“2016 Brooklyn College Campus.” Wikimedia Commons, 2016, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2016_Brooklyn_College_campus.jpg.

The college application process is notoriously known for its heavy workload, ranging from essays to interviews, and most importantly picking schools you’re most interested in. For many students the process is overwhelming, but luckily, Stuart Hall and Convent have an amazing college counseling team. With the addition of two new amazing counselors Mr. Sisco and Mr. Kingsbury, many seniors feel comfortable and confident in finishing college applications. Since the second semester of last school year, the class of 2025 have been guided in efficiently writing essays and approaching the lists of requirements. Seniors were required to finish their 650 word personal statement early which opened space to expand into other requirements. During senior week which took place a week before the start of the school year, time was set aside for each student to meet a college representative twice and review their own personal statement. Students were also able to ask specific questions to refine their essays. 

Although many students miss their free period on Mondays/Tuesdays in swap with a college counseling class, the time set aside has been crucial in organizing each student’s own college process. So far, the college counseling team has introduced Scoir and the Common Application to students which are used to apply to colleges. Different forms such as FAFSA and procedure forms have been distributed so students don’t have to worry about missing anything. Most importantly, each student has had 1-on-1 time with a counselor. Odin Ho, class of 2025 is grateful for the individual help since he is applying to international schools, unlike others. So far, he has gotten important information such as, “how the international schools admit and what they are looking for. They look at predicted IB scores (for IB students) more than activities, and academics matter more than extracurriculars.” Odin also enjoys the “strict deadlines and organization since it keeps me aware of all the requirements.”

So far, the college counseling team has done a great job setting Seniors up for success. With college visits and family meetings currently taking place, the counseling team is not slowing down and continues to help students with letters of recommendation, forms, and essays.