College Advising College Advising
The search for and application to college provides students with many opportunities to exercise their decision-making skills, independence and selfknowledge. The College Advisors offer a comprehensive advising program that begins formally in the fall of Class XI, although they will offer information and counsel to students in Classes IX and X on such topics as college entrance examinations. Although the College Advisors oversee the entire college application process, it is vital that each girl feel confident taking responsibility for and making choices appropriate to her academic and personal goals. The students meet in seminars with them throughout Class XI and through the fall and winter of their senior year. A student in Class XI begins to meet individually with the Advisors during the winter for a series of conversations that eventually includes her parents. The process is a very personal one, in which the Advisors come to know each girl quite well and are thus best able to serve as her advocate throughout. The College Advisors program a series of events to educate families about college, and meet frequently and correspond regularly with students and their parents. All of these exchanges depend on honest and open communication. Families are also invited to attend college-related events, including a college fair and financial aid event, sponsored in conjunction with other Interschool institutions. During the autumn of each year, over eighty college representatives visit Brearley to meet with students in Class XII who may be interested in their college or university. The College Advisors, as the School’s representatives to colleges, write a lengthy letter of recommendation for each student, drawing upon their knowledge of the individual girl; the recommendation is supplemented by substantial commentary from teachers and advisors and is endorsed by the Head of School. The College Advisors are available as counselors and editors as the students complete their applications, and they remain a source of information and guidance until a student has made the decision about which college she will attend. While the primary relationship is forged with the student, the College Advisors serve as a resource for parents as they, too, navigate the college application process.
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