College Advising

These programs help students and parents learn more about the application process.

• College Night: An overview of the college search and application process for freshmen and sophomores and their parents.
• Financial Aid Night: A comprehensive look at the financial aid process, led by a college financial aid officer.
• Junior College Meeting: A detailed look at the timeline of the college application process for juniors and their parents. We seek a diverse panel that will include a Virginia public university, a Christian college, and a selective private institution. Recent participants included admissions representatives from University of Virginia, Grove City College, and Johns Hopkins University.
• Course Selection Advising: Through an evening event for parents and grade-level seminar meetings for students. Families are advised how to make wise decisions regarding the progression of Upper School courses. Topics include homework considerations, the difference between Honors and standard college-preparatory courses, AP placement, graduation requirements, etc.
• College Admissions Representative Visits: Representatives from more than 50 colleges come to campus to meet with students Annual visits include schools such as Virginia Tech, UVA, Christopher Newport University, the College of William and Mary, Grove City College, Wheaton College, Baylor University, Bucknell University, University of Alabama, Florida State University, Vanderbilt University, Johns Hopkins University, and Georgetown University.
• Career Week: A week with dedicated seminar opportunities for students to hear professionals in a wide variety of fields discuss their education and career paths, as well as how their faith informs their work.

The college advising team works closely with each student and his or her family to support them through the college search and application process. All students are encouraged to pursue admission to colleges that provide an appropriate match for their unique intellectual abilities, passions, talents, personal values, and career goals. Advisors provide support by:

• Praying with and for students as they seek God's will concerning a good college match
• Providing training and guidance for research, college correspondence, decision-making, and development of a comprehensive list of schools to pursue
• Guiding students through scheduling for academic courses, testing, applications, and enrichment opportunities
• Sharing professional knowledge of current and historical trends in college admissions
• Supporting the college essay workshop in the senior English classes
• Writing recommendations and serving as advocates through the entire college search process
• Sending supporting documents to the colleges to which students are applying