Te College Counselors meet with students each class cycle to discuss various aspects of the college process

Februar y Begin senior year course selection meetings with college counselor.

March (Spring Break) Begin exploring colleges. Tis is a good time to visit colleges for ofﬁcial information sessions and tours. Colleges also offer a wide array of virtual options to learn about their schools.

April , Attend CCIS College Fair at Andrews Osborne Academy

Spring Decide which designations you will pursue within the Fellowships in Applied Studies.

Spring Ask two teachers from junior year core classes if they would be willing to write letters of recommendation

Spring – Summer, Visit colleges. Make certain to register for your visit on the college website in advance. Complete all Junior Forum assignments these are important for your Counselor Letter of Recommendation and our advocacy in general.

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August Senior parents only attend Senior Parent College Night to learn about the college process for the senior year.

September Attend CCIS Financial Aid Information Webinar to hear a ﬁnancial aid expert explain the nuts and bolts of applying for need-based ﬁnancial aid.

October, Senior work days: Seniors have the opportunity to work on college application materials and visit colleges while being excused from classes

Sept. – Nov., Students continue to meet with college counselors. Students discuss impressions of summer visits, narrow their lists of schools, make sure that they have all the necessar y application materials, and complete ALL necessar y information requested by the Ofﬁce of College Counseling.

Sept. – Oct., College admission representatives visit Hathaway Brown. Students have an opportunity to gather information directly from representatives, and it also ser ves as a valuable opportunity to show demonstrated interest.

Sept – Dec

Senior Forum class is held Te College Counselors meet with students in small groups to continue discussion of the college application process

Spring Counselors remain available to support students in their decision making process and to provide assistance in understanding ﬁnancial aid packages.

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CHECKLIST FOR STUDENTS, CL ASS OF

Te college counseling program is designed to help you navigate your way through your college search and admission process Tis is an important time in your life for self-discover y and genuine reflection on what is important to you Tink about your abilities, needs, and desires; be honest and self-aware during the college search, and let your “internal audit” not lists of college rankings guide you

FALL/WINTER -

❏ When available, attend college meetings at HB with college admission representatives.

❏ Take the PSAT offered in school, October .

❏ Take the December or March SAT and the December or Februar y ACT (being mindful of the changes coming for the ACT).

❏ Please read the College Handbook (students and parents!).

WINTER/SPRING

❏ It is our expectation that you and your parents have read and discussed the HB College Handbook by the beginning of Februar y , and that students and parents arrange a time to talk with each other weekly about the college process and Forum materials

❏ Attend Junior Forum to learn more about the various aspects of the college admission process Complete your Corsava Card Sort and Junior Self-Inventor y (this is a Scoir sur vey) prior to your ﬁrst one-on-one counselor meeting Complete your Biography (also a Scoir sur vey) prior to your Family Meeting with your counselor

❏ Begin (or continue) to gather information about colleges. Read your copy of Te Fiske Guide to Colleges, search for college information on websites such as College Board Big Future and Te National Center for Education Statistics’ College Navigator, make use of resources such as Scoir, and explore the wealth of information available on individual college websites.

❏ Make a list of qualities that you will seek in a college; this will help you cultivate your choices.

❏ Explore colleges during Spring Break; check on the admissions website before making travel plans to register for a visit.

❏ Continue to discuss your college search with your parents on a weekly basis; it is important that you, your parents, and your College Counselor communicate freely and frequently during the entire process.

❏ Meet with your College Counselor to discuss your individual search

❏ Discuss course selection with your College Counselor and your parents

❏ Take the ACT again in Februar y (note our recommendations in light of ACT changes) Students on HB Educational Plans should work closely with Mr Samad regarding registration

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❏ Take the SAT in March, May, or June (discuss timing with your College Counselor) Students on HB Educational Plans should work closely with Mr Samad regarding College Board accommodations

❏ Attend the CCIS College Fair at Andrews Osborne Academy in April

❏ In consultation with your College Counselor, ask TWO faculty members from junior year core courses (preferably one each from math/science and from the humanities) to be a recommender

❏ Complete the Junior Self-Inventor y, Biography, Activity Resume, Junior Insight Form, Involvement in Activities Form, Peer Recommendation, draft of the Common Application Personal Essay; turn into the Ofﬁce of College Counseling by the start of summer break.

