Our students want to make a positive impact on the world and our ultimate goal is to help them achieve just that. Helping them find the right college—one that will fuel and ignite their passion—is the first step.
St. Andrew's college counseling program is a natural outgrowth of the faculty advisory program that begins in the Middle School and continues in the Upper School. We believe that ninth and tenth graders need to focus on becoming passionate learners, developing strong study skills, exploring different interests, and engaging in the life of the school community so that they are poised to think about life after high school when they are juniors. Beginning in the spring of the junior year and continuing through the senior year, the college counselors help guide students as they explore a variety of schools, create a list of reasonable options, complete the application process, and select a collegiate program in which they can thrive. The team of college counselors helps students identify colleges and universities that best match their needs and abilities, and assists them through the college admissions process. These advisors serve as mentors and work closely with every student and family.
In order to best serve each student, we have one director of college counseling and additional faculty members who serve as senior advisors/college counselors. This allows us to create senior advisory groups consisting of 8-9 students in order to give each family the support that they need through this process. It also allows us to work collectively on behalf of our students (the college counselors meet once a week to discuss the seniors), while still giving them the personal attention that they deserve throughout the application process.
Our curriculum is challenging and it prepares students for the SAT and Advanced Placement tests, and our graduation requirements are in-line with those of selective colleges. The college counseling process described below supplements this strong foundation as students rise from freshman to seniors.
Although the "formal" college counseling process begins during the winter of the junior year, the process truly begins when a student enters St. Andrew's School. As students transition to the Upper School, our teachers and advisors work with students to select the appropriate courses that maximize their potential. Ninth- and tenth-grade students are encouraged to concentrate on establishing their academic record. Students are encouraged to pursue the strongest academic program that is appropriate for them. The faculty helps students develop good study habits and urges them to explore activities where they might become leaders as juniors and seniors. Students are also advised to develop a special interest or talent beyond the classroom. There are plenty of opportunities for students to thrive as leaders, both in their academic and extracurricular pursuits.
Additionally, tenth and eleventh graders take the PSAT each fall. Sophomores take it to become more familiar with this sort of test. Juniors take it as a qualifying test for the National Merit Corporation. Results provide information that can be used to help improve performance on subsequent tests.
In the winter of each year, the college counselors gather with the juniors and their parents to explain the calendar for the year ahead as it relates to college admissions. And beginning after spring break, students and their families begin individual meetings with their designated college counselor. At those meetings, preferences for colleges are discussed and a plan for the summer and the senior year is devised. This plan includes a review of the student's senior course load as well as suggestions for summer activities as they relate to the college search.
Throughout the senior year, students meet with their college counselor on a daily basis during advisory time. While the focus of these gatherings is not always on college, the relationship formed is crucial to the individual counseling that takes place at St. Andrew's. Advisory groups grow together over the year, and college counselors get to know their advisees quite well so that any advocating on their behalf can be done with great confidence and knowledge. By the spring of the senior year, it is the aim of the college counseling program that the seniors all have choices about where they will attend college.
9th Grade
The groundwork for successful college acceptance is laid by encouraging students to do their best academically, to get involved in a variety of extracurricular activities, and to choose interesting summer projects.
10th Grade
PSAT - In October, students take the PSAT (Preliminary SAT) as practice in dealing with this examination format.
11th Grade
PSAT - In October, students take the PSAT again, potentially qualifying them for National Merit Scholarships.
SAT - In January, all students take the SAT I (critical reading and math);
SAT - In May or June, all students take the SAT II (subject achievement test).
*Students may also take the SAT on other dates, as well as the ACT which tests English, reading, math, and science.
Interim
From spring of the junior year through the senior year, college advisors and students develop a list of interesting colleges and then narrow that to a list of colleges to which the student will apply. Additional standardized testing can occur in any year. Upon the advice of teachers or counselors, students in all four grades may take the SAT II and/or Advanced Placement Exam(s) in one or more subjects, although they do not usually qualify for the latter until they have completed relevant coursework as upperclassmen.
12th Grade
College Essays - Each fall, while the sophomores and juniors are taking the PSAT, the seniors meet with classmates and teachers to edit college essays.
College Applications - This process involves careful study of college information; a thorough assessment of the student's interests, talents, and ambitions; and a realistic appraisal of admissions possibilities. The student, with the consultation of parents, advisor, and other faculty, makes all the most important decisions.
College Acceptances - By May, each senior will have decided where to enroll for post-secondary education.
For details on the SAT and Advanced Placement exams, consult The College Board. The College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB) code for St. Andrew's Episcopal School is 440-343. For information on the ACT Assessment, check The ACT website.
