Pacifica College Counseling by pacificachristian

PACIFICA COLLEGE COUNSELING FOUR-YEAR PLANNING & GUIDANCE

THE COLLEGE PATH AT PACIFICA The four-year college counseling process is an extension of the school-wide mission, challenging students to think critically and wisely about their college decision, cultivating their interest in learning while encouraging lives of faith, character, and service to the glory of God. Our college counseling philosophy centers on the idea that this is not a “one size fits all” process. The conversations will change from student to student, and success will be measured by the appropriateness of college placement and the quality of experience once the students matriculate to their respective schools. That being said, we want to ensure that students are competitive in the college admissions process.

OUR COUNSELING STAFF

DR. RACHAEL NYABADZA

CARLY BARFORTH

DANE FRAGGER

Associate Head of School for Academics

Director of Counseling

Director of College Counseling

KELLY KURTENBACH

DANIELLE GOLSON

RACHEL MOORE

Academic Counselor

Registrar/Academic Resource Librarian

College Counselor

A FOUR-YEAR GUIDED JOURNEY The four-year process is detailed in nature and is tackled over time in small bites. Students and parents meet with the counseling team consistently to determine college interest, share ideas for growth, craft a multi-year academic and college plan, and learn the details of the college process while fostering a smooth transition from Pacifica to college. The journey takes a relatively uncertain freshman and helps produce a prepared and confident senior with options, and who is ready to launch.

9th GRADE One-on-one student/parent meetings Freshman group meetings Freshman college day at UCLA Freshman college night PSAT exam

10th GRADE One-on-one student/parent meetings Sophomore group meetings Sophomore day at USC Sophomore college night College day trips Meeting with college representatives PSAT exam

11th GRADE One-on-one student/parent meetings Junior group meetings Junior college night Junior college retreat College day trips Meeting with college representatives SAT exam – test preparation College essay workshops East coast college trip

12th GRADE One-on-one student/parent meetings Senior group meetings Senior application bootcamp Senior college night Financial aid night College day trips Meeting with college representatives SAT exam – test preparation College essay workshops Transition to college workshops College celebration day

RECENT ACCEPTANCES

PACIFICA GRADUATE PROFILES

“THE ARTIST”

“THE ACADEMIC”

“THE ENGINEER”

“THE ENTREPRENEUR”

Attending Princeton University

Attending University of Notre Dame

Attending USC

Attending UCLA

Other Invitations Cal Poly (SLO) The King’s College

Other Invitations Lehigh University UC Davis UCSB USC Villanova

College Invitations UC Berkeley / UC Davis UCLA / UCSD / SDSU Villanova Cal Poly (SLO) Case Western Reserve University George Washington University Macalester College

College Invitations University of Miami Cal Poly (SLO) SDSU UCSB UC Davis

GPA & Test Scores Weighted GPA - 4.53 SAT - 1510 Transcript APs 9 / Honors 9 Extracurriculars Wolf Post - Managing Editor Theater - 4 years Volleyball - 4 Years Student Government Valedictorian

NOTABLE PACIFICA ALUMNI

Pacificans at USC

GPA & Test Scores Weighted GPA - 4.34 SAT - 1400 Transcript APs 8 / Honors 5 Extracurriculars Volleyball - 4 years Student Government STEM Scholars Student Government Valedictorian

Alex Knight, UCLA, NCAA Champion, NCAA Tournament MVP

Emile Skoog, USC, MIT Ph.D.

GPA & Test Scores Weighted GPA - 4.43 Transcript APs 10 / Honors 7 Extracurriculars NHS / STEM Scholars Wolf PACappella / Improv / Theater Soccer / Volleyball - 4 Years Student Government Valedictorian

GPA & Test Scores Weighted GPA - 4.40 SAT - 1530 Transcript APs 5 / Honors 9 Extracurriculars Fashion Club Volleyball Student Ambassador Co-Founder / Business Owner

Georgia Twersky, Notre Dame

Drew Aldridge, UNC–Chapel Hill

Chan-Hee Koh, Caltech

Andrew & Michael Sumida United States Naval Academy United States Coast Guard Academy

COLLEGE PATHWAYS Here at Pacifica, we’ve created three different pathways to help students find and get in to the right-fit school. Whether it’s a top 25 college, 25-50, or 75+ ranked college, there is a pathway available to guide course selection , extracurriculars, and activities.

