College COUNSELING

FOUR FULL-TIME PROFESSIONALS BRING MANY YEARS OF COMBINED EXPERIENCE ON BOTH THE SECONDARY AND COLLEGIATE LEVELS TO THEIR WORK IN THE COLLEGE COUNSELING OFFICE. THEIR GOAL: TO GUIDE EACH TAFT STUDENT ON THEIR JOURNEY TOWARD A MEANINGFUL COLLEGE EXPERIENCE; IT IS A STUDENT-CENTERED JOURNEY GEARED TOWARDS EDUCATING AND SUPPORTING STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES AS THEY NAVIGATE THE COLLEGE SEARCH AND SELECTION PROCESS.

The journey formally begins in the late fall of the upper mid year, when each student is assigned a college counselor; parents are always invited to participate in the process. In the months that follow, students and counselors meet regularly: counselors learn about each student’s goals, interests, passions, and strengths during those sessions, while students learn about the nuts and bolts of the process, from standardized testing and essay writing to course selection and how best to present themselves through their college applications. All of this work helps students and counselors enter senior year with a solid list of well-researched, highly-personalized prospective colleges.

Senior year is a flurry of activity: students finalize essays, visit more campuses, and submit applications, while college counselors work closely with teachers, coaches, deans, dorm faculty, and advisors in crafting detailed letters of recommendation for each student. Recommendation letters cover much more than just academics: They highlight every facet of a student’s moral, intellectual, and social development, and present each student in an accurate, nuanced, and compelling light.