College admissions is ever changing. St. Anne’sBelfield positions students for success. It is no question that the landscape of college admissions facing today’s high schoolers is drastically different than that of their parents. Exponential increases in competition, race-neutral admissions, challenges to legacy admissions, implications of the changes to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), and updates to application essays have all dominated the news. All of these changes require thoughtful and deliberate planning. At St. Anne’s-Belfield, students and families benefit from an expert team of four fulltime college counselors. Leveraging nearly 60 years’ combined experience as college counselors and college admissions professionals, the Office of College Counseling guides families through a comprehensive and individualized process that positions students for success. Most importantly, during their time at St. Anne’s-Belfield, students receive a multi-dimensional educational experience from attentive faculty that encourages them to grow into visionary leaders and engaged citizens.
The Office of College Counseling
Sandra SohneJohnson, M.A.L.D., P. ’27 Director of College Counseling
Nic Bell, P. ’35 & ’37
Associate Director of College Counseling, Head Lacrosse Coach
Liza Rubenoff, M.A. Associate Director of College Counseling
Our Expert Team 4 full-time counselors 60 years combined experience ~100,000 applications and personal essays read
200+ colleges and universities visited in the U.S. and abroad
22:1 student-to-counselor ratio Kathy Sandridge
Office Manager and SSD Coordinator
Colleen Zierk, M.Ed.
vs. 307:1 Virginia high school average
Associate Director of College Counseling
Whenever I’m asked by others why I chose St. Anne’s-Belfield and why I feel it would be a good idea for them and their families I always reply: the faculty and the staff make St. Anne’s a place that provides inspiration, support, and a depth and breadth of learning that I’ve not found anywhere else. I don’t know a place that would have been better for Izzy.
— Kirsten Sanok, P. ’24
The Saints Difference Our 4-year Curriculum
Track Record of Success
The college counseling curriculum at St. Anne’s-Belfield begins in Grade 9, progressing with greater detail and specificity by grade level. In Grades 11 and 12, students have the additional option of taking a one-module class that covers all aspects of the college admissions process. During this class, Grade 11 students will learn about college, work on their essays, and explore other related topics. Grade 12 students will spend time working on their applications and essays, alleviating the pressure on their extracurricular time and leveraging the expert help of our college counselors and key campus partners. Optional programming for parents/guardians also deepens a family’s knowledge of the nuances and changing landscape of the admission process so that parents/guardians may better support their students.
The admissions landscape is complex and evolving. Our college counseling team stays on top of these changes, applying thoughtful and deliberate planning to our students’ college admissions journeys. As evidenced by the Class of 2023’s successes, our fiveyear college acceptance and matriculation list, and the particular successes of our boarding students, our school community excels at inspiring and preparing the next generation of exemplary citizens and visionary leaders. See more on the following pages.
“Thank you isn’t nearly enough! James wouldn’t be heading to Pitt without the support of the College Counseling team. He did the work, but you held our hands through the whole process.” –Aimee Carter, P. ’23
22:1 Student-to-Counselor Ratio With a student-to-counselor ratio of 22:1 compared to the Virginia average ratio of 307:1, the support we are able to offer students is unprecedented in our industry. St. Anne’s-Belfield students benefit from individualized attention from not only their college counselor, but also the shared expertise of all four college counselors on the team. The additional coaching time each student receives is invaluable.
Class of 2023 by the Numbers 30
Average ACT mid 50% 27 – 33
1304
Average SAT mid 50% 1200 – 1440
73% 52% 2x accepted into their first or second choice college
~100% 70%
Attend College
54%
Admitted Early Decision
62%
4.45
Highest GPA in the Class of 2023
will enroll in a very selective colleges (<25% acceptance rate)
Admitted Early Action
50%
rate is
in-state 72% Our admission rate vs. 27% UVA in-state
admission rate
Admitted Restricted Early Action
44%
Our UVA Acceptance Rate vs. 21% UVA global acceptance
Admitted Regular Decision
out-of-state 58% Our admission rate
vs. 12% UVA out-of-state admission rate
“There’s so much more to consider as an international student,” Tony Qin ’21, originally from China, explains as he describes his path to higher education in the U.S. “The College Counseling team did a great job of guiding us.”
