College Counseling & Preparation

2022-2023 School Profile

The Academy’s College Advising Office helps guide each student and family through the college admissions process. Informally, that process begins when a student enters high school.  The College Counselor works closely with faculty advisors as they help students choose appropriately challenging classes.

Students begin working informally with the College Counselor during the first semester of their sophomore year, and formally during the first semester of their junior year. At this point, the Office encourages students to reflect on their own interests, talents, and goals, and then to research and explore the colleges that will foster those abilities and aspirations. Advice and guidance are provided through frequent one-on-one meetings with students during this self-evaluation and research part of the process. Once a student’s list of schools is finalized, the focus of these meetings turns toward the applications themselves, followed by the final selection when acceptance letters are in hand.

The College Counselor also serves as a liaison to college admission offices, promoting an understanding of The Academy and each of our students to the colleges, and sharing with the School community important information about college admission trends and procedures.

The Academy believes firmly that students must play the lead role throughout the college application process. It is, however, a collaborative effort between the College Counselor, students, and their families, and The Academy invites and welcomes parents to play an active role as well. A college information evening is held for parents of juniors each winter and for the parents of seniors each fall.  Regular information sessions and one-on-one conversations throughout the junior and senior years allow us to work together in the best interests of each student.

College Preparation

The Academy’s academic program is designed to prepare you for college.  Academy teachers will get you excited about various subjects that you can explore in college and teach you the skills you will need to succeed there.

Almost all of our students matriculate directly to a four-year college.  Our college counselor works with our students and their families throughout the transition to college to help them navigate the entire process and find the colleges that best suit their talents and passions. Academy students choose to attend a range of schools. In recent years, students matriculated at: Amherst College, College of the Atlantic, Bard College, Barnard College, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Mount Holyoke College, Northeastern University, Oberlin College, Pitzer College, Rhode Island School of Design, Sarah Lawrence College, Skidmore College, Smith College, University of Massachusetts – Amherst, University of Vermont, Washington and Lee University, and Wesleyan University.

While preparing students for college is one goal, another is to help students find their best paths to adulthood.  We understand that our institutional goals of helping you find your passion and speak your mind could take you in different directions.  If going directly to a four-year college isn’t for you, we will help you figure out how to take a gap year, attend community college, serve our country in one form or another, engage in community service, or get a job.  We are committed to helping you choose the path that is best for you.