Q. How will St. Andrew's help prepare my student for college?
A. St. Andrew's curriculum and graduation requirements ensure that students have had enough challenging and diverse experiences, both in and out of the classroom, so that they are interesting candidates for colleges/universities. (See the college counseling section of the web site for more details about the college counseling process at St. Andrew's.)
Q. What is the average SAT score of St. Andrew's students?
A. For the Class of 2009: Critical Reading: SAS 622 / Mathematics: SAS 617 / Writing: SAS 610 /
Q. Does St. Andrew's rank?
A. St. Andrew's does not rank its students. This is common practice at many private, independent schools where small class sizes can throw off the ranking system substantially.
Q. How does not ranking affect St. Andrew's students when they apply to a state school like UT or A&M?
A. It means that no St. Andrew's students gain automatic admission to a state school under the top 10% rule. It does not mean that our students are not admitted to these schools! (In fact, over the past four years, we've sent more graduates to UT than anywhere else.) Our students undergo a thorough review process that allows Texas state schools to look at GPA, SAT scores, student essays, and teacher and counselor recommendations. Essentially, they are reviewed holistically rather than being evaluated only by their grades and SAT scores.
Q. Where do St. Andrew's students go to college?
A. Our students go to schools in-state and out-of-state, in places as nearby as Tennessee and as far away as California. Our goal is to guide students towards academic institutions where they can grow and be challenged both in and out of the classroom. Since our first senior class graduated in 2001, our students have continued to be accepted to a diverse range of colleges and universities across the country. Click here to see the full list.
Q. Do students have “excused absences” to visit colleges?
A. Juniors are allowed three “excused absences” for college visits. Seniors get permission from their college counselors. (There is no set number of “excused absences” for seniors; college counselors approve visits.)
HELPFUL RESOURCES
College Counseling Websites—(search tools, financial aid resources, online applications):
The College Board: Register for the SAT I, SAT II Subject Tests, and CSS/Financial Aid Profile Application from this site. You will find practice questions and tips for taking standardized college entrance tests. Also, you can conduct a basic online college search.
ACT: Research and register for the ACT.
Peterson's: Conduct a college search, apply to colleges online, look at college websites, and explore financial aid possibilities and resources for test prep. Petersons gives you access to more than 300 colleges and includes information about graduate and professional school programs as well as many other opportunities.
Princeton Review: Practice exams for the SAT from Princeton Review . . . and they're free! Search for and apply to colleges using Apply! and research colleges using information from the Princeton Review's book, The Best 311 Colleges. There are also feature articles about different aspects of the admissions process.
College Net: This site has a college search, online college applications, and free financial aid and scholarship services.
Common Application: Download the Common Application and work on it at home or school.
Texas Common Application: Apply to any public university in Texas.
FastWeb: With $52 billion offered each year to students who want to go to college, this website tells you about 275,000 scholarships and grants that may be available to you and/or your family.
Student Financial Assistance: From the US Department of Education, this provides information about federal programs.
FAFSA on the web: Apply for financial aid with the online Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) between January 1st and February 1st to meet priority deadlines at most colleges. Remember to have your social security number, driver's license number, and last year's income tax forms for reference. Save all your data!
Recommended Books
Standardized Test Prep
Published annually by the College Board – The Official SAT Study Guide: For the New SAT and Real SAT II: Subject Tests
The SAT I for Dummies (Suzee Vlk)
Tooth and Nail: A Novel Approach to the New SAT (Charles Herrington Elster and Joseph Elliot)
Commonly Used College Guides and Reference Books
Barron's Profiles of American Colleges (edited by College Division of Barron's Educational Series)
The Best 311 Colleges (edited by Edward T. Custard, published by Princeton Review)
The College Handbook: The Only Guide to all 3200 U.S. Colleges (published by the College Board)
The Fiske Guide to Colleges (Edward B. Fiske "former editor of the NY Times shares his wisdom about life on college campuses" including a rating system for academic and social life)
The Insider's Guide to the Colleges (Yale Daily News- students from across the country share their views of each college)
Peterson's Competitive Colleges
Peterson's Honors Programs
Peterson's 4-Year Colleges (all published by Peterson's)
Colleges that Change Lives: 40 Schools You Should Know About Even if You're Not a Straight-A Student
Looking Beyond the Ivy League: Finding the College That's Right for You (Loren Pope)
Books of Advice for the College Application/Decision Process
The College Admissions Mystique (Bill Mayher) College Unranked — Affirming Educational Values in College Admissions (The Educational Conservancy)
The Fiske Guide to Getting into the Right College (Edward B. Fiske, Bruce G. Hammond)
Visiting College Campuses (Janet Spencer, Sandra Maleson, published by the Princeton Review)
PAYING FOR COLLEGE
Paying for college is a reality that presents a challenge for many families. However, you can plan ahead by starting early to investigate available scholarship opportunities and options for financial aid. Students should definitely include parents in this process and may want to start a search for financial aid resources at FinAid, an excellent and comprehensive public service website. On FinAid, you can learn about the many available education savings plans, loans, and scholarships. FinAid includes sample forms and calculators so you can get down to the nitty gritty of dollars and cents. FinAid even has a page that highlights weird and wacky scholarships. There are also many websites and books that help you find scholarships and sources of money for college.
