When researching high schools for your child, a strong college counseling program should be an essential component of that search. Friends’ Central School, a Quaker school that borders the Main Line, Delaware County and Philadelphia, is a leader in this important area. Kimberley Lewis, Friends’ Central’s Director of College Counseling, shared four factors that make for an outstanding college counseling program.
4 Things to Look for in a High School College Counseling Program
1: Access to Experts
When a college counselor has worked in a college setting, they know firsthand what makes a compelling file, and they can help their students build the strongest possible application. From helping students create their college lists and helping them understand how their application will be perceived by a reader to delivering a curriculum that provides the scaffolding students need, experience and expertise are critical. At Friends’ Central, students are guided by full-time counselors who have deep experience in independent school college counseling and selective college admission from the college perspective.
2: A Highly Personalized Approach
With a truly student-centered approach, every aspect of a student’s college counseling experience is about the student themselves and preparing the student for a successful college application process and experience. At Friends’ Central School, a student-centered, personalized approach with a low student/counselor ratio is the key to highly successful college placement. The result is students who look beyond college stats to really understand the ways colleges fit their interests and values.
Here are some testimonials from recent FCS graduates about their ultimate college choices:
“I love how involved Tulane is with the community and how strongly it values service and helping others. Tulane's reputation of academic prestige as well as being a place where students are genuinely happy makes it a place where I can feel comfortable in growing and challenging myself academically.”
“I think Yale is the perfect combination of an academically rigorous environment and a caring community. Yale is excellent in every field, and although I do not yet know what subject I want to pursue, I know that I will receive a strong education regardless. Also, I got the sense that it was a much less competitive place than many of the other Ivy League universities, and the students there seemed truly happy.”
“I chose Tufts because of its emphasis on intersectionality, academic opportunities, proximity to Boston, and the overall energy of its student body. Tufts is the perfect fit for me because students have a love for learning, are down to earth and not competitive, and the values of the university coincide with my own.”
3: An Expertly Designed Common Curriculum
Kimberley Lewis explained that, while it may be counter intuitive, personal attention is most effective when it is coupled with a carefully crafted college counseling curriculum that all students follow.
Guided by the college counseling team, Friends’ Central students follow these two paths, personal and shared, simultaneously. They begin a process of guided self reflection, which results in them identifying their own goals and aspirations for college or university. At the same time, they participate in an FCS-designed curriculum that builds their understanding of the college process itself and what they need to do to best present themselves.
Once students have completed this process, it’s the role of their counselor to help them match their goals with schools that offer what they are looking for. Creating “the list” is just the beginning; counselors then work with them on tailoring their materials for each school.
4: Access to Counselors As Early as 9th Grade
Lewis shared that students often enter high school with all sorts of college-related misinformation. Access to counselors and a shared curriculum early in the process eases student stress and best positions them for success. For students who have specialized interests such as athletics, the arts, or engineering, early guidance on course selection can be a game changer. In ninth grade, planning course selection is the first step to college preparation, along with the building of key time-management and study skills and the opportunity to explore extracurricular interests.
While Friends’ Central’s college counselors are there for students at every step of the way, this is not about hand holding, said Lewis. The Friends’ Central team is preparing students to thrive in college, not just to get in. Students need to be strong self advocates and own their college process just as they will own their success once they get to college.
