College Counseling H A N D B O O K
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Table of Contents Our Philosophy....................................................................................................................................4 Roles & Responsibilities.....................................................................................................................7 Building Your Story............................................................................................................................ 9 Summers Visual and Performing Arts Athletics Standardized Testing........................................................................................................................12 What About Test Prep? Using Cialfo Timelines.............................................................................................................................................14 Conducting a Search.......................................................................................................................16 Working with Admission Representatives Rankings vs. Fit Demonstrating Interest Making the Most of a College Visit Applying to College..........................................................................................................................19 Finalizing the College List Selecting Faculty for Letters of Recommendation Preparing and Submitting Applications Types of Applications Different Application Cycles Accepting an Offer.......................................................................................................................... 23 Selecting a College Accepting an Offer Don’t Double Deposit Taking a Gap Year Affording College............................................................................................................................. 25
RESOURCES Cialfo: woodberry.cialfo.co/signin College Counseling Linktree: linktr.ee/wfscollege ACT / SAT Test Dates: bit.ly/wfstestdates
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Our Philosophy Woodberry Forest School equips young men to pursue learning throughout their lives. While college is a logical step on that path, it is not the final destination. Every Woodberry senior will earn acceptance into excellent colleges that fit his academic and extracurricular interests. There are many colleges that could provide a strong match; there is not one perfect school that will make or break a boy’s future. The college counseling team works to provide support — as co-strategists, sounding boards, and mentors — as the process culminates in a thoughtful college choice.
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There is not Our Philosophy
one perfect school that will make or break a boy’s future.
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Our Philosophy Before they begin thinking specifically about college, boys at Woodberry are encouraged to invest deeply in their high school lives. After all, they’ll be better candidates for college if they have sharpened their talents and developed their passions, academic and otherwise, along the way. In later years, college counselors will begin to guide boys and families in conversations about the mechanics of the college search. Boys in the fourth form will engage in a few immersive activities meant to introduce a healthy college search, but they won’t yet focus on college research or college applying. Instead, we’ll remind them to take advantage of life at Woodberry: exploring interests, deepening commitments, and seeking success and fulfillment in academics, arts, and athletics. Boys should spend these years searching for what they love to do, not where they want to attend college. Each boy is assigned an individual college counselor midway through his junior year. While he will always have access to the expertise of the full college counseling staff, the individual college counselor will serve as the student’s chief advocate and advisor in the college process. College counselors work with boys on everything from course selection to planning college visits to advice about standardized testing.
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Roles & Responsibilities More than any specific college outcome, Woodberry’s college counselors are interested in helping boys develop into young men with strong academic, social, emotional, and character foundations. The college search is a natural extension of the educational experience at Woodberry. Boys are expected to use the college process to learn more about themselves and select an institution that best supports their thoughtfully considered educational and personal goals. During the college search process, the student, parents, and college counselor each have distinct roles and responsibilities.
Student • Make use of opportunities at Woodberry to develop passions and talents. • Explore meaningful summer activities. • Be realistic about strengths and weaknesses. • Decide what you need from your college experience. • Seek the advice of the college counseling office, and communicate with your college counselor about your activities, the colleges to which you are applying, and the decisions you receive from those colleges. • Use Cialfo as a resource to research colleges and manage applications.
• Visit colleges/universities and make the most of those visits through contacts with admission office, faculty in your academic area(s) of interest, or coaches. • Know the requirements and deadlines of each college to which you are applying. • Complete your applications thoroughly and on time, giving ample time for review and revision. • Understand how your test scores might impact your admission at each of your colleges. At “test optional” colleges, decide whether or not to submit your scores. • Know which colleges require “official” test score reports. Have official scores sent from College Board and/or ACT.
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Roles & Responsibilities Parent • Help your son set goals during his time at Woodberry. • Communicate early any strict parameters that should inform your son’s college search (i.e., financial, geographic, etc.). • Support meaningful summer activities — community service, a job, pursuit of a passion, travel, or academic enrichment. • Share your son’s story with the college counseling team.
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• Be open-minded to a range of colleges, and facilitate visits to a variety of campuses with your son. • If your son is interested in playing a varsity sport in college or pursuing art, music, or drama, encourage him to talk to coaches and teachers as well as the college counseling staff. • Educate yourself about financing college and submit financial forms.
