At Ideaventions, we view life as a marathon, and college is one part of that journey. As a roadmap for that journey, we are excited to share below a high-level, four-year plan on our college counseling program with you, which we hope will bring students and families comfort and confidence. Some of our favorite philosophies are shared by MIT, Harvard's School of Education, RIT, CollegeVine, the Chronicle of Higher Education, and Khan Academy's College Admissions.

Being admitted to college is a clearly defined goal, and it's easy to focus on that one goal. But our goal is provide students with the ability to develop academic, social, and emotional skills so they can tackle their next step in life. We strive to maintain a balance in these areas while recognizing each student's limit for achievement pressure and stress. 

We believe:

• The path to college does not need to be fraught with anxiety.

• There are many excellent institutions of higher education, and our goal is to help our students find their fit.

• In educating students and their families about the college process.

• In providing guidance for students to make informed decisions.

• High school, college admissions, and college are just a few parts of life's marathon.

• Each of our students is more than a college acceptance.

• Students can learn about themselves as part of the college admissions process.

We hope that you find our events and resources helpful:

• Spring overview academic/college sessions for families

• College visits to our campus

• Weekly office hours for seniors

• Monthly newsletters on timely topics

• Tours of colleges as a part of our Upper School Trip

Time-Based Checklist

Below, our college counseling checklist provides a time-based view of the process, but it's only one path. Just as there are many colleges, there are many paths to college, and not everything is black and white. In fact, one of the answers you'll hear most often in response to questions about college admissions and financial aid is: "Well, it depends..."

We look forward to being a part of each student's college search journey and helping them through the marathon of college applications—and life!

Sincerely,

Ms. Liz

Director of College Counseling

Dear Parents, 

College counseling is a partnership between the school, the student, and the family. As students move through high school, however, the student's role in that partnership becomes increasingly important. One of our goals is not simply to help students gain admission to college, but to help them develop the independence and self-advocacy skills they will need once they get there. There are many excellent institutions of higher education, and our goal is to help students make informed decisions, find their fit, and be prepared for the next step in their lives. 

An Important Word on Self-Advocacy

Colleges love to hear from teachers and counselors about how independent a student is and how prepared they are for leaving home. For that reason, we ask students to increasingly take ownership of their college process.

Whenever possible:

• Questions about the college process should come from the student.

• Contacting colleges and setting up tours should be done by the student.

• Making appointments with the college counseling office should be done by the student.

Parents still have an important role. We encourage you to talk with your student about college, visit campuses together, help them think through their options, discuss finances early, and be a sounding board as they make decisions.

At the same time, one of the most valuable things you can do is allow your student to take the lead.

We know that can sometimes be difficult! That's one reason we offer spring overview academic/college sessions for families and frequent meetings throughout the summer before senior year to keep parents informed and involved.

When to Hire an Independent Educational Consultant

We will support and guide your student through this process. If you need more than the student-led nature of our college counseling, we encourage you to work with an Independent Educational Consultant (IEC). After all, we all have the same goal: to help your student find their best-fit college. Some IECs can help you starting in 9th grade and stick with you through all four years for college matching, essay writing, and more. We have a couple of IECs that we are happy to suggest depending on your needs.

I look forward to being a part of your child's college search journey and helping them through the marathon of college applications!

With warm regards,

Ms. Liz

Dear Students, 

College is part of your journey, but you don't have to do everything at once. There is a time for exploring, a time for researching, and eventually, a time for applying.

An Important Word on Self-Advocacy

Colleges love to hear from your teachers and counselors about how independent you are and how prepared you are for leaving home. What does this mean?

• Questions about the college process should come from you, not your parents.

• Contacting colleges and setting up tours should be done by you, not your parents.

• Keep an eye on dates and times in the Upper School Work Room when we can chat, colleges that are coming to visit, and off-campus information sessions by colleges, both online and in person.

• Making appointments with Ms. Liz, Ms. Sheri, and/or Ms. Juliana should come from you, not your parents. You can always make appointments with Ms. Liz through your Google Calendar.

9th & 10th Grade

Your job right now is to do well in your classes, explore your interests, get involved in activities that matter to you, and develop the independence you'll need later. You do not need to have your future figured out. In fact, part of high school is the joy of discovering what you're interested in, what you're good at, and what kinds of challenges and environments bring out the best in you. Be the best version of you! Take a look at the chart below for action items.

11th Grade

Congratulations, you've arrived! Junior year marks the most important times of your school career, requiring planning and production from you to launch onto the next stage of your life's journey. Our goal is to make this an insightful, fun, and explorative time for you. Sure, there will be some stressful moments (go ahead and pencil that in for next summer with essay writing), but you'll get through it. I promise. Take a look at the chart below for action items. 

Why is junior year so important?

• Transcripts: Junior year's transcript will go to colleges if you apply Early Action or Early Decision. So keep up those grades (and keep down the absences and tardies because those will show on your 1st Quarter grade report.).

• College research: Now's the time to become familiar with the schools to which you might apply. Get on the road and visit colleges when you can. Can't travel? That's okay! Get on their email lists, explore their websites, and watch their online tours. My big advice here is to take notes! Trust me. You'll need these when writing the "Why do you want to go to this college" essay. 

• Activities: Deepen and develop the activities that matter to you. Take on more responsibility, pursue an interest further, create something meaningful, or leave a postive legacy.

• Summer after junior year is the busiest time in the college process. If you follow our suggstions over the summer, college apps during senior year will be a breeze.

12th Grade

Senior year is when all of the exploration, research, and preparation begin to come together. Over the summer, you wrote your college essays, finalized a balanced college list, and submitted your first college applications. Now it's time to keep track of deadlines and ultimately make decisions about where you'd like to go next. We offer weekly office hours for seniors, along with individual meetings and support throughout the application process. Remember the notes on self-advocacy from above. The number one thing to keep in mind is that we will support and guide you through this process—but this is your college search, and you're the one driving it.

Most importantly, remember that you are more than a college acceptance. The goal isn't simply to get into college; it's to find colleges that fit you and prepare you for what's next.

I look forward to working with you during this exciting time!

Let's do this!

Ms. Liz