TOP 25 COLLEGES » Weighted GPA 4.4 +

9TH GRADE

10TH GRADE

11TH GRADE

12TH GRADE

» 6-8 Honors Courses

Geometry or Algebra II Honors

Algebra II Honors or Pre Calculus Honors

Pre Calculus Honors or AP Calculus

AP Calculus or AP Statistics

Biology

Chemistry Honors

AP Science

English Honors

AP Language

AP Literature

History Honors

AP European History

AP US History & AP Psych

Government Honors

Foreign Language 1

Foreign Language 2

Foreign Language 3

AP / Honors Foreign Language

Sports or Arts

Club

School Club / Leadership Position

Club Founder or President

Summer Activity / College Course

Service / Passion Project

Passion Project / Summer Activity

Geometry

Algebra II Honors

Pre Calculus Honors

AP Calculus

Biology

Chemistry Honors

AP Science

English Honors

AP Language

AP Literature

History Honors

AP European History

AP United States History

Government Honors

Foreign Language 1

Foreign Language 2

Foreign Language 3

AP / Honors Foreign Language

Summer Activity

Summer Activity / College Course

Sports or Arts

Geometry

Algebra II

Pre Calculus Honors

AP Calculus

Biology

Chemistry Honors

AP Science or Physics

English Honors

AP Language or English

AP Literature

History

AP European History

AP US History or US History

Government Honors or Government

Foreign Language 1

Foreign Language 2

Foreign Language 3

AP / Honors Foreign Language

Summer Activity

Sports / Arts

» 6-10 AP Courses » Highest Rated AP Courses: Calculus, Physics Note: Colleges do not consider AP Scores. The goal is the most rigor with the best grades. » SAT/ACT 1400+ 33+

Extracurriculars » Select activities that weave your unique narrative — showcasing your passions, leadership, and commitment to a well-rounded education.

COLLEGES 25-50 » Weighted GPA 4.2 + » 6-8 Honors Courses » 6-9 AP Courses » SAT/ACT 1275+ 30+

Extracurriculars »

COLLEGES 50-75 » Weighted GPA 3.8 + » 4-5 Honors Courses » 4-6 AP Courses » SAT/ACT 1150+ 27+

Extracurriculars »

848 14 total applications submitted by the Class of 2023

of the Class of 2023 were accepted to a four-year university

of the Class of 2023 will attend college out of state

Highest cumulative GPA, Class of 2023

4.53 3.75

Mean GPA, Class of 2023

average number of apps submitted by each student

PACIFICANS ARE GOING PLACES! Pacifica students are consistently accepted to well over half of the top 100 schools on the Forbes Top Colleges annual list. The Pacifica college counseling program sets a clear course for each student starting freshman year, and our college preparatory approach to academics prepares them for the rigors of college coursework. As a result, our graduates go on to study at a variety of schools across the country, everywhere from small private colleges to large public universities to select Ivy Leagues.

American University

Duke University

Pennsylvania State University

UCLA

Azusa Pacific University

Elon University

Pepperdine University

UC San Diego

Bard College

Emerson College

Point Loma Nazarene University

UC Santa Barbara

Barnard College

Emory University

Princeton University

UC Santa Cruz

Baylor University

Fordham University

Purdue University

University of Chicago

Biola University

Furman University

Rice University

University of Colorado Boulder

Boise State University

George Washington University

Reed College

University of Miami

Boston College

Georgia Tech

Saint Mary’s College of California

University of Michigan

Boston University

Gonzaga University

San Diego State University

University of North Texas

Bowdoin College

Gordon College

Santa Monica College

University of Notre Dame

Bradley University

Grinnell College

Sarah Lawrence College

University of Oregon

Brandeis University

Hope College

Scripps College

University of Pennsylvania

Caltech

Howard University

Seattle Pacific University

University of Richmond

California Lutheran University

Indiana University Bloomington

Smith College

University of San Diego

Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo

Ithaca College

Southern Methodist University

USC

Cal State, Long Beach

Kenyon College

Spelman College

University of Texas, Austin

Cal State, Northridge

Lewis & Clark College

St. Olaf College

University of Virginia

Calvin College

Loyola Marymount University

Swarthmore College

University of Washington

Carnegie Mellon University

Loyola University New Orleans

Syracuse University

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Case Western Reserve University

Miami University, Oxford

Temple University Japan

Vanguard University of So Cal

Chapman University

Middlebury College

Texas Christian University

Vassar College

Colgate University

Morehouse College

Tulane University

Villanova University

College of William and Mary

Mount Holyoke College

U.S. Military Academy at

Washington University in

College of Wooster

New York University

West Point

St. Louis

Columbia College Chicago

Northeastern University

U.S. Naval Academy

Wellesley College

Connecticut College

Northern Arizona University

University of Alabama

Westmont College

Cornell University

Oberlin College

University of Arizona

Wheaton College (IL)

Dartmouth College

Occidental College

UC Berkeley

Whitman College

Denison University

Ohio State University

UC Davis

Whitworth College

Drew University

Otis College of Art & Design

UC Irvine

Williams College

Note: Bolded schools are on the Forbes “America’s Top Colleges” list.

Dr. Rachael Nyabadza Associate Head of School for Academics rnyabadza@pacificachristian.org (310) 828-7015 x116

Dane Fragger Director of College Counseling dfragger@pacificachristian.org (310) 828-7015 x111

1730 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica, California 90403 Tel (310) 828-7015 Fax (310) 829-2063 www.pacificachristian.org 23-24