As students progress through middle school and high school, a goal for most is to attend college. There are many great colleges, and Homestead students gain admission to some of the most selective schools anywhere. There are a number of colleges that would be a perfect fit for every student, and your Homestead counselor is your college counselor, ready to work with you. And the Homestead TAG Coordinator works as a team with the Counselors.
Homestead's students' college counselor is sitting right there in the Homestead Counseling Office. There is no need to hire an outside counselor to help in the college admissions process.
What Are Colleges Looking For in a Candidate?
Colleges are looking for well-rounded students, students who will add to their college community.
Colleges want to see meaningful involvement in some activities of interest to the student rather than superficial involvement in many activities.
Community service is valued but not required.
Yes, ACT and SAT test scores matter. But some colleges have made the SAT and ACT tests optional as part of the admissions process; they focus more on the transcript--what courses the student took and how they did in those courses. They want to see students selecting challenging courses that align with their interests and college major or career aspirations. That means that students do not need to take every Honors and AP course available to be great college candidates.
Homestead provides students with a wide array of course choices, and we encourage students to select a course load that is meaningful and manageable. This has allowed students not only to lead healthier lives, but also to broaden their experiences by taking courses to expand their knowledge and skill even if they aren't Honors or AP courses. And what has been the result? Homestead students continue to gain admission to the most prestigious colleges across the country in addition to the many outstanding colleges that are not considered to be highly selective.
Approaching the College Application Time
The Homestead High School Counseling Department has established a well-articulated plan to prepare students to be ready to apply to college. Please review that webpage. Steps are taken every year, and beginning in junior year the counselor meets with the student and the parents to kick off the process.
It is important that students not set their sights on only one college. Too many factors enter into the admissions decision to guarantee that the student will be admitted to that college. Homestead counselors and TAG Coordinator are helping students and their parents to see the wide array of colleges that would be great options for the students. The student's counselor will help the individual student select a variety of colleges to apply to based on the student's profile and the extensive data we have on the profiles of students admitted to the various colleges. Students are encouraged to select some Reach schools (possible, not probable--no guarantee of admission), Match schools (the student's profile shows they have a good probably of admission) and Safety schools (an 80% chance or higher that the student will be admitted). The counselor will provide data to help in that decision-making.
Our counselors work with students to help them to select colleges that will meet their needs. Many factors play in the equation, including majors offered, location, size of the student body and more. The counselors help students to think this through and have resources to help the students to explore college options.
Again, Homestead students' College Counselor is sitting right in the Homestead Counseling Office, ready and eager to work with the student and their family. And the TAG Coordinator works as part of the team with the Counselors.
Updated: 9/24/21