Applying to College Ground work on applications begins during the fifth-form year as students build college lists and settle on a standardized testing strategy and timeline with the college counseling team. Students can open accounts and begin preparing the Common Application and individual school applications after August 1 before their sixth-form year. A critical time during this process is the college counseling boot camp, which is offered at Woodberry just before senior year begins. Though boot camp is optional, it is strongly encouraged. This is a boy’s last chance to prepare applications before he must balance applying to college with rigorous, senior-level coursework. Boys who attend the camp get application support from counselors and essay support from members of the English department.
FINALIZING THE COLLEGE LIST During the fall, seniors and counselors finalize the college list and students work on preparing the best college application possible. Typically, a college list will contain anywhere from five to ten schools. Those schools should be divided among three categories: • Reach schools (academic credential below the accepted student profile) • Target schools (academic credentials in line with the accepted student profile) • Likely schools (academic credentials above the accepted student profile) Starting the college research and the application process early gives boys a chance to put together a strong list and to build thoughtful applications and essays. It also allows counselors time to review essays and application materials and make recommendations for improvements. As a general rule of thumb, if a boy wants his materials reviewed by his counselor, he should share those with his counselor no less than two weeks prior to the college’s deadline. Counselors support students by submitting transcripts and recommendation letters on their behalf, and are guided by agreed-upon submission deadlines listed in Cialfo. It is the boy’s responsibility to submit his applications by those deadlines.
COLLEGE COUNSELING OFFICE
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