College Counseling

8th Grade
Transition to Upper School meeting

9th Grade
+ Get involved in school & community activities
+ PreACT practice test

10th Grade
October
+ PSAT practice test
November
+ PreACT practice test
+ Continue pursuing school & community activities
+ Consider summer job or meaningful summer activity
Spring Semester
+ College counseling student and parent meetings to register with SCOIR

11th Grade
Summer before
+ Continue pursuing paid/volunteer work or meaningful summer activities

September
+ Meetings with students and parents.
+ Parents are encouraged to begin filling out Net Price Calculators. Students are encouraged to use the fall months to research colleges online.
+ Students are encouraged to attend information sessions held at Altamont with college representatives throughout the fall. These sessions provide an excellent opportunity for students to familiarize themselves with the admission process and particular institutions.

October
+ Project Week: College Trip
+ Register for Advanced Placement Exams
+ Students are automatically registered to take the PSAT. All students will take it. The PSAT is a practice round for the SAT and also serves to qualify students for the National Merit Scholarship competition.

November
+ Families should look at their calendars and make plans to register for a standardized test (ACT or SAT) before the end of the academic year (May).

January
+Individual student meetings with the college counseling office

February-March
+Individual family meetings with the college counseling office.
+College counseling case studies and YouScience workshop. 
+Begin to formulate a preliminary list of schools that interest you. The spring and summer of the junior year is an ideal time to research different types of schools, focusing on size, location, selectivity, and academic offerings.
+If possible, arrange to visit colleges during spring break.

May
+Student athletes should register with the NCAA Clearinghouse; applies only to Division I and Division II
+Take Advanced Placement Exams
+College counseling application workshop before the end of the school year to set up Common App accounts, discuss essays, request teacher letters of recommendation and more.

June-August
+The summer is a good time to arrange official college visits. Students should register for visits on college websites. Student athletes should attempt to arrange meetings with coaches.
+Work on personal essays and completing the Common App. Start on supplemental (college-specific) essays as soon as applications open. Email college counseling with drafts of your essays
+Pursue summer activities
+ College counseling workshop the week before school starts.

12th Grade
August
+College application workshop
+College planning meetings as needed

September-November
+Update college list
+Complete college applications: Pay attention to application deadlines, especially ED and EA
+Seniors are encouraged to attend information sessions held at Altamont by visiting college representatives.
+Official campus visits; overnight, if possible, for those students applying ED I or II.
+Visit the college counseling office regularly!
+Students applying for financial aid should file the FAFSA and the College Scholarship Service Profile, which opens Oct. 1.

December
+Complete college applications: Pay attention to application deadlines
+Wait for Early Action and Early Decision release in your college-specific portals.
+FAFSA should be completed by January 1.
+ Study for exams! Your grades still matter!

January – March
+Finish the year strong. Your grades and attendance still matter!

April
+Regular Decision announcements, on or around April 1.
+Submit your enrollment deposit to the school where you will enroll and indicate your enrollment in SCOIR. We do not allow students to double deposit.

We love hearing from our graduates! Please stay in touch.

The Altamont School hosts 70-80 college visits every year. Visits are open to all juniors and seniors.

College Admission Representatives: If you would like to visit the Altamont school, either in-person or virtually, please register on our SCOIR calendar. Don’t see a date that fits your schedule? Please email Julie Beckwith, Associate Director of College Counseling, jbeckwith@altamontschool.org 

Fall Project Week: All students in the 11th grade take a weeklong trip in October to visit colleges. The location of the schools varies from year to year, but always includes on campus visits at a large public university, a tier 1 research institution, a small liberal arts college, an HBCU, and a specialized school (tech, arts, etc.).

Where You Go Is Not Who You Will Be: An Antidote to the College Admission Mania by Frank Bruni

 

Colleges that Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges by Loren Pope

 

How to Raise an Adult: Breaking Free from the Trap of Over-Parenting by Julie Lythcott-Haims

 

The Price You Pay for College by Ron Lieber

School Profile

College costs continue to rise and we know our families are concerned about the complexity of the college funding and financial aid process. It's not too early to explore options! Families who plan ahead - while their children are still in grades 9-11 – reduce out-of-pocket costs, get more aid, take on less debt and give their children more options.

The Altamont School partners with SMARTTRACK College Funding to provide professional college funding evaluation and access to helpful planning tools at no cost or obligation to our families, as well as steep discounts on advanced services for those who can benefit. To get started, follow the link below to create your complimentary SMARTTTRACK® Parent Account (one parent account per household) Then, take the quick online assessment to get your professional college funding evaluation - a great opportunity to stress-test your funding plans.

Create Parent Account

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