Roles & Responsibilities College Counselor • Meet boys where they are. • Emphasize intellectual, personal, and character development over “getting in.” • Educate students and families about the college search.
• Provide feedback on a plan for visiting colleges. • Advise families about financial aid and merit scholarships where appropriate. • Assist in the creation of a college list.
• Encourage students and families to look beyond familiar colleges.
• Consult on the college essay and application materials.
• Recommend new colleges for a boy to research.
• Leverage expertise and professional relationships to provide strong, current advice.
Building Your Story Colleges make admission decisions on a wide range of factors, some of which are beyond a student’s control. What each boy can control is the body of work he develops during his time at Woodberry. This includes academic performance, of course, but it also includes athletics, artistic achievements, extracurricular pursuits, and character development. Boys will use college applications to tell their personal stories. The letters of recommendation written by the college counselor and by faculty members will chronicle and interpret a boy’s time here. The best way a boy builds a story that resonates with colleges is by immersing himself in all areas of Woodberry life of interest to him, and pursuing those interests with honest and genuine vigor, curiosity, and a whole-hearted desire for personal growth. COLLEGE COUNSELING OFFICE
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Building Your Story SUMMERS What students do during their summer break can distinguish them from other applicants of similar academic caliber. Whether they complete a community service project, get a job or internship, take a course, or go to a camp, summer is an excellent time to explore interests or activities not available during the academic year. College counselors, advisors, and coaches are all resources for summer planning. Parents will know best what is possible in the surrounding area and are likely to be the primary resource for facilitating these opportunities. No one option is inherently better — colleges are mainly interested in seeing students use free time in a meaningful way. u Beware of fancy-sounding summer opportunities that cost a lot of money. The summer academic programs at a number of highly selective universities, for example, are primarily revenue generators for those institutions and will not confer admission benefits. Though conventional wisdom might suggest that these opportunities “look good on a college application,” colleges do not weigh them heavily in selection.
ATHLETICS Many students aspire to be involved in varsity athletics while in college, and Woodberry has a long tradition of helping boys reach that goal. Depending on the sport, recruitment could begin as early as sophomore year. Division I (D-I) and Division II (D-II) athletics tend to garner the most attention due to the scholarships available and the regulations imposed by the NCAA. Boys and parents should become familiar with NCAA requirements as early as possible if competitive for D-I or D-II teams. While athletic scholarships are not available at Division III (D-III) colleges and universities, many of them offer a high level of intercollegiate competition mixed with outstanding academics.
Building Your Story VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS A student with artistic talent can be an attractive candidate for colleges. Many colleges offer opportunities to showcase ability in visual art, theater, and music in the application process even if the individual does not plan to pursue a college major in the arts.
Visual Arts u Putting together a portfolio to include with an application takes planning. Most students will finalize their art portfolio during the summer between junior and senior year. Boys interested in submitting a portfolio should consult with their college counselor and the visual arts faculty.
t Performing Arts Some schools may encourage online video submissions of musical or dramatic performances. Depending on the program, some schools may also offer or require in-person auditions during senior year. Members of the theater and music faculty can help boys record performances.
Considering D-III
The NCAA Eligibility Center
D-III colleges tend to boast high academic expectations alongside high quality athletic programs. A student hoping to play more than one sport might find that a D-III school is a better fit. These programs also offer more flexibility in the off-season; students might more easily take advantage of internships, research, and study abroad alongside their athletic commitments.
Students intending to compete in intercollegiate athletics must register online with the NCAA Eligibility Center (https://web3.ncaa.org/ecwr3/) in order to have their academic program of study cleared by the NCAA. Upon registering with the NCAA — preferably by the end of the fifth-form year — Woodberry will be prompted to upload the student’s transcript to the site for eventual approval.
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Standardized Testing PSAT Most colleges will review standardized test scores in the admissions process. Early assessment tools like the PSAT used to be popular in test preparation, but, in recent years, online platforms like Methodize (to which Woodberry subscribes) have outpaced the PSAT in efficacy. Woodberry offers the PSAT optionally to fifth-form students in October, but does not require students to take the test. The PSAT is a qualifying test for the National Merit competition, a program that could earn a small handful of students scholarship money at certain colleges. In the early fall each year, the college counseling office will invite boys and families to register for the PSAT if they have an interest in taking it.
