The college counseling process at Mount Vernon is customized, comprehensive, and collaborative, and the college counseling office is unlike any other place in the Upper School. Not only are college counselors housed in the same space and constantly collaborating, but every student in the Upper School walks through their doors at least once a month in a space that is completely designed for their needs.
Along with grade-level small group sessions, the college counseling team hosts over 120 colleges and universities each fall for information sessions. During these information sessions, Mount Vernon students participate in personal conversations with people who may be making admission decisions on their behalf their senior year. The intimate size of the meetings is an advantage for Mount Vernon students; many of the recruiters know Mount Vernon students by name.
Our college counselors work with each senior tirelessly to help them find their best fit and empower them to relentlessly chase it. In addition to partnering with students on their respective college application processes, they edit essays and guide scholarship searches. As a team, Mount Vernon’s college counselors truly take pride in the fact that even beyond college questions, their door is always open.
With experiences as college admission professionals before entering the world of high school counseling, Mount Vernon’s college counselors are uniquely prepared to work with your family on this adventure. They really do believe they have the best job in the world, and their enthusiasm is contagious. The distinctive process is relational from start to finish - that’s paramount to Mount Vernon’s college counseling philosophy.
WHAT MAKES OUR COLLEGE COUNSELING PROGRAM UNIQUE:
Grade 9:
- Learning Style Inventory - counselors work with freshman to take inventory of what learning styles work best for them and how to best maximize their particular learning style in the classroom.
- Strengths Finder - Based on Gallup’s best selling book, StrengthsFinder, students learn how to capitalize on their individual strengths inside and outside the classroom.
- Games Based Learning - counselor use Family Feud style games to teach students about differences in the ACT / SAT, the college application process, and other counseling and college terms they need to learn in a fun and interactive way.
Grade 10:
- Atlanta Invitational Case Studies - sophomore families participate in an invite only mock admission process with 75 top colleges from around the United States to learn in depth about how an application is reviewed for admission.
- PSAT - every sophomore takes the PSAT to begin getting comfortable with standardized testing.
- Resume Crafting - college counselors work with sophomore students to help them craft their resumes and think strategically about their involvement in and out of school.
Grade 11:
- National College Fairs
- 1-on-1 meetings with college counselors - to kick off the one on one process, each student meets with his / her specific college counselor to begin mapping out his / her college process.
- Customized College Search Guidance - all students receive a customized list of colleges to consider based on their individual passions, talents, and preferences.
- Do What You Are Assessment - Based on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, students gain valuable insight into themselves and are given a list of possible careers and majors.
Grade 12:
- Senior Startup - before the first day of school, all seniors attend a full day session with the college counselors to craft college essays, fine tune resumes, and jump start college application work.
- Monthly Senior Breakfast - provides time and space for seniors to catch up with one another and share their progress, while receiving valuable information from their counselors and building community.
- Senior Traditions - the counseling office has many senior traditions, from the “I got into college!” bell, putting a flag in the map for their choice school, and painting a ceiling tile when they decide to matriculate to a college, to decorating their senior shirts at the end of the year.