College Counseling in Grades 9-12

Grade 9 

Your first year of high school should be all about Pingree! The time for college applications is still a long way into the future. Right now, focus on developing academic skills, building friendships, and exploring new and established interests. Learning about the college admissions experience will happen down the road; for now, know that the way to open doors to most colleges and universities is to have a successful high school experience. Challenge yourself both in and out of the classroom. Your teachers and advisor will collaborate with you as you explore your strengths, take healthy risks, and discover your passions. In the spring, there’s an evening event on academic planning with an eye toward college that we hope ninth and tenth-grade parents/guardians attend. 

• Course catalog
• School profile

Grade 10

Tenth-graders, concentrate on deepening what you began last year. Continue exploring new interests, but also get more involved in the activities that delight you the most. Colleges want students who dive deep and pursue their passions fully. 

School Year Programming

Take advantage of some of the college-related programming we offer during the school year: 

• Our counselor café chats feature recorded conversations between a Pingree college counselor and someone working in the space of higher education. These are great opportunities to learn more about searching for a college and what stands out during application evaluations. 
• In the fall, we offer a financial aid night to help shed some light on that process. 
• In the winter, there is an evening event to learn more about the recruiting process for prospective college athletes.
• In the spring, parents and guardians may also attend the program on academic planning and college admissions.

Testing Information

Over the next two years, you’ll be taking some practice standardized tests to determine what is right for you. We offer the PreACT in the spring of tenth grade and the practice SAT, called the PSAT, in the fall of eleventh grade. These two practice tests will help you choose which exam may be right for you when and if you need to take it for college admissions. 

• Testing information: College Board, PSAT/NMSQT, ACT

Summer Before Junior Year

Try to use the summer following tenth grade in a meaningful way. Here are some suggestions for how to spend the summer: 

• Get a job. Scooping ice cream, bagging groceries, bussing tables–any paid work experience shows discipline and your work ethic. A little spending money doesn’t hurt either. 
• Volunteer at a local organization. If civic engagement and helping your community motivate you, then the summer is a perfect time to volunteer. 
• Pursue an interest in a deep and sustained way. Will this be the summer you write your first novel or convert your family’s backyard to a flower garden? Maybe you finally have time to paint or do ceramics. Pick one of your interests and go all in this summer. 
• Focus on an academic interest. Take a look at our list of pre-college programs if you might be interested in enrolling in an enrichment class at a college or university.

Visit some colleges. At this point, it’s less important to visit particular colleges and more helpful to see different kinds of colleges: a big school, a small liberal-arts college, an urban institution, or a rural campus.

Grade 11

Eleventh grade is when the college counseling process formally begins. You will be assigned to a college counselor at the beginning of the second trimester. Your college counselor will work individually with you and will continue to do so until you select a college.

Our best advice: stay focused on and continue to make the most of high school. Challenge yourself in the classroom, get more involved in school clubs and co-curricular pursuits, and embrace your role as a leader in the school. Junior year is a busy one, and you will likely grow significantly both in and out of the classroom. 

Fall

• Focus on starting the school year successfully—in your classes, co-curricular activities, and community involvement.
• Take the PSAT in October during the school day. That score, along with your PreACT score and conversations with your college counselor, will help determine whether you should take the SAT or ACT and do some test prep.
• Attend the evening event on financial aid if interested. 

Winter

• Complete the Student Inventory questionnaire sent by your college counselor.
• Schedule a first meeting with your college counselor. Invite your advisor.
• Attend the college workshop in January. Your parents/guardians should attend. 
• Complete the Self-Description questionnaire sent by your college counselor. Your parents or guardian should also complete the Parent/Guardian questionnaire. Then sign up for and attend a family meeting with your college counselor. 
• Consider registering for the February ACT or March SAT.
• Attend the evening programs on athletics in admissions if relevant. 
• Plan to visit colleges over spring break. 
• See the Finding Your Fit section for more information about searching for colleges. 

Spring

• Continue individual meetings with your counselor. 
• Every family should meet at least once with their college counselor before the end of the year. 
• Develop a preliminary list of colleges with your counselor and actively research those colleges.
• Attend and engage with college counseling classes during class meeting time. 
• Attend the College Night in April.
• Register for the April or June ACT or May or June SAT. Both tests also offer summer dates. 
• Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center if you plan to play Division I or II athletics.
• Plan for a meaningful summer experience, including some college visits. 

Grade 12

Welcome to what promises to be an exciting year! Twelfth grade represents the culmination of many years of exploring, challenging yourself, working hard, making friends and learning about you–both in and out of the classroom. College is around the corner, and the experience of applying and enrolling will take up a good deal of time and energy this year. Above all else, remember to observe where you are now, enjoy what you are doing, and appreciate all you have done to get here.

Keep in mind that applying to college will be extra work on top of an already busy schedule but you do have help: everyone in your class is going through something similar and at the same time; your teachers have years of experience helping students make this transition; and your college counselors are here to provide information, give you reminders, and, we hope, be a voice of reason during what can be a confusing time. 

In the end, we hope that you will feel pride and a sense of accomplishment in all that you have done at Pingree.

Fall

• Attend the College Night event with your parents/guardians in early September to go over to-do items prior to application deadlines.
• Meet with your college counselor before October 1 to discuss your summer and your application plan. 
• Share a draft of your personal statement with your college counselor by October 1.
• Work on the Common Application and organize supplemental essays. Work on any applications that are not available on the Common Application.
• Continue to narrow down the list of colleges that you are planning to apply to. 
• If you are applying Early Decision or Early Action, applications are often due early in November. Testing should be completed by October. Be sure to discuss your plans with your college counselor.
• Make sure you’ve completed all of the items on this college application checklist prior to mid-October, including signing the FERPA agreement and the transcript release form and completing the college list agreement. 
• If you’d like, register and take a second round of the SAT or ACT in the fall. 
• Send test scores to colleges that require official score reports. It is the student’s responsibility, not Pingree’s, to send test scores if you’re submitting them. 
• Attend meetings with college representatives who visit Pingree.
• Enter your final list in Naviance by the end of October.
• If you are applying for financial aid:
  • Attend the Financial Aid Night event at Pingree.
  • Submit the FAFSA as close to the date it opens (typically October 1) as possible. 
  • Complete the CSS Profile, which also opens on October 1, for each private college that requires it. Check deadlines for the colleges you’ll be applying to.
• Contact colleges to arrange interviews (though not all colleges provide interviews).
  • See this guide on how to best prepare for interviews.
• Complete all applications by the relevant deadline. 
• Be sure to check the online portals provided by most colleges after you’ve applied. They often post critical information, including admissions decisions, there. 

Winter & Spring

• Make sure all of the colleges to which you applied have a complete application.
• Keep working in your classes and stay involved in the community.
• Wait for decisions… this can be difficult! Early application decisions come out between December and February. Regular decision colleges will notify students about admissions decisions between March 1 and early April.
• Keep your college counselor informed about the decisions you hear. 
• Be kind to each other and be discreet about the decisions you receive. There is a range of emotions that come with admissions decisions. You and your classmates are in this together!
• Attend re-visit programs at the colleges where you’ve been accepted. 
• You will need to make your final decision by May 1. Keep your counselor in the loop. 
• Graduation!