❏ Take Advanced Placement Tests if enrolled in those classes. Students on HB Educational Plans should work closely with Mr. Samad regarding applying for College Board accommodations.

SUMMER

❏ Visit colleges that interest you. Continue to explore colleges virtually.

❏ Request an on-campus inter view if one is available (register for/arrange about one month or more before you plan to visit)

❏ Work on your applications so you can share essay drafts with your college counselor when school resumes

❏ Plan a productive summer – work, volunteer, participate in a summer program, visit colleges, read about colleges, think about your essays Colleges are interested in what you do with your time away from school.

❏ If necessar y, take the August SAT. Te registration deadlines are TBA.

FALL

In the early fall of the senior year, you should begin to narrow your college choices to a reasonable list. Te pace will move quickly given the myriad responsibilities you have as a senior. Please be sure to plan your time well.

❏ Meet with your College Counselor to review your individual search; be prepared to talk about your college visits and your current thinking.

❏ Attend Senior Forum.

❏ Continue to explore colleges throughout the fall and if possible visit college campuses; take advantage of the October Senior Work Days to work on applications and/or visit colleges

❏ Attend college meetings at HB for any of the colleges which interest you; visits from admission ofﬁcers to HB are an important way for you to learn more about a college and to show your interest in that college

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❏ Narrow the list of colleges to which you will apply

❏ Sign up for any ACT/SAT you might need; consult with your College Counselor about which tests, if any, you should take

❏ Send your scores to the colleges to which you are applying Some colleges will allow you to self-report your scores on the Common Application and others will ask for an ofﬁcial score report ordered online at the College Board and ACT websites.

❏ Submit the Secondar y School Report Forms (“Orange Forms”) to the College Ofﬁce (will be discussed in Senior Forum).

❏ Complete your sections of the applications and submit them in a timely fashion. Other than your academic record, your essays are probably the single most important part of the whole process; make sure that you do your best work.

❏ Work with the College Counselors to polish your essays.

❏ Gather ﬁnancial aid forms for processing.

❏ Keep on top of merit scholarships for which you qualify.

❏ Keep your College Counselor informed

SPRING

❏ Notify your College Counselor as soon as you receive word from a particular college about its admission decision; consult with her/him about your impending decision.

❏ By May , notify the ONE college you plan to attend that you accept its offer of admission; you will have to make a deposit (this occurs earlier if you are admitted to a binding early decision program).

❏ Notify any college that has placed you on a waitlist as to whether or not you would like to stay on that list.

❏ Notify the colleges that have accepted you (but which you do not plan to attend) that you decline their offer of admission.

❏ Send Advanced Placement scores to the college that you will attend so that you can be given credit, if applicable.

❏ Enjoy the remainder of your senior year!

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Brown Ofﬁce of College Counseling

Hathaway

CHECKLIST FOR PARENTS, CL ASS OF

WINTER/SPRING

❏ Read the HB College Handbook and discuss it with your daughter.

❏ Discuss your daughter’s college preferences with her. Be sure to discuss any ﬁnancial aid concerns or other constraints, if appropriate.

❏ Attend the Junior Parent College Night on Januar y th at : pm in HB Dining Hall.

❏ Attend the Family Meeting It is the student’s responsibility to make the Family Meeting appointment with her counselor Before this can happen she must complete her Junior Self-Inventor y, have an individual appointment with her college counselor, and complete her Biography Parents should ﬁll out the Parent Questionnaire prior to the Family Meeting, please Family Meetings should be made during your daughter’s free periods Te college counselors are here to help; candid and frequent communications throughout the process will beneﬁt us all

❏ Make plans for college visits during spring break or summer vacation; if your daughter would like an on-campus inter view, it is best to contact the college at least one month in advance of your trip. Te student should be the one to arrange any inter views or contact the admissions ofﬁce.

