College Counseling

List of 4 frequently asked questions.

• 9th Grade

  • The College Counseling team sends a welcome letter to all 9th graders in August, explaining the program and the College Counseling Open Door Policy, which applies to students in all grades.
  • The College Counseling Team participates in 9th-grade orientation, and the Assistant Director of College Counseling attends the 9th-grade Blairstown trip
  • January 13: In-person 9th-grade college night covering:
    • Comprehensive introduction to and overview of the college process
    • How to plan for and prepare to be a successful college applicant
  • 8/9 PSAT and preACT offered in the spring semester.
  • Fully proctored and professionally scored virtual practice tests for both SAT and ACT are offered at no cost to all Portledge Upper School students through our test prep partner.
  • Individual counseling meetings with 9th graders take place with their US Dean as needed.

• 10th Grade

  • The College Counseling team sends a welcome letter to all 10th graders in August, offering practical suggestions for starting the college preparation process and reaffirming the College Counseling Open Door Policy for students in all grades.
  • PSAT and PreACT are offered in the fall semester.
  • Fully proctored and professionally scored virtual practice tests for both SAT and ACT are offered at no cost to all Portledge Upper School students through our test prep partner.
  • Individual meetings with the US Deans and the IB coordinator are held throughout the year to discuss curricular choices and the development of an extracurricular profile; some students are referred to the College Counseling Office to address complex or nuanced questions or concerns.
  • March 4: An in-person 10th-grade college night is offered, covering the following topics:
    • Importance of self-reflection in a successful college process
    • Emphasis on visiting college campuses to begin to develop informed opinions and preferences
    • Extracurricular and standardized testing strategy
    • Review of how colleges make decisions: transcript, testing, extracurriculars, demonstrated interest, and a brief overview of essays, recs, and the impact of Early Decision and Early Action plans.
  • April 23: A school-sponsored college trip is offered; College Counselors and Deans attend: 
    • Students learn how to prepare for a college visit and maximize that experience, and are encouraged to be open about the vast landscape of possibilities. 
    • Two contrasting colleges are visited in one day to provide the best learning experience and opportunity for self-reflection. 
    • Valuable opportunity for students to interact with the College Counseling Team on a more informal basis.
  • April 28: A virtual college night is offered:
    • Guest speakers from four to five different colleges are featured to aid students as they continue to consider college visits, curricular choices, and extracurricular profile development.
  • NEW: May 4: College counseling assignments released. Every student has an initial college counseling meeting with their college counselor before the end of the school year.

• 11th Grade

  • The College Counseling team sends a welcome letter to all 11th graders in July with tangible action items to prepare for the process, which begins in the second quarter.
  • PSAT and PreACT are offered in the fall semester.
  • Fully proctored and professionally scored virtual practice tests for both SAT and ACT are offered at no cost to all Portledge Upper School students through our test prep partner.
  • November 18: Mandatory College Night in mid-November marks the formal start of the college process. College counseling assignments are released on the same day (Starting with the Class of 2028, all students will receive their assignments in May of 10th grade). The evening covers:
    • Overview of Portledge college counseling program (Timeline, events, etc)
    • Review of how colleges make decisions (emphasis on transcript, testing, demonstrated interest, extracurricular involvement)
    • Overview of current trends influencing college application strategy
    • Brief intro to SCOIR and scattergrams
    • Building the college list
  • College Night is followed by a lengthy one-on-one meeting between each student and the assigned college counselor between mid-November and the end of January.
  • Students and parents/guardians meet with the assigned college counselor as a family starting in early February.
  • Throughout the second semester, every other week, students attend college counseling classes. 
    • New organization of class this year:
      • Three sections that are divided alphabetically
      • Standardized, relevant content with in-class activities; no assigned homework
      • College counselors rotate between the groups, reinforcing an overall team approach
  • Every student has at least 2-4 additional meetings in the winter/spring of 11th grade to discuss development of college list, teacher recs, course selection, personal statement brainstorm, other questions, strategy, etc
  • NEW: June 8 Virtual College Night for Juniors and their families focused on the strategy and mechanics of applying and a summer “to-do” list that will have students ready for early fall deadlines and application submission:
    • Early Decision/ Early Action strategy and list building
    • Common Application
      • Emphasis on Activities List, Personal Statement, and Supplemental Essays
    • STARS
    • SCOIR
    • College counseling team summer availability
  • Meetings for essay brainstorming, reviews and revisions, extracurricular activity presentation, and college list development continue throughout the summer before 12th grade.

• 12th Grade

  • The College Counseling team sends a summer letter outlining all aspects of the upcoming college process and the resources available to all students.
  • 1st week of Preseason: In-person “Boot Camps” are offered on various topics, including Essay Writing, Common Application Completion, STARS, Activities Section, etc.
  • Two new parent events in the 1st two weeks of September:
    • College Counseling Coffee (in person) and Virtual Zoom for 12th-grade parents:
      • Review SCOIR, document submission, timelines, ED agreements, Q/A
      • Content is the same in both
      • Zoom will be recorded
  • College Counseling Class in the fall: full grade meetings with specifically targeted topics each week until Nov 1 (class meetings are scheduled as needed).
    • FERPA, SCOIR, Demonstrated Interest, Supplements, etc
  • Ongoing individual meetings with college counselors for full support on all aspects of the process, with emphasis on fit and self-awareness, as well as application completion and strategy.