SAT & ACT Almost all admission offices accept both the SAT and ACT and are interested in a student’s highest scores. Students are generally encouraged to take three of these tests — two of one, and one of the other — by the end of their fifth-form year. In addition, students should plan to test at least once more in the fall or early winter of their sixthform year. Most colleges don’t require the “writing” section of the ACT; we encourage students not to engage that version of the test. Boys are responsible for their own SAT and ACT registration; accounts can be set-up through the College Board and ACT websites. Boys will be responsible for having their SAT/ACT scores sent directly from the testing agency to each college to which they are applying and can complete this task on the appropriate testing agency website for a fee.
AP EXAMS Some students will be enrolled in an AP-equivalent course at Woodberry and have the opportunity to sit for the corresponding AP exam. Sharing AP results with colleges – through the Common Application – is optional. Woodberry is a testing center for the PSAT, SAT, ACT*, and AP, which means boys don’t have to travel to take those tests. If a student wishes to be considered for extended time or other accommodations on the SAT or ACT, he must have received a disability diagnosis and should have had accommodations in place at Woodberry for at least four months during the academic year prior to the request. Please contact our test coordinator for assistance with testing accommodations. *Woodberry’s test center code is 250400. When not offered at Woodberry, the ACT can be taken at Orange County High School with test day transportation provided by WFS. 12
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Standardized Testing WHAT ABOUT TEST PREP? There are a wide range of test prep options. Khan Academy – a College Board online partner – offers free SAT practice. Woodberry subscribes to a platform called Methodize that offers an asynchronous test prep curriculum and full-length practice tests for both ACT and SAT. College counselors guide fourth-form students through an assessment process to determine which test, either ACT or SAT, is best suited for them. During the fifthform year, students are offered group classes or supplemental test prep support at a discounted rate. Many students take advantage of spring and summer breaks to prepare for standardized tests. These are particularly good times for more formal courses or tutoring, if desired. Boys can also sign up for the “question of the day” and other free practice questions through the College Board and ACT websites. For a fee, students can order a copy of their ACT or SAT test booklet with correct answers from select test dates.
USING CIALFO
woodberry.cialfo.co A powerful resource for families is a program called Cialfo. In addition to general information about colleges, scholarships and aid, and links to other resources, Cialfo provides a detailed history of Woodberry applications and admission decisions at hundreds of colleges. Except in a small number of cases, Cialfo is also the system used to submit supporting documents to colleges electronically. Cialfo also serves as a vital organizational and communications tool, providing your son and his college counselor a common platform through which important tasks and deadlines are conveyed. A link to Cialfo can be found on the college counseling page of Woodberry’s website. Parents or students should contact the college counseling office if they need help accessing or using Cialfo. COLLEGE COUNSELING OFFICE
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STUDENT
PARENT
1ST TRIMESTER
• Acclimate to Woodberry Culture • Organize a schedule and keep to it • Take challenging courses in which you can do well • Make use of consultations with faculty • Explore extracurricular interests/get involved
• Encourage student to get to know resources and adults at Woodberry • Encourage involvement outside of class • Encourage engagement with advisor around academic challenges
2ND TRIMESTER
• Look to enhance involvement outside of class • Talk to parents about summer opportunities
• Too early to think about standardized testing • Encourage son to try something new • Discuss summer options with son
• Register third form and parents on Cialfo • Available for consultation on college-related matters
3RD TRIMESTER
• Not too early for exploratory college visits • Finalize plans for the summer • Work with academic advisor to schedule appropriately challenging course load
• Facilitate exploratory college visits when and where possible • Help think through fourth-form course load
• Available for consultation on college-related matters
SUMMER
Third Form
• Good time to add an exploratory college visit or two • Spend at least part of the summer pursuing intellectual/work/ community engagement opportunities
• Facilitate exploratory college visits • Encourage a productive summer
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COUNSELOR
Fourth Form
1ST TRIMESTER
• Find study rhythm and meet with teachers in consultation • Begin to pursue leadership opportunities in clubs, organizations, activities
2ND TRIMESTER
• Take YouScience assessment to understand aptitudes and career interests • College visit during spring break • Talk to parents about summer opportunities
3RD TRIMESTER
