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College Counseling

College Counseling
College Lists
Matriculation
Contact College Counseling
Preparing students for college is an essential part of the mission of St. Christopher’s School.
Our School works individually with each student and his family to understand the myths and realities of college admission, develop a list of appropriate options, and work through the application process.
All students in grades 9-11 take the PSAT each fall as practice for the SAT. The School publishes an extensive college handbook, and takes the junior class on a sample college visit each February. Formal college counseling begins with a joint meeting of parents and students in the junior year, and the staff meets with each student throughout their junior and senior years.
Naviance
We are excited to introduce Family Connection from Naviance, a secure, web-based resource that will assist students and parents in the college search and application process. Individual access codes for students and parents are distributed during the Junior Student and Parent night in January.
 
College Knowledge  
College Knowledge is the blog of the college counseling office that will feature practical advice and philosophical reflections on the college admissions process.
 
11th grade college search and application workshop
During X-block and grade level time in January and February, Mr. Jump and Mr. Mayer will work with the Juniors in a college search and application workshop.  In addition to the group workshops, we will be meeting individually with the Juniors throughout the Spring
Richmond Area Independent Schools College Fair
Thursday, April 25; 7:00 – 9:00 PM at Collegiate Schools
Representatives from over 170 colleges and universities will be present to provide information and answer questions.  A detailed list of attending colleges is available in the downloads at the top right of this page.

Summer College Application Workshop
August 5 - 9 LLC Cafe
The college counseling office will offer an application workshop the week of August 5-9 for any student that wants to get a jump start on college applications in a structured environment. The workshop will meet for two hours each day (9:30 – 11:30 am), and by the end of the week each participant will have narrowed their college list, identified deadlines, and completed the Common Application and a first draft of an essay.

SAT and ACT tests
Every student should plan to take the SAT or the ACT at least once in the spring of the Junior year and once in the fall of the senior year. Students may register for the tests with paper forms found in the Guidance Office or online at the College Board or ACT websites.
  • ·     Seniors should plan to take the SAT in October, November or December
  • ·     Juniors should plan to take the SAT in January, March, May  or June 
    The complete test schedules are linked off of these pages:
     
    Downloads
    Colleges Visiting St. Chris Fall 2012
    Throughout the fall admission reps from over 80 colleges will visit St. Chris.  The attached calendar will be updated as new college visits are scheduled.

    Dollars and Sense: College Tuition, Financial Aid, & Scholarships
    November 19, 2012: speaker will be Mr. Chris Gruber, VP and Dean of Admission and Financial Aid at Davidson College.  Program location is TBD.  Attached is a PDF of Mr. Gruber's 2011 presentaiton.

    Richmond Independent Schools College Fair
    April 25, 2013:  Representatives from over 160 colleges will be present to meet with students and parents.  Attached is the 2013 attending college list.


    Links of Interest
    search engine, estimate chances for admission, test prep

    (Search engine by category utilizing U.S. News rankings, college profiles from Fiske guide, extensive collection of articles relating to college admission)

    Prepare for your test.
    Find the right school.
    Explore financial aid.
    Advance your career.

    Financial Aid Information
    (links to local scholarships)

    (largest database of non-need scholarships)

    (The Tuition Assistance Grant or TAG program is a state program providing a grant for any Virginia resident attending an in-state private college)

    (Form from College Scholarship Service—required by many private colleges)

    (FAFSA—Free Application for Federal Student Aid—is the form required to qualify for federal aid programs. Most colleges require financial aid applicants to submit FAFSA, filing on-line saves 7-10 days processing time)

    (National Association of Financial Aid Administrators site, contains information about financial aid, scholarship scams, links to Fastweb database or non-need scholarships)
    Testing Information
    American College Test, alternative to SAT

    Dates, Registration, Prep