Sidwell Friends
College counseling programming currently begins in junior year.
Currently, Sidwell students begin working with the College Counseling Office during the fall of their junior year. While this is an adequate time for students to begin forming draft college lists and seriously considering the college process, it would be helpful to start meetings with students’ college counselors at the end of their sophomore year.
When conversations about testing and the college search process only begin during students’ junior year, many feel rushed and behind in comparison to peers from other schools who may have started college preparation earlier.
Additionally, by suggesting that students take these standardized tests during the spring of their junior year, many students will end up taking tests in the summer before their senior year, which is a time that should be used as a break from academics. Also, juniors are extremely busy during the spring semester, and adding testing to their already booked schedules could lead to further stress. To prepare for tests, students must dedicate several hours each week to learning new material and reviewing it. However, juniors already have schoolwork and AP tests to study for, so adding more material would lead to academic decline and the inability to prepare successfully for AP tests in May.
Rather, if the CCO encouraged students to take standardized tests earlier in their junior year or in the summer after sophomore year, their workloads would be more evenly distributed throughout junior year, leading to improved academic performance and an increased likelihood of success in AP testing.
To that end, the earlier students are introduced to the college search process, the earlier they can begin to draft their lists and visit schools. If students have not met with their college counselors before starting to craft college lists and visit universities, they may be uninformed and unclear on where to start their search or what types of colleges would be best for them. Additionally, students might not think it necessary to begin their college search process until later in junior year, which will again take time out of their busy schedules and keep them from other work. Furthermore, many students are only able to visit colleges during the summer due to their schedules, so eliminating this opportunity would lead students to pack their summer before senior year with college visits, when they undoubtedly have other plans.
Overall, starting college counseling programming at the end of the sophomore year would allow students more flexibility with their schedules by providing them with greater awareness of the college search and testing processes.