College guidance at St. Croix Country Day School begins when the students enter the Upper School. Every student's program is carefully planned each year in order to establish a solid academic foundation for college work.

College admissions testing begins the sophomore year. Students enrolled in biology may choose to take the College Board Subject Test (SAT II). The Preliminary Scholastic Assessment Test (PSAT) is given the sophomore year and again the junior year. The junior score is the basis for selection for the National Merit and several other scholarships. In May of the junior year, the students will take the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT I). In June, most of the students will then take two to three subject tests (SAT II). Some students will choose to take the SAT I test again in October of the senior year. For more information on testing, click here.

The formal program of college planning begins with a series of workshops on the college admission procedure during the second semester of the junior year. These sessions include discussions about the students' credentials and preferences. Then colleges are explored to match the students' abilities and desires, creating a long list of colleges for further exploration. It is hoped this further investigation will include reading viewbooks and catalogs, viewing videotapes and websites, visiting several campuses and discussing options with parents and alumni.

Parents are encouraged to contact Mrs. Nurse to schedule an appointment in the spring of the junior year to discuss college plans. An overview of the college admission process is given in the fall of both the junior and senior years at an evening meeting for the parents.

Over 20 college representatives visit St. Croix Country Day School each fall. Meetings with these representatives afford excellent opportunities for students to ask specific questions. The schedule of college visits is posted in advance so students can sign up to attend these sessions.

In the fall of the senior year, the students narrow their list down to three to five colleges to which they will apply. Sessions are held to discuss completing the application with particular emphasis on writing the college essay. The counselor prepares an all- school report for each student based on the comments of seven teachers, the student's autobiography and the counselor's knowledge of the student. This recommendation is included with each application along with the transcript, teacher recommendations and school profile. Students should give completed applications to Mrs. Nurse at least two weeks before their deadline. We do try to encourage all students to have their applications completed early for the most positive admissions and financial aid results.

Mrs. Nurse is in communication with most of the colleges by phone in order to supply or seek further information so that the college can have the most complete picture of the student. Notification from colleges can come as early as December (for Early Decision candidates) but reaches a peak in March and early April. The students must decide on one college by May 1, and inform the other colleges they have been admitted to that they will not attend.

College Guidance at St. Croix Country Day School rests upon the basic tenet that a good match should be made between the students' abilities and preferences and the colleges they investigate, as well as the college they ultimately attend. While St. Croix Country Day School has achieved an impressive college acceptance record over the years, the school cannot guarantee students' acceptances by the college of first choice. Careful guidance is given to assist the students in making a good match. It must also be emphasized that St. Croix Country Day School, through Mrs. Nurse, serves only in an advisory capacity. The students and their parents make the final decision regarding college choice.

Mrs. Mariska Nurse
Dean of Guidance/ Student Affairs

WHY JUST EIGHT COLLEGE APPLICATIONS?

St. Croix Country Day has a limit of eight on the number of college applications any student may complete. The policy was developed largely to require students to conduct meaningful college research before completing their college applications and to come up with several good reasons why each college on their final list represents a particularly good "fit" or "match" for them.

Students should plan to complete from 4 to 8 applications, including 1-2 reaches, 2-4 possibles, and 1-2 likelys. Reaches are colleges where the student's credentials suggest that admission is unlikely, and some colleges are reaches for virtually every student, no matter how strong. Possibles are colleges where the proximity of student's credentials and the college's admission profile suggest that the chances may be around the 50/50 range. Likelys are colleges where the student's credentials suggest that the chances for admission are very good, but where the students would gladly go if not admitted to her reaches or possibles.

The importance of including colleges in all three competitive groups cannot be overstated, for the students most often disappointed in the college admissions process are those who have not carefully researched and chosen their possibles and likelys. Students who have many more than eight colleges on their "final list" have not, in most cases, done their homework on why each college represents a good "fit' or "match" for them, and have not considered why each college has "earned its keep" on their list.