• Take “evaluation tests” to gain experience with ACT and SAT • Attend mock application file review • Sign up for challenging, but appropriate, fifthform courses • Plan a junior year approach to testing • Finalize involvement plans for the summer
SUMMER
STUDENT
• Spend at least part of the summer pursuing intellectual/work/ community engagement opportunities
PARENT
COUNSELOR
• Encourage deeper involvement with clubs and organizations
• Hold fourth-form kickoff meeting with parents
• Attend Parents’ College Weekend • Facilitate college visit during spring break • Discuss summer options with son
• Host Parents’ College Weekend • Available for consultation on college-related matters
• Attend college counselor office hours • Plan junior year testing approach
• Host college counselor office hours • Help parents/students understand YouScience results • Available for consultation on college-related matters, including curriculum consultation
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Fifth Form AUG
• Possible SAT date (not encouraged)
SEPT
• Possible ACT date (not encouraged) • Attend college rep visits to Woodberry
OCT
• Possible SAT/ACT dates (not encouraged)
NOV
• Possible SAT date
DEC
• Possible ACT/SAT dates • College counseling seminar
JAN
• College counseling seminar • Individual meeting with college counselor
FEB
• Meeting with parents and college counselor (virtual) • College counseling seminar • Possible ACT date
• Long Winter Weekend college tour • Develop résumé/activities list • Talk to parents about summer opportunities
• Virtual meeting with college counselor • Attend Parents’ College Weekend
• Facilitate college visit • Discuss summer options with son
• College counseling seminar • Host Parents’ College Weekend • Long Winter Weekend college tour
MARCH
• Individual meeting with college counselor
• Visit colleges during spring break
• Virtual meeting with college counselor
• Facilitate spring break college visits
• Meet with fifth former & parents individually (virtual)
APRIL
COUNSELOR
• Possible ACT date • Attend college fair in Richmond • Select teacher recommenders
• Individual meeting with college counselor • Finalize involvement plans for the summer
• Encourage conscientious use of college fair
• Offer recommendations of colleges to visit during fair
MAY
PARENT
• Possible SAT date • Grow a college list to 15–20 schools
• Request one teacher recommendation • In English class, begin college essay
• Coordinate on a preliminary college list
• Offer guidance on preliminary college list
SUMMER
STUDENT
• Review application requirements and supplements • Visit colleges on prospective list • Revise college essay • Possible ACT dates (June/July)
• Spend at least part of the summer pursuing growth/ work/community engagement opportunities
• Facilitate college visits
• Be available to discuss college visits and application planning
• Available for conversations about course and test planning
• Revisit course schedule to ensure it’s appropriately challenging
• Help son create plan for ACT/SAT tests
• Register for PSAT (optional)
• Encourage attending college rep visits to Woodberry
• Encourage PSAT registration (optional)
• Advertise college rep visits on Cialfo
• PSAT (optional) • Attend college rep visits to Woodberry
• Encourage prep for PSAT
• Encourage attending college rep visits to Woodberry
• Facilitate PSAT
• Individual college counselor assigned
• Individual college counselors assigned
• Individual meeting with college counselor
• Meet individually with counselees
• College counseling seminar
• Meet individually with counselees • College counseling seminar • Meet with fifth former & parents individually (virtual) • Suggest prospective college options
• Develop list of schools to visit over summer break
Sixth Form
• Request second teacher recommendation & add request to Cialfo • Trim college list to 7–10 schools • Define application timelines for each school • Send ACT/SAT scores to early deadline colleges (where appropriate) • Submit early applications • Possible ACT/SAT dates • Check in with college counselor • Finalize list of regular decision applications • Send ACT/SAT scores to regular deadline colleges (where appropriate) • Update Cialfo with EA/ED/rolling decisions
• Possible SAT date • Attend college rep visits to Woodberry • Check in with college counselor • Possible ACT/SAT dates (last chance for regular application colleges) • For ED admits, submit enrollment deposit and withdraw all other apps • Update Cialfo with EA/ED/rolling decisions
PARENT • Coordinate with son to finalize senior year testing plan
• Beginning of the school year check-in with college counselor
COUNSELOR • Host application boot camp
• Provide additional support for students as they finalize essays and résumés • Review each student’s college list as a team
• Check in with son on final college list and timelines
• Prompt student and assist in completing and filing FAFSA and other financial aid documents
• Ensure ACT/SAT scores are sent to colleges (where appropriate)
• Offer support in the FAFSA filling process if needed • Provide additional support for students as they finalize essays and résumés
• Check in with son to ensure progress has been made toward goal deadlines • Ensure ACT/SAT scores are sent to colleges
• Touch base to ensure application plan for regular decision deadlines has been established
