College Counseling

The PDS college counseling office is available to work with students and their families at any point during their PDS careers. We welcome your questions on the various aspects of the college search and application process, including financial aid, summer programs, etc. Contact us!

• Gabriel Smiley ~ Director of College Counseling, 845-462-7600 ext 120
• Shiloh Delawder ~ Assistant, College Counseling, 845-462-7600

Comprehensive, individualized and ongoing college counseling is a PDS hallmark. A knowledgeable and accessible college counseling team assists high school students and their parents throughout the college search and application process. And although the process begins in earnest during the spring of the junior year, the team is available to consult with families at any time during a student's career at PDS.

College information evenings and financial aid workshops give families an overview of the process. College representatives from across the country visit PDS and meet with juniors and seniors each fall. Students and parents are encouraged to access college information through this site and through Naviance-Family Connection. It provides links to many useful external resources as well as the PDS profile, sent to colleges as part of the school's transcript packet for seniors.

Throughout the year juniors participate in college counseling sessions during scheduled advisory blocks. Each spring all juniors take a "college prep" course. Both programs guide them through the search process and help them explore college options, expand horizons and refine choices. Students visit colleges, learn how to develop a résumé and choose topics for the personal essay, and they also practice interview techniques prior to college visits. They are well prepared for all aspects of the application process as well as the practical and personal challenges of independent life beyond graduation.

At the end of the process, PDS students have choices among excellent schools. And they do well when they get there. Graduates attend the most selective schools, large state universities, small liberal arts colleges or schools of art, drama, design or music.