Tony Qin, St. Anne’s-Belfield Class of 2021, is a junior studying Computer Science at the University of California at Berkeley.
Tony credits his teachers for providing the safety and confidence he needed to explore new interests. “I never would have considered studying Computer Science before,” Tony shared.
our acceptance rate vs. global acceptance rates
75%
Upper School Faculty Have Advanced Degrees Nearly 1 in 4 have terminal degrees.
2022-23 AP Scholars:
34 AP Scholars Scholars with 12 AP Honor AP Scholars with 20 Distinction
When Tony became curious about these programs, the college counseling experts at St. Anne’s-Belfied personalized his strategy. “They helped me plan out which tests I should take and which activities would help me.” Together, they tailored a list of schools for Tony based on his interests and academic standing, providing guidance and encouraging him to consider a few “reach” schools. “It was a collaborative process …I want to share my gratitude with everyone who helped me at St. Anne’s.”
Acceptance and Matriculation List Classes of 2019 – 2023 Below are the colleges and universities where St. Anne’s-Belfield students from the past five years were successfully admitted. Bold indicates a Class of 2023 acceptance, and an asterisk (*) indicates a Class of 2023 enrollment Adams State University Allegheny College American Musical and Dramatic Academy American University Appalachian State University Arizona State University Auburn University * Augusta University * Babson College Baldwin Wallace University Bard College Barnard College Barry University Baylor University Belmont University Bennington College Bentley University Berklee College of Music Blue Ridge Community College Bluefield College Boston College Boston University Bowie State University Bradley University Brandeis University Bridgewater College Brown University Bryn Mawr College * Bucknell University Butler University California Institute of Technology California Polytechnic State University (San Luis Obispo) Campbell University Carleton College Carleton University Carnegie Mellon University * Case Western Reserve University Catawba Valley Community College * Centre College Chapman University Christopher Newport University Clark Atlanta University Clark University Clarkson University Clemson University * Coastal Carolina University Colby College Colgate University College of Charleston * Colorado College
Colorado State University (Fort Collins) Columbia University Concordia College Concordia University (Montreal) Connecticut College Cornell University Culinary Institute of America Dartmouth College Davidson College * Denison University DePaul University DePauw University Dickinson College Drew University Drexel University Duke University Duquesne University Durham University Earlham College East Carolina University * East Tennessee State University Eastern Mennonite University Eckerd College Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne Elizabeth City State University Elon University Emerson College Emory & Henry College Emory University * Fairfield University Fairmont State University * Fashion Institute of Technology * Ferrum College Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University Florida Institute of Technology Florida Southern College Florida State University Fordham University Franklin & Marshall College Furman University Gardner-Webb University Garrett College George Mason University * George Washington University * Georgetown University * Georgia College Georgia Institute of Technology Georgia State University Gettysburg College Grinnell College Grove City College
Guilford College Hamilton College Hampden-Sydney College Hampton University Harvard University * Hawaii Pacific University High Point University Hobart and William Smith Colleges Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Hood College Howard University IE University Indiana University (Bloomington) * Ithaca College Jacksonville University James Madison University * Johns Hopkins University * Kean University Kentucky State University Kenyon College * Lafayette College Lawrence University Lesley University Liberty University Long Island University (Brooklyn) Longwood University Louisiana State University Loyola Marymount University Loyola University Maryland Macalester College Marquette University Marshall University Mary Baldwin University * Maryland Institute College of Art Marymount Manhattan College Marymount University Massachusetts Institute of Technology McGill University McMaster University Messiah University Miami University (Oxford) Michigan State University Middlebury College Mississippi State University Montana State University Montclair State University Morehead State University Morgan State University Mount Holyoke College Mount St. Mary’s University Nazareth College
