Dear Junior and Family,
Greetings from the Seattle Prep College Counseling staff. Although you will continue to work
with the counselor you had sophomore year through the first semester of junior year, we wanted
to give you a heads-up on the college counseling landscape for junior year.
Before we get into the practical aspects, we would like to recommend three books that we have
found to be wonderful resources for parents. Admission Matters by Sally Springer, Jon Reider
and Marion Franck gives an excellent overview of the whole process of selecting schools and
applying to them. The College Solution by Lynn O’Shaughnessy is a fabulous resource about
college entrance and affordability. It is particularly helpful for those interested in understanding
how to pay for college. College Admission by Robin Mamlet and Christine Vandevelde is
another excellent resource for understanding the college application and admission process.
Both of us have found these three books to be outstanding. If you have an Ipad or Kindle they
are an easy download. They are also available in paperback.
At the beginning of second semester juniors officially move to the appropriate college counselor:
Kathy Krueger, last name A-K and Sandra Foy, last name L-Z. We wait to begin official college
advising until January so that your Seattle Prep experiences and record can be used to your
best strategic and developmental advantage. By January, we have your high school grades
though the first semester of your junior year and your PSAT scores from this October. Parents
will also have been invited to attend the Junior College Planning Night on November 29, 2012.
This event, held in our theatre, will feature Julie McCulloch, Director of Admissions, Gonzaga
University.
We also recommend that juniors try to complete the following college-related tasks during the
year ahead:
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As grades are the number one factor in college admission, keep your grades steady
even as your classes might become a bit more challenging. Once you steady your
grades, try to inch them upward such that the grade trend is positive.
Continue to reinforce relationships with teachers who will write college recommendation
letters in the fall of 2013. Applicants will generally select recommenders from junior
year teachers in one or two academic subjects.
Sit in on a Seattle Prep visit from a college representative to learn more about colleges.
To attend a visit you must sign-up on the Naviance website by lunch on the day prior to
the visit. Go to the Colleges tab, then look on the right-hand side for college visits and
sign-up for a visit during lunch or window. Juniors may not miss academic classes to
attend visits.
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Beginning second semester, schedule an official college visit with your counselor
(parents are encouraged to attend this visit) by calling Janet O’Neil at 206 577-2211.
Take one SAT, one ACT (with writing) and (only when appropriate) two SAT subject
tests between January and June. Often testing slightly later in the spring (instead of in
January or March, as is sometimes the inclination) capitalizes on student development
and the acquisition of test material. SAT and ACT registration must be done by the
student or family at these website addresses: www.collegeboard.com and www.act.org
Note: Do not wait until just before the SAT or ACT deadline to register for these tests,
as local test sites fill quickly and students are sometimes forced to test outside of
Seattle. Most students do not have to take the SAT subject tests. They are required
by some highly selective colleges and even some of those colleges have moved to
accepting the ACT with writing in lieu of the subject tests. Be sure to check the
individual college’s testing requirements to determine if you need to take the
subject tests and to make sure you have complied with their testing requirments.
During junior year make visits to some colleges , if possible—either to specific colleges
of interest or to geographically accessible “prototype” colleges to get an idea of what
large research universities, mid-sized research universities, medium-sized private
universities, and selective small liberal arts colleges are like. Here in Washington State,
UW, WSU, Western, Seattle U, Gonzaga U, UPS, Whitman are all pretty easy to visit.
Spring break is a great time to conduct these visits.
Plan to attend the National College Fair held at the Washington State Convention Center
on November 2-3, 2012.
If you have college advising questions that need to be answered during the fall please email or
call us anytime. Our contact information is below.
Best Wishes,
Seattle Prep College Counseling
Kathy Krueger (A-K) kkrueger@seaprep.org (206) 577-2112
Sandra Foy (L-Z) sfoy@seaprep.org (206) 577-2109
Janet O’Neil, Counseling Assistant, joneil@seaprep.org (206) 577-2211