After spring break of their sophomore year, students are assigned a college counselor who serves as an academic advisor who collaborates with them to select appropriate courses based on their intellectual curiosities. By creating the relationship this early, their college counselor is able to build a robust and supportive partnership that contributes to a joyful college search process which starts in earnest in junior year. We begin formal meetings with juniors and their parents in January and continue to meet individually with students and parents on different aspects of the process: visiting colleges, determining what is a good fit, creating a list of schools to apply to, guidance on testing, editing and advice on applications and essays, and much more. Prep has two college counselors for approximately 50 seniors. We work very closely together to discuss students and their college processes.

While many colleges and universities are now test-optional or test-free, about 50% of Prep students choose to take the SAT or ACT to supplement their college applications. In order to get a feel for the experience of taking a standardized test, all Prep students take the Pre-ACT in sophomore spring, and the PSAT in junior fall. Practice scores can help a student and their college counselor determine if testing is likely to be strong enough to be additive to a college application (and therefore part of a student’s application process) and/or to determine which test to prepare for, ACT or SAT. Should a family decide to move forward with standarding testing, we can provide resources for individual tutoring and test preparation.

To learn more about the current state of standardized testing in the college admission process, we highly recommend reading the blogs written by Compass Test Prep (particularly Keeping Options Open).  If you’re interested in the growing movement away from standardized testing, please consult Fairtest.org for articles about the current state of college admission testing as well as an up-to-the-minute list of test-optional schools.
Helpful links:
ACT dates and deadlines
SAT dates and deadlines
Fairtest: The National Center for Fair and Open Testing

Admissions Rep Visits: Over 80 college admissions representatives visit Prep every fall to meet our students. It is a great opportunity for students to learn more about the schools they are considering. It is also a time for students to establish a relationship with the representative who will most likely be the first reader of their application.

- Summer Essay Workshop: To prepare students for the college application process, the College Counseling Office offers an opportunity to get the ball rolling on writing the personal statement. To accommodate as many students and families as possible, we host the same essay workshop two different times throughout the summer. These workshops are full days that include sessions around brainstorming, executive functioning, and putting a pen to paper.

- Case Studies: We invite over twenty college admissions reps to visit Santa Fe Prep in April to read real applications with students and parents. Participants will be split into admissions committees with 2-3 college admission officers leading each committee, guiding them through the process of evaluating “the fit” of the sample applications. Admitting, Denying, and Waitlisting applicants introduces students and parents to the different parts of an application, how each is weighed, and how those priorities differ among colleges and universities.

In collaboration with Prep alumni who are collegiate athletes, College Counseling offers high level data, advice, and best practices when it comes to NCAA athletic recruitment. Every year we have between one and three students who choose to go through the college admissions process as a recruited athlete.

Affordability is among the most important factors in determining a college’s “fit” for a student. In support of Prep families considering affordability, we offer annual programming that guides families through the various parts of financial aid. By collaborating with experts from college financial aid offices, we are able to provide families with an overview of how "need-based" (determined by income and assets) and "merit-based" (awards given by individual colleges to attract talented students) financial assistance is awarded. We also help families walk line by line through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, as it is commonly known, as well as the CSS Profile. 

Through our partnership with Paul Martin of College Money Method Prep will provide webinars starting in 9th grade that will:

• 1. Develop early awareness and understanding of college financing and the financial aid process so that students and families establish their financial fit earlier in the college exploration process.

• 2. Guide students and families through the financial aid system, breaking down the entire process into manageable lessons with actions appropriate for each year of high school.

• 3. Resource students and families with personalized tools to move from passive learning to active planning in the college financial aid process.

• 4. Introduce students to key concepts and behaviors in personal finance by integrating these as part of financial aid planning.

If college affordability is on your mind, it’s never too early to begin researching college costs and getting a sense of your eligibility for need-based assistance. 

• For a comprehensive overview of the financial aid process, we highly recommend navigating to https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/pay-for-college

• Finaid.org is an award-winning website that provides an excellent overview of need and merit-based aid.

• MyinTuition shows the projected cost of college once financial aid is factored in, helping families understand and plan for what college will actually cost.  

• Every college is required to have a Net Price Calculator on their website. Very often, a simple Google search typing in the name of a college + “net price calculator” will take you to the right place.

• Book recommendation: The Price You Pay for College by Ron Lieber is a digestible, engaging introduction to the financial aid process.