• Finalize plan for regular decision applications
• Meet individually with students
• Coordinate first deadline with student • Ensure each college rep that visits leaves with a thorough understanding of the culture and curriculum at Woodberry • Compose nuanced and story driven letters of recommendation • Review and submit supporting application documents (transcripts, school profile, counselor letter, teacher letters of recommendation) • Provide additional support for students as they finalize essays and résumés
• Counsel students on next steps following initial admission decisions • Counsel students on next steps following initial admission decisions
• Support son in submitting enrollment deposit if admitted ED
• Counsel students on next steps following initial admission decisions
• Share admission decisions and financial aid offers with college counselor
• Counsel students on next steps following initial admission decisions
• Last chance to visit colleges admitted to • Work with college counselor on any wait-list options
• Submit enrollment deposit at only one college
MAY
• Schedule final visits to colleges that have offered admission
• Update “attending” college in Cialfo
• Solidify gap year plans with college counselor (if interested)
SUMMER
APRIL MARCH
NOV
• Possible ACT date • Finalize Common Application: activities, essays, & all other items • Attend college rep visits to Woodberry • Check in with college counselor • Complete and file FAFSA and other financial aid documents • Finalize list of early applications (EA, ED, REA, etc.) by October 1 • Attend college rep visits to Woodberry
DEC
• Possible SAT date • Individual meeting with college counselor
JAN
• Attend application boot camp • Refine college résumé & share with college counselor • Complete Common Application
FEB
OCT
SEPT
AUG
STUDENT
• Notify college counselor of college choice change
• Complete final visits to colleges that have offered admission
• Submit enrollment deposit
• Push students to engage critically with acceptances and refine list
• Send final transcript to college choice
• Assist in finalizing matriculation paperwork (immunization records, housing survey, residency records, etc.)
• Push students to engage critically with acceptances and refine list
Conducting a Search For third- and fourth-form students, the focus should be on Woodberry and getting the most from the opportunities afforded here. College research and list planning begins in the fifth form and continues until regular decision application deadlines during the winter of a boy’s sixth-form year. A search starts with a rigorous self-assessment, facilitated by college counselors and tools provided by the school. Next comes online research, and then virtual and in-person visits to colleges where students and families interact directly with admissions representatives and members of each college community. College counselors work with boys during the search process to establish a large list of colleges — often of twenty or more schools — that a student will pare down before eventually applying to between five and ten schools.
WORKING WITH ADMISSION REPRESENTATIVES Each fall Woodberry hosts representatives from more than fifty colleges and universities for informational meetings with interested boys. These representatives often evaluate Woodberry boys’ admission applications in the late fall and winter. Students should take advantage of the opportunity to get to know these admission officers and use them as resources during the process.
RANKINGS vs. FIT College rankings can, at times, help students and families learn about the strengths or weaknesses of different schools. But rankings are limited, sometimes superficial, measurements of schools and should never dominate or dictate a search. Assessing fit — how a student fits with a particular college’s mission, how he might be made better
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Conducting a Search by a college and in turn enrich that collegiate community — is far more important than rankings. The college counselors use their wealth of experience to help each boy find a college that is the right academic and social fit.
DEMONSTRATING INTEREST Many colleges take a student’s “demonstrated interest” into account when reviewing applications. A boy can first demonstrate interest by attending the session when a college visits Woodberry. Visiting a campus, in person or virtually, can be another critical indicator of interest, as is interviewing with an admission counselor or alum when that option is available. If a student does schedule an interview – which we recommend – here are a few helpful tips: An interview is a conversation between the student and the admission representative. Boys should be ready to explain why they’re interested in the school. They should do their best to relax and talk candidly about their interests and accomplishments. Showing personality and a sense of humor in an interview is encouraged. Questions to Ask: Don’t ask questions with answers easily available online. Asking those questions shows a lack of research and preparation. Here are a few suggestions: • What would graduates say was the most valuable thing about their four years here? • What are the big issues on campus this year? • How do you think the institution will be different in five years?
