College Counseling Process

List of 6 items.

• Fall College Planning Night for Juniors & Parents

  In the fall of the junior year, the college counseling team convenes a meeting of juniors and their parents. The meeting provides an overview of the key events which will unfold over the following 18 months and addresses the varying roles of students, parents, and counselors in the application process. Perhaps most importantly, the college counseling team reinforces Sanford's essential philosophy about the college application process.

• Spring College Planning Night for Juniors & Parents

  In the spring of the junior year, the college counseling office offers a second large-group meeting for juniors and parents. In this meeting, the team shares more specific details now that most families are more immersed in the mechanics of the process. In addition, the college counseling office invites college admission representatives to serve as panelists for questions from juniors and parents.

• The Student-Counselor Relationship

  In the fall, each junior is assigned to one of the college counselors. The relationship that builds between the counselor and the student is critical to ensuring that the process goes smoothly and that the student and family confidently navigate the application process. The relationship generally begins with individual meetings with the counselor and the student and family throughout the late winter and early spring. Through these early meetings, students and families should begin compiling an initial college list, which is normally fairly broad in scope. Together, the student, family, and counselor gradually pare down the list – usually no later than late fall of the senior year – to the group of schools to which the student will apply. 
  
  During the application process, the College Counselor serves to advise the family on the process, assist the student by reviewing application materials and answering questions when necessary, and write the school’s formal Counselor Recommendation about the student.  In short, the College Counselor provides support for the family during their journey through the application process; however, the counselor does not fill out materials on behalf of the student, register the student for tests, or other such tasks.  This is the student’s application process; the college counselors are here to help facilitate, as needed.

• Junior Year "College Class"

  Beginning in the second semester of the junior year, students attend a series of small group sessions in which they explore a range of college admissions topics with their college counselors. The workshops convene once per cycle during students’ free periods. Readings and discussions are specifically designed to teach students how to navigate their way through the college admissions process. Perhaps most importantly, students are introduced to the Common Application and other application formats, discuss possible essay topics, and engage in activities such as "Mock Admission Committee".

• College Fairs

  Periodically, large groups of college representatives are organized at a College Fair. While Sanford does not host a College Fair of its own, Sanford students may attend annual fairs held locally. Specifically, there are typically at least two college fairs in northern Delaware each year: one at the University of Delaware, and one at one of the local catholic high schools.
  
  In some ways these fairs can be overwhelming – vast numbers of prospective students browsing unending lines of tables…how does a participant accomplish anything? And yet, some of these tables are staffed by the very people who may be reading applications…while others may be staffed by volunteers who know less current information about the institution than a potential applicant. College Fairs may provide access to a great deal of information in a short period of time, but they also could prove a waste of time, depending on the intention of the prospective student and the questions posed to college reps. Our advice? Plan wisely and keep perspective.

• Visiting College Campuses

  We encourage students to begin visiting college campuses during their junior year, though some families begin even sooner. Sanford’s spring break in March allows a perfect time to see a number of campuses. Colleges offer daily information sessions and campus tours for students and families, and most of the smaller colleges offer personal interviews. Campus visits are a critical part of the college search, and students should make the most of each opportunity. It is hard to “know” a school until you have actually set foot on the campus. By listening to what others have to say or write about a college, it is easy to think that one has a good understanding of whether or not a college would provide a good match, but time after time, students tell us that it was the campus visit that determined whether or not they would apply to a college. Though we recommend that students visit their college choices before beginning the application process, the global pandemic has made general travel and college visits, specifically, more challenging, and thus many students will continue to visit colleges - sometimes for the first time - after receiving offers of admission in the spring.