The college application process is often an anxious time for students and parents alike—students strive to figure out what they are looking for in colleges while parents navigate how to be supportive. Heightened pressure on students to find the “perfect” school has not aided in keeping anxiety levels low. At St. Margaret’s, we recognize that applying to college can be a daunting task. To make it more manageable, Director of College Guidance Sheri Gross has a college planning guide that maps out what should be done regarding applying to college for each year of high school. By starting early, we help lay the groundwork for each of our students so that by the time she is a senior, she will have a clear focus for her college applications. Here is a snapshot of the plan.
9th grade: Make the most out of your SMS experience
The plan for ninth graders is simple: focus on academics. Ninth graders need only focus on their transition to high school and strive to earn the best grades they can while developing study skills. St. Margaret’s curriculum ensures that each of our students is appropriately challenged and supported. All new ninth graders take a study skills course during their first trimester. This course is designed to aid in the transition to high school and help each student familiarize herself with her own unique learning style. Students receive their PSAT results in December at which time they may begin using My College Quickstart to explore possible careers and begin looking at college opportunities. At the end of ninth grade, students draft a resume of high school experiences to be expanded over the next three years.
10th Grade: Get Involved
Academics, as always, continue to come first in the plan for tenth graders. In their second year of high school, students are encouraged to begin exploring classes, activities and other experiences to express their interests. Tenth graders will again take the PSAT in October; once they receive their scores they may compare them to the previous year’s scores. Now they are encouraged to start using the interactive report to actively improve scores. Additionally, students may use My College Quickstart to continue exploring possible careers. All of our students meet individually with Director of Studies ViAnn Farmer to plan their course schedule for the following year. In the summer between tenth and eleventh grade, rising juniors are encouraged to plan a few college visits to get a feel for what the process of looking at a school is like.
11th Grade: Explore your Options
Junior year things kick into high gear. At Fall Family Weekend, Mrs. Gross leads a meeting for parents of juniors to introduce herself more formally, emphasize the importance of finding a good fit for college, and to outline the application process as well as provide resources to parents. Over the course of their junior year, Mrs. Gross works with students both individually and during regular college workshops to help them begin creating a list of schools and to make a plan for visiting them. When it comes to “the list,” Mrs. Gross says, “my goal is to help the girls understand the type of learning environment that works best for them and to guide them to a college that offers a good fit.” Junior year grades are considered heavily by colleges, so students are encouraged to keep their focus on earning the best grades they can. Just as important as grades, colleges are looking for rigor of schedule; St. Margaret’s skills based curriculum puts students in the appropriately rigorous schedule. In the spring, the Next Steps Minimester course--designed for juniors--includes SAT preparation, college visits, and essay writing. To help them explore school options, juniors attend the Richmond Area Independent Schools College Fair to meet representatives from colleges and universities across the country. After taking the PSAT for three years and being well versed in the format of the test, all juniors register for at least one spring SAT test date.
Summer between 11th and 12th grade: Be Prepared
The summer between 11th and 12th grade includes a lot of research in order to prepare a final list of five to ten schools. According to Mrs. Gross, the list should be comprised of schools “that provide an environment conducive to your academic and social development and if applicable offer the majors of interest to you.” Generally, this means 1-2 dream schools, 1-4 academic fit schools and 1-2 academic and financial safety schools. Students are encouraged to begin working on their college essays and to gather information and applications from the colleges on their list during the summer. St. Margaret’s uses a comprehensive virtual college office called Naviance/Family Connection that helps students find academic fits for college by tracking acceptance data since 2003. Students can use this as a resource as they draft their list of schools and gauge where they stand against other applicants to the same school. Naviance/Family Connection also allows students to manage and track their applications online, research scholarships, and register for the SAT/ACT. Additionally, it provides a means for Mrs. Gross to communicate directly with parents and students and post information such as links, news releases and articles.
Essentially, it’s the central resource for our students and their parents for information regarding the college application process. In terms of scholarships to college, St. Margaret’s students fare well and are frequently awarded merit scholarships with sums ranging from modest to substantial.
12th Grade: Apply
By the start of their senior year, students at St. Margaret’s have already devised a list of schools to which to apply and the plan includes a monthly checklist from requesting letters of recommendation to registering for SAT Subject tests should they be required. Mrs. Gross is available to meet with seniors as frequently as necessary to aid in the application process. For those students who have opted to apply early decision, October is busy putting the final touches on applications. With so much focus on the process of applying to college, the end result of finding success in higher education may be lost at some places. Not at St. Margaret’s. Our whole program is designed to prepare our students for college and give them the tools they need to be successful once there. So while many of our seniors feel anxious about college, they can relax knowing that the resources available to them and their parents at St. Margaret’s are tailor made to aid them through the process.
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