Navigating today’s college process requires careful planning and preparation. Germantown
Academy’s team of college counselors educates students and parents about
the world of college admissions, so they can make informed choices that result
in matriculation to a college or university where the student can continue
to grow intellectually and emotionally.
GA facilitates the process of finding
appropriate college matches by:
- Offering a series of parent meetings corresponding with the student’s
progression through each grade level in high school.
- Assigning college counselors to students in the sophomore year.
- Beginning to meet with students individually in the sophomore year and
continuing through graduation.
- Exploring summer programs and other enrichment opportunities.
- Teaching a College Seminar to educate all juniors about the college search
and application processes.
- Requiring each Junior student to write the common application college essay in Junior Composition and Speech
- Exposing students to the rich post-secondary offerings in the United States
and abroad.
- Meeting with the family in the junior year.
- Helping students craft college lists with a range of colleges, from
those to which we are confident they can gain admission to those that we
perceive as “reaches.”
- Providing information about financial aid and scholarships.
- Critiquing college essays and reviewing applications to help students present
their best selves.
- Advising students on early decision, athletic recruitment, portfolio and
DVD preparation, interviews, and many other issues that arise in the process.
- Weighing various college acceptances to identify the best match.
The focus of this process is on educating the student, making the college
process a journey of self-exploration that results in greater self-knowledge
and awareness of the most appropriate educational milieu. In the course
of this journey, both students and parents experience a range of emotions. After
all, when the student embarks on his or her college career, these relationships
will change, altering the family dance. GA’s College Counseling
team stands ready to help with all dimensions of this process, from the mundane
to the life-altering.
Karen A. Mason
Director of College Counseling