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Conducting a Search MAKING THE MOST OF A COLLEGE VISIT There’s really no wrong time to visit campuses, though most students begin making [informal] visits in their fourth-form year and finish them early in their sixthform year. Students shouldn’t take for granted schools they’re already familiar with. While attending sporting events or visiting friends and family on a college campus might be fun, these aren’t substitutes for the visits curated by college admission offices. Plan ahead: Colleges usually host one or two in-person information sessions per day. Particularly since the pandemic, colleges tend to require advance registration. Take notes and pictures: Visits can blend together. Photos and notes can capture key highlights. To interview or not to interview: Not all colleges offer evaluative interviews; rising seniors should find out whether interview opportunities are available. Appointments are generally required. Classroom attire is appropriate. Tap the Tiger network: The college counseling office can check if there are any Woodberry alumni attending schools where a student plans to visit and put boys in touch with current college students. College days: Woodberry students are granted three days during each of their fifth- and sixth-form years when they may miss class to visit colleges. Boys may take college days with the permission of their teachers, college counselor, and the dean of students. Visits are most productive when boys visit on a class day. The exception to this rule is when an admission office has scheduled an open house or special program. Any student missing Woodberry classes for a college visit is expected to take an admission officesponsored tour and attend an information session. If a boy wishes to spend the night off campus on a weekend, he may use a long or short weekend in conjunction with a college day. 18
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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 in the spring 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 (less than 20 percent chance of admission) • Target schools (50/50 chance of admission) • Likely schools (greater than 80 percent chance of admission) Starting the college research and the application process in the winter of the fifthform year gives boys a chance to put together a strong list. Beginning in May of the fifth form, he can turn his attention to building thoughtful applications and essays. This timing allows counselors 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.
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Applying to College SELECTING FACULTY FOR LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION A student will usually submit three letters of recommendation to a college. One comes from the college counselor; two come from faculty members who have taught the student. In most cases, boys should select faculty members who know them well and who taught them in the fifth or sixth form. These recommenders do not need to be teachers in a boy’s strongest subject; it’s more important that the teacher know the student well and be able to show a college how he would perform academically and contribute to the community. Boys are strongly encouraged to seek out recommendations from core academic area teachers, unless they are pursuing a fine arts major, in which case a teacher recommendation from that area is advised. Students should request at least one teacher recommendation before the end of the fifth-form year.
PREPARING AND SUBMITTING APPLICATIONS When reviewing application options, a boy should opt to use the Common Application unless otherwise directed by the college. A handful of institutions, like Georgetown University, offer only one application method: an institution-specific online application.
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Applying to College TYPES OF APPLICATIONS Common Application: A large number of colleges and universities accept the Common Application. It enables students to apply to a number of schools using one platform, consolidating application data in one place. Be aware, colleges that accept the Common Application might also require school-specific supplemental materials accessible via the Common Application platform. Coalition for College (the “Coalition Application”): The Coalition Application gives admission access to nearly two hundred member schools, and is meant to encourage students to engage in application-related activities earlier than they might otherwise. The college counseling staff isn’t convinced that, for most students, the platform confers any particular planning or admission advantage. The college counseling office is happy to provide support for students engaging the Coalition Application but encourages students to turn their attention first to the Common Application, except in rare circumstances. Specifying a college within a university: At a number of universities — the University of Virginia and North Carolina State University are notable examples — students might be asked to apply to a specific school or college within the greater university (such as the college of business, school of engineering, school of education, etc.). Students should check the deadlines and requirements of these subunits carefully. “Fast” applications: Some colleges, in order to boost application numbers artificially, will make applying very easy. These efforts are sometimes called “Fast Apps” or “Priority Apps” and they require very little effort from the applicant. “Because it’s easy” or “because it’s free” are rarely good reasons to apply to a college; our advice is for students to be more deliberate than that and apply to colleges that offer a good match. Moreover, if these schools are also Common App members, using the “fast app” will complicate the college counseling office’s ability to submit the student’s school materials online.
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Applying to College DIFFERENT APPLICATION CYCLES Regular Decision: The most common admission application with deadlines for submission between December and February and notification by April 1 of senior year. Early Decision: An Early Decision application may be submitted for only one school at a time; an applicant is obligated to enroll if admitted. Deadlines typically fall around November 1 of senior year, with decisions released four to six weeks after the deadline. Early Action: A non-binding early admission application with early notification. Application and notification dates vary widely, but students are not required to make a final enrollment decision until May 1. Restricted Early Action: A handful of highly selective schools — e.g., Princeton, Stanford, Harvard, and Yale — will offer a restricted early-action program with specific rules about which application types may be submitted to other colleges. Students agree not to apply to any other early decision or early action program (with the exception of early action programs at public universities). If accepted, they are not obligated to attend that school. Students will be accepted, deferred into the regular decision process, or denied admission. Rolling Admission: Schools announce admission decisions throughout the year. Typically, a decision is rendered three to five weeks after a complete application is received by the college.
