Program Overview and Timelines

College counseling at SPA is centered on individual relationships with students and a partnership with each family to provide professional guidance and insight on the college search and application process. Every student is assigned one of three full-time college counselors in Grade 10. Well before thinking about specific colleges, the college planning process begins with counselors getting to know their students and encouraging them to establish a strong academic foundation and cultivate personal interests in and out of the classroom. College counselors advise on academic schedules and extracurricular activities, and provide emotional support and encouragement as students identify the areas of study and engagement that truly excite them. 

By the time students enter the junior year, college counselors know their advisees well and provide personalized guidance as the college search begins in earnest. Counselors work closely with the student and the family to identify key college criteria based on the student's interests and personality, suggest colleges to research and visit, develop a testing plan, review essays and applications, and personally advocate for students directly with college admission officers. Counselors also help students and families understand financial aid and scholarship opportunities, and counsel seniors in making their final college choice. While educating and advising students, counselors foster a relaxed, positive and informed approach that empowers students as individuals to affirm their own values and direction as well as support others.

Our college counselors stay current on college options and admission trends by regularly visiting college campuses and through active engagement in professional associations including the Association of College Counselors in Independent Schools and the National Association for College Admission Counseling. Each year SPA welcomes admission officers from nearly 150 colleges to visit our campus and meet with interested juniors and seniors. Admission officers get to know the strengths of an SPA education and look forward to seeing applications from our students. 

Parents and guardians are essential partners in the college search. Through a series of evening programs and morning coffees, parents learn about trends in college admission as well as the details, timelines, and logistics of the college search and application process, and effective ways to support their student. Audio recordings of our programs linked on our comprehensive College Counseling website keep this information accessible to all. Counselors welcome parent and guardian questions at any time and meet with parents during teacher conferences and family meetings in the junior and senior years. By partnering with parents to help them understand the college process before their student is actively exploring college options, together we guide the student to gain independence and ownership of their college search.

Our goal in college counseling is to support the personal growth and exploration that ensures a rewarding path to higher education. Just as the SPA experience fosters skills and perspectives that benefit students in the college search, the college counseling process cultivates skills of self-reflection, critical thinking, communication, self-advocacy and decision-making that will be vital to students’ success in college and in life.

Grades Nine and Ten: Understanding and Preparing for the College Search Process

During the first two years of upper school, students' main job is to acclimate to high school, develop a strong set of academic skills, engage in extracurricular activities that are meaningful to them, and strive for a healthy balance of activities and commitments. While students are assigned to a college counselor during winter of tenth grade, their early meetings during spring semester focus on establishing a strong foundation for later phases. The College Counseling office offers a range of parent programs that provide a helpful long-range view. Counselors are also happy to offer advice and guidance to families that choose to begin college visits during the spring of tenth grade or the following summer. 

Grades Eleven and Twelve: The College Search Process

The college search begins in earnest during junior year, and the heart of the process spans the second semester of junior year and the first semester of senior year. Throughout these two years, students and families are in regular contact with their college counselor. Our office shares a lot of information through individual and family meetings, evening programs, email communications, a Junior College Seminar, Google Classroom,  regular announcements at class meetings, and this college counseling website. While we always encourage students to assume a lead role in the college search process, we are here to support everyone and ensure that the process is smooth and productive. 

Requesting a Transcript

SPA is happy to provide you with a copy of your transcript. Please note that we follow slightly different procedures depending on the nature of the request. Please direct any questions to your college counselor. Juniors and seniors will find a copy of their most recent transcript in their Scoir account under "My Drive." 

• If you need a transcript for an auto insurance discount or to apply to another high school, please fill out a Transcript Request Form. If you are unable to complete the form or have questions, please contact Rose Congdon, the K-12 Records Assistant via email or at 651-696-1315.

• For college transfer applications, please complete a transcript request through Parchment, an online service that we use to send transcripts electronically. (You'll need to set up a free account on the website in order to complete the request.)

• Seniors applying to college request transcripts through their college counselor.

• A list of suggested readings for parents.

• "To Find the Best Fit, Ignore the Rankings," Inside Higher Ed article (15 October 2018)

• "There's no such thing as a 'good college'," CNBC article (16 November 2023)

• "Pondering That College Question," National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) Journal article (January 2022)

• Students should take a break from the routines of school in order to be refreshed and renewed for the coming academic year. Prioritize time for family and friends, reading, personal interests, camps, part-time jobs or community activities. All of these are valuable expressions of what is important to you; there is no need to seek activities you think “look good to colleges” that do not reflect your authentic interests.

• Visiting colleges is appropriate for rising seniors and sometimes rising juniors. While school year visits reveal the college “in action,” during summer colleges have students on campus doing research or projects, and hire strong tour guides to host visitors and staff panels. Summer may be the ideal time for a longer or more distant college visit trip. 

• Test prep: While summer may provide open time for test prep - whether a class, tutoring or self-study -  it may also be too far in advance of when you will take your first ACT/SAT (usually mid-junior year). Early is not always better. If anything, rising seniors might fine-tune their test skills before a fall retake.

• Summer programs: Many colleges host academic camps and programs that may be intriguing but also quite expensive; college admission officers understand such programs are not feasible for most students. These programs can be informative and rewarding, but often you can develop and pursue your interests without a formal program.

  • Summer opportunities may be held on campus or online. TeenLife has a Online Learning Experiences for Teens database that makes it possible to search for summer programs based on interest. 

  • Search on our Summer Opportunities page, you may find others now online.