New York University * Norfolk State University North Carolina A & T State University North Carolina Central University North Carolina State University * Northeastern University * Northern Arizona University Northwestern University * Notre Dame of Maryland University Oberlin College * Ohio University Ohio Wesleyan University Oklahoma State University Old Dominion University * Otis College of Art and Design Oxford College of Emory University Pace University (New York City) Parsons School of Design at The New School Pennsylvania State University (Altoona) Pennsylvania State University Pennsylvania State University (Schuylkill) Pennsylvania State University (University Park) * Pepperdine University Piedmont Virginia Community College Point Park University Princeton University * Purdue University Queen’s University Queens University of Charlotte Radford University Randolph College Randolph-Macon College Reed College Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rhode Island School of Design Rhodes College * Rice University Roanoke College * Rochester Institute of Technology Roger Williams University Rollins College * Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Rutgers University (New Brunswick) Ryerson University Saint Ambrose University Saint Joseph’s University Saint Michael’s College Salve Regina University Samford University San Diego State University Santa Clara University Sarah Lawrence College Savannah College of Art and Design School of the Art Institute of Chicago Scripps College * Sewanee: The University of the South Shaw University Shenandoah University Siena College Simmons University Skidmore College Smith College Southern Methodist University Spelman College St. John’s College (Annapolis) St. John’s College (Santa Fe) St. Lawrence University
St. Olaf College Stetson University Stevens Institute of Technology SUNY College at Potsdam SUNY at Purchase College * SUNY University at Buffalo Swarthmore College Syracuse University * Tel Aviv University Temple University Texas A&M University Texas Christian University The Boston Conservatory at Berklee The College of William and Mary * The College of Wooster The New England Conservatory of Music The New School The Ohio State University * The University of Alabama * The University of Edinburgh The University of Montana The University of Tennessee (Knoxville) The University of Texas at Austin The University of Virginia’s College at Wise Towson University Trinity College Tufts University * Tulane University of Louisiana Tuskegee University Union College United States Naval Academy University College London University of Arizona University of Bristol University of British Columbia University of California (Berkeley) University of California (Davis) University of California (Irvine) * University of California (Los Angeles) * University of California (Riverside) University of California (San Diego) * University of California (Santa Barbara) University of California (Santa Cruz) University of Chicago * University of Colorado (Colorado Springs) University of Colorado Boulder University of Connecticut University of Delaware University of Denver University of Florida University of Georgia * University of Hartford University of Hawaii at Manoa University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign University of Iowa University of Kansas University of Kentucky University of Louisville University of Lynchburg University of Mary Washington University of Maryland (Baltimore County) University of Maryland (College Park) University of Massachusetts (Amherst) University of Massachusetts (Lowell) * University of Miami University of Michigan University of Minnesota (Twin Cities)
University of Mississippi University of Missouri (Columbia) University of New Brunswick University of New Hampshire University of New Haven University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill * University of North Carolina at Charlotte * University of North Carolina at Greensboro University of North Carolina Wilmington * University of North Dakota University of Notre Dame University of Oregon University of Pittsburgh * University of Puget Sound University of Rhode Island University of Richmond * University of Rochester * University of San Diego * University of San Francisco University of Scranton University of South Carolina University of Southern California University of St. Andrews University of St. Thomas University of Toronto University of Toronto Mississauga University of Toronto Scarborough University of Utah University of Vermont University of Virginia * University of Washington (Seattle Campus) * University of Waterloo University of Wisconsin (Madison) Ursinus College Vanderbilt University * Vassar College * Villanova University Virginia Commonwealth University * Virginia Military Institute Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University * Virginia State University Virginia Union University Virginia Wesleyan University Wake Forest University * Washington Adventist University Washington and Lee University * Washington College Washington University in St. Louis * Wellesley College Wells College Wesleyan University West Virginia University West Virginia Wesleyan College Western Kentucky University Whitman College Williams College * Wingate University Wofford College Worcester Polytechnic Institute * Xavier University of Louisiana Yale University * York University
St. Anne’s-Belfield School 2132 Ivy Road | Charlottesville, VA 22903 admission@stab.org | www.stab.org | (434) 296-5106
The School admits qualified students of any race, color, national origin, place of birth, ancestry, sex, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, mental or physical disability, or any status protected by applicable law, and extends to them all the privilege to participate in the educational programs generally accorded or made available to students at the School. The School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, sex, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, mental or physical disability, or any status protected by applicable law in the administration of its admission or its educational programs.
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