Financial Aid Options and Sources
There is "need-based" financial aid which is available primarily based on family need and "merit-based" financial aid which is granted regardless of family need. The three basic types of need-based financial aid are grants, loans, and work-study. Grants or scholarships are funds that do not have to be repaid. Loans are available to students (and parents) and are usually payable after you've graduated or left school. These loans often have lower interest rates than commercial loans. Work-study is a job arranged for you by the college. The funding for all three types of aid may come from federal, state, college, institutional, or private sources.
Merit-based financial aid is a grant or scholarship awarded for academic, artistic, or athletic achievement, ethnic or religious background, intended field of study, or other criteria. These scholarships are granted by colleges, organizations, or other private sources regardless of family need.
Qualifications for "Need-Based" Aid
Some students don't apply for need-based financial aid because they think their families won't qualify. However, millions of students are receiving some type of financial aid every year.
"Need" is defined as the difference between what it costs to attend a particular college (including tuition and cost of living) and what you and your family can afford to pay toward those costs ("expected family contribution"). Since the amount you can pay generally stays the same whether the costs are high or low, you would be eligible for different amounts of aid at different colleges. In fact, if you get all the financial aid for which you are eligible, you could end up paying the same amount at a high-cost college as you would at a
lower-cost one.
Your Expected Contribution
Financial aid is intended to supplement, not replace, a family's resources. For that reason, most families should think of themselves as the primary source of funds for college. Almost all colleges, government agencies, and special programs that award aid expect you and your family to contribute as much as possible toward college costs.
Figuring out how much each student and her family should pay is a fairly complicated process called "need analysis." A need analysis is performed using certain formulas for everyone who applies for aid. This involves an examination both of what the parents can pay toward college costs and what the student can contribute.
Annual income is not the only factor that is considered in evaluating your eligibility for need-based financial aid. A family's assets are also considered, since a family with assets is assumed to be in a stronger financial position than a family with the same income but no assets.
Finally, financial aid administrators know that each family situation is unique. Even though a standard formula is used to analyze your family's financial situation, individual circumstances are taken into account when your application for financial aid is considered. Be prepared, then, to help yourself, but know that if a college accepts you for admission, it will try to help you make your education affordable.
Applying for Financial Aid
Need-based Financial Aid
There are two essential applications for need-based financial aid. Every student seeking need-based financial aid should file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA ) no later than February 14th. Many colleges and universities require the CSS PROFILE as well as the FAFSA. The deadline for the CSS Profile is November 1st for early admission candidates and February 1st for regular admission candidates.
In addition, some colleges and universities have their own applications for aid, and these must be submitted at the same time the student applies for admission.
Note: Complete and submit your FAFSA application as soon as possible after January 1. Money is awarded from "pools" - the earlier you get your application in, the more money will be in the pools. The CSS PROFILE and FAFSA and outside scholarship forms will be made available to students as soon as the school receives them.
Merit Scholarships
Each year seniors from St. Andrew's are offered merit scholarships from colleges, or local or national organizations recognizing students' contributions to the community, leadership or special talents including academic achievement. Awards range from $1,000 to partial or full tuition -- often renewable over four years in college. In some instances, our students are asked to drive or fly to a campus to compete in several rounds of interviews to be considered for these awards. In other cases, they need only apply to a college or submit additional written information by a specific deadline.
There are scholarships available from local and national organizations, corporations, and foundations. In general, these awards range from $500 to $2,000. Usually, a student must complete an application, write an essay, and provide a confidential recommendation as part of the process. Thankfully, the bulk of private scholarship application deadlines fall between January and May of senior year - after admission applications are complete.
Once a student's college application list is set, students should check individual college/university websites for merit scholarships.
Military Scholarships
If you're interested in the military, you can apply for a ROTC Scholarship which is due December 1. Students who attend one of the military academies get a free education. If this interests you, check out:
United States Military Academy
United States Naval Academy
United States Air Force Academy
United States Coast Guard Academy
United States Merchant Marine Academy