The 51 graduates of The Altamont School’s Class of 2026 were accepted to 137 colleges and universities. Fifteen will continue their education in Alabama and 36 will attend out-of-state colleges, including three abroad. They earned $8,424,064 in scholarship offers and accepted more than $1,989,820. That’s a typical story for Altamont graduates, not only due to the work of students and teachers, but also because the College Counseling Office ties together students’ achievements, personalities and aspirations to help them find the best college fit and the best return on their investment in Altamont.
Amanda Hardie, Director of College Counseling, is a former college admissions executive, and knows well what those offices look for in applicants. Assistant Director Cindy Bond is a veteran counselor from a large Birmingham-area public school system. Together, they bring insight, order, reassurance and even fun to what could otherwise be an intimidating experience.
Building Relationships
“We're set up for success out of the gate,” Bond said of Altamont’s size and community focus. Students get to know teachers, counselors and each other long before the eighth grade, when she and Hardie become directly involved in academic advising. By the time the college search begins in earnest, the counselors already have insights to guide the process. They can look beyond a student’s academic record, for example, to help them balance their college applications with Altamont’s extensive extracurricular opportunities in leadership, athletics, arts and academic teams. Often, students do not see how unique those experiences are, but the counselors know and have been watching closely. “I can't imagine many situations and many school setups where that's even possible,” Hardie said.
The Search
Hardie and Bond meet with every junior to learn even more about their goals and help develop a plan to achieve them. The counselors also lead juniors on a fall trip to introduce the enormous number of college options in Boston, but they also recognize that many students are finding what they want close to home.
“We have students going to Ivy League schools and very highly selective colleges and universities and we are so proud of them,” Hardie said. “But our students are looking for a good fit that's going to help them achieve their career goals or find out what their career goals are.” As the cost of college increases, she observed, it is also hard to ignore the combination of in-state tuition, high scholarship awards and world-class opportunities at Alabama universities.
To help families make the best choice, the counselors arrange college financing seminars and maintain a packed schedule of college visits to Altamont. “Having the opportunity for the representatives to come to our school and meet our students here really helps to put a name with a face and helps the students make that point of contact with someone who’s probably reading their application,” Hardie said.
The counselors noted that college representatives are welcome throughout the day at Altamont, while some schools allow visits only during certain periods. That allows for more visitors, longer sessions and a richer experience for students. “The representatives get to present some information, but then the students actually have a chance to ask the questions that are on their minds, about that particular school or even just college applications in general,” Bond said.
In addition to these campus visits and the Boston trip, Altamont also supports the counselors’ solo visits to colleges in the US and abroad so they can make informed suggestions and develop connections that serve students. Hardie noted that one graduate in the Class of ’26 will attend University of St. Andrews. Hardie toured St. Andrews and other Scottish universities on Altamont’s behalf in 2024 and so was able to share personal experience about the student’s choice. “I've seen this,” she said. “I've experienced the city, I've been in the classroom spaces, I've spoken with Admissions.” That personal insight is not possible at many schools, she said, due to caseloads, budgets or different priorities.
Whatever path they choose, Altamont students enjoy a college search rooted in that kind of personal attention, trusted advice and willingness to work hard to find the best match. The rewards for the student are seen in their satisfaction and success after graduation. For the counselors, the rewards are in the process as much as that outcome. “When a student does work with Amanda and me or trust us with something,” Bond said, “I would say we both truly believe there's no higher honor.”