SUMMER

❏ Explore and visit colleges; the more you learn about particular colleges, the more you can help your daughter make important college decisions.

FALL/WINTER -

❏ Attend the Senior Parent College Night in August

❏ Make sure that your daughter is working on her applications throughout the fall; you should be aware of the deadlines she has to meet

❏ Be on top of financial aid deadlines (FAFSA, CSS Profile, and/or individual school forms) and submit them online Attend the financial aid information event sponsored by the CCIS in the fall

SPRING

❏ Consult with your daughter’s college counselor as needed (i.e. to better understand var ying ﬁnancial aid packages).

Table of Contents Hathaway Brown Ofﬁce of College Counseling

PART SIX College Admissions Myths

Myth : “Tere is only one ‘dream school’ for me.”

Not so! Tere are close to , colleges and universities in the United States (not to mention many ﬁne institutions in Britain, Canada, Ireland, Scotland, Australia, etc.). Tere is no “perfect school” out there; each has advantages and disadvantages, and any number of institutions could be a great match for you. Keep an open mind as you search, and work towards putting together a list of many top choices.

Myth : “If I (my parents, my neighbor) haven’t heard of a college, it can’t be ver y good.”

People tend to know just a few schools – the Ivies and some athletic powerhouse schools. Tere are a plethora of excellent schools that will provide you with a top-notch education and endless opportunities for academic and personal growth Be open to learning about the wonderful possibilities out there

Myth : “Financial aid is a concern for me, so I will only apply to inexpensive schools.”

While the cost of attending college is, indeed, expensive, you should be sure to keep your options open by looking into financial aid and scholarship opportunities Sometimes students find that they are offered more need-based aid from an expensive college that pledges to meet full need than from a less expensive college that does not promise to meet full need Do your research and keep an open mind If your family has concerns about paying for college, it can be helpful to let your college counselor know this so that she or he can offer you specific advice and also suggest colleges where you may be able to afford the cost of attendance.

Myth : “I need to ﬁgure out what I am going to major in and then pick a college based on that.”

Te vast majority of high school students can’t predict with accuracy what their college majors and subsequent careers will be (with the exception of a few students who have “always known” that they want to be an artist, an engineer, or some other speciﬁc choice). Since most high school students have only taken courses from a limited number of disciplines, how can they know if their academic passion lies in anthropology, art histor y, or ﬁnance? Te majority of college students change their major more than once.

Myth : “I plan to only visit colleges once I am accepted. Why bother taking the time/spending the money to visit if I don’t know if I have a spot there?”

Visiting a college (after doing substantial research about it and determining that it is a good match for you) can often clarify whether a school should remain on your list. In addition, many colleges use “demonstrated interest” (that is, any “interest” an applicant shows them) when making admissions decisions. Although there are many ways to demonstrate interest, a campus visit is a great way to show your interest in a college. COVID has made it difﬁcult to visit many schools in-person, however, if you do have the opportunity to visit a school, and they are accepting visitors, we recommend that you do so.

Myth : “A great personal essay is my ticket to acceptance.” While the personal essay can be important, it is rarely the deciding factor for an admissions decision A student’s academic proﬁle, beginning with the transcript, holds the heaviest weight during the review process and will determine whether a student is competitive in that college’s applicant pool or not Te personal essay is useful in learning more about a student personally, and could help a college decide if that student would be a good student for its community If the student’s academic proﬁle is not competitive for a school’s applicant pool, however, it is ver y unlikely that a great essay will make that same student competitive overall for admission

Table of Contents Hathaway Brown Ofﬁce of College Counseling

College Counseling Handbook - Class of 2026