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Accepting an Offer SELECTING A COLLEGE Students applying under Regular Decision plans generally receive admission decisions by April 1. The next step is for each student, with the help of his parents, to consider his options carefully and decide where to enroll. Important steps in this process are: • Review all offers of admission (including any available scholarships, grants, workstudy programs, honors colleges, etc.) and discuss with his college counselor. • Consider deferrals or wait-list offers and discuss them with his college counselor. • Attend special admitted-student programs, receptions, or overnight visits offered by schools to get a better feeling for the campus and community. • Select one school — and only one school — to commit to by or before May 1. • Notify the college counselor of the enrollment decision immediately. • After making a deposit, promptly decline all other offers of admission (via email or application portal).
ACCEPTING AN OFFER When a student receives all of his college decisions, he works with his college counselor and parents to make a final decision. Lots of factors go into a final decision — academic and extracurricular program fit, college location, and scholarship and financial aid packages. Each college has its own process for accepting an offer, though nearly all are now done online and involve submitting an enrollment deposit. Students must send a deposit to their school of choice no later than May 1. Deposit deadlines may occur sooner for Early Decision admits and scholarship recipients.
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Accepting an Offer DON’T DOUBLE DEPOSIT “Double depositing” is accepting a position and sending a deposit to more than one college. This act is unethical. It prevents colleges from planning their classes, and it often leads to other students — who would have gladly enrolled — being released from waiting lists. Depositing at more than one school also violates terms each student agrees to when he fills out his college applications. Double depositing harms other prospective students and future Woodberry graduates. If a Woodberry student submits a deposit and then does not follow through on his pledge to attend, a college may be less likely to admit other Woodberry students in the future.
TAKING A GAP YEAR Colleges are often very supportive of high school graduates who choose to take a gap year after graduating high school. In some cases students will defer their matriculation to a college for one year and plan to attend that school after the gap year. In other cases a student may conduct a new college application process after the gap year. Colleges are most interested in students who use a gap year to push and challenge themselves, whether through work, volunteer activities, or travel. Gap years can be pursued through programs such as the English Speaking Union (which matches students with boarding schools in the United Kingdom) or through a family’s own arrangements and planning. The possibilities for a gap year are nearly limitless. What’s most important is that a student will do something over the year that helps him grow and mature, and demonstrate that growth to a college.
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Affording College A college education is expensive, and the means to determining eligibility for financial assistance are not always obvious. A good place for any family to start is the online Net Price Calculator provided by almost every college. Some colleges offer merit scholarships available to students without regard to need. Merit scholarships vary from college to college and may take into consideration factors such as academics, extracurricular activities, and leadership. Most merit awards are partial scholarships. Pay attention to scholarship deadlines — many are earlier than application deadlines. There are also community organizations that offer scholarships. These may supplement aid received from colleges. The best scholarships to apply for are those renewable for all four years. Parents should research financial aid application requirements at each school on their son’s list. Students and families applying for financial aid will need to complete the FAFSA, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, found at studentaid.gov and available October 1 of a boy’s sixth-form year. Some private colleges also require the CSS PROFILE, which can be found at cssprofile.collegeboard.org starting in September. Tax information filed in the previous year is used to fill out a FAFSA application. Some colleges may also require supplemental financial aid forms. Please consult individual college websites for specific information. Woodberry uses a different methodology than colleges do to calculate financial aid. Families who receive financial aid at Woodberry often find that the amount colleges expect the family to contribute to their son’s college education is higher. Loans can make up a significant portion of a college financial aid package. Learn a bit about common financial aid language. The college counseling staff hosts a financial aid webinar for fifth- and sixth-form families in the fall, and is available to help answer questions or explain terms. Colleges have specific information on their websites for international students and their families. Please review these websites thoroughly, as some colleges do not offer much aid to non-US citizens. COLLEGE COUNSELING OFFICE
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COLLEGE COUNSELING OFFICE
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Woodberry Forest School College Counseling Office 148 Woodberry Forest Road Woodberry Forest, Virginia 22989 540-672-6050 woodberry.org
