College guidance

LWA College Guidance is a four-year, comprehensive and individualized program in which the students prepare for college with the tools and guidance to optimize their experience. The College Rooms, located on the first floor, are designed to give students a place for college resources, meetings with the Director of College Guidance and technological resources for the college search.  

• Freshman Year: The college process begins in the ninth grade with the Director of College Guidance, teachers, advisors and the Grade 9 Community Service Advisor working with students on study skills, time management and planning a course of study, service and club activities that best fits their unique interests and passions.
  
  
• Sophomore Year: Advisors and the Director of College Guidance continue to work closely with sophomores as they pursue a rigorous academic course of study, as well as a rich non-academic and extracurricular program. During Sophomore Seminar, conducted by the Upper School Director, they learn to navigate Naviance Family Connection, a college planning resource which includes SAT and ACT Method Test Prep. During Seminar, students engage in the lessons, quizzes, full-length tests and strategy sessions for those tests.  All sophomores take the PSAT during the school day, given and scored under real test conditions, in October. They receive their scores by the end of December, along with a diagnostic explaining their scores in relation to their grade level as well as recommendations from the College Board and College Guidance on how to reinforce skills in specific areas.  Once students have completed their core courses at the end of sophomore year, academic advising by College Guidance is an integral part of the program, in particular as students prepare their course of study for junior and senior years where electives, AP courses, and the shaping of an academic profile become a key aspect of the program. Students meet individually with the Director of College Guidance to shape that course of study. Resources for summer enrichment programs are available in the College Room.
  
  
• Junior Year: At the mid-point of junior year, students begin the initial steps of the college application process when they attend Junior Seminar, a once-per-week small group class taught by the Director of College Guidance. During these classes, students explore what to look for when choosing potential colleges and how to create their college lists.  Additionally, they write their resumes and engage in many reflective writings designed to prepare them for the college essay and interviews.  Requests for teacher recommendations are completed during these classes as well. All juniors and their parents have an individual meeting with the Director of College Guidance by the end of the year to discuss their college list, college visitations, and how to approach the summer before senior year. Juniors generally take for the first time the SAT and/or ACT in the spring of this year. Prior to this, they will have taken during the school day the PSAT in October and a full-length ACT Practice Test in December.
  
  

• Senior Year: LWA seniors participate in Senior Seminar, a once-per-week small group class in which students are guided step-by-step through the college application process. All college application essays are written in this class with individual and extensive feedback from the Director. All aspects of the college application, from creating an application deadline plan to completing each part of the application, including feedback on all essays and short answers, are addressed during this class as well as at scheduled times after school and during seniors’ free periods and lunches.  Students also work with the Director of College Guidance on interview techniques, visit follow-ups, and mid-year updates to the colleges.

 

Other features of the program include: 

• College Nights: College Nights, specific to each  pivotal point in the Upper School years, are led by College Guidance, financial aid consultants, and/or peer mentors. It is extremely important that parents (and students where indicated) join us at these sessions so that they are fully prepared with the tools, language and information needed to successfully navigate the college application and decision-making process.
• College Admissions Testing:  All Upper School students are provided Method Test Prep via Naviance, an online program of lessons, quizzes, full-length tests and vocabulary builders, to supplement their college preparatory course of study.
• College Admissions Visits: College admissions officers visit LWA every fall to share overviews, insights and admissions criteria for their schools. In an small-group setting, students meet with admissions officers for lunch and conversation. All juniors and seniors are invited to attend these meetings which take place in the college rooms.