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Riverstone College Counseling Mission Statement

The college counselor will support students and parents as they seek to find what is truly the best educational path for them upon leaving Riverstone.  The counselor will take a proactive approach from when the student first enters high school, getting to know them as individuals, urging them to think about their future, and collaborating with their parents and teachers to ensure that each student take the steps necessary to earn their IB Diploma, submit compelling applications, and step out into the world with confidence, knowledge, and purpose. 

 

Riverstone’s College Counseling Office Vision Statement 

Each student will be supported and challenged when charting their own path to learning, career-readiness, and life-fulfillment beyond Riverstone.  Students will use the knowledge gained through their education here; their independence and curiosity as thinkers; their own initiative, research, and reflection skills; collaboration with teachers, counselors, and parents; and the perspective and confidence gained through their outdoor leadership and service experiences to answer for themselves, “What is the good life?” and to go out and live it.

Grade 12 College Application Calendar
August
  • The Common Application opens on August 1st (you can find specific colleges’ deadlines in Big Future’s College Search).
  • Obtain testing materials and registration dates for the SAT/ACT.
  • Mark your calendar with registration, admissions, and financial aid deadlines and fees.
September
  • If you are set on going to a certain college, you should think about whether applying early is a good option. Now is the time to decide because early applications are usually due in October/November. Read about the pros and cons of applying early.
  • Remind the teachers who are writing your recommendations of the deadlines for their letters.
October
  • Set up your FSA ID (and your parent will need one, too) and start gathering information so you can complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
  • The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) opens on October 1st. Even if your family does not expect to qualify for any federal financial aid, you should still fill out this application. Some schools use this form to award institutional aid and your family would miss out on these opportunities if you don’t fill out the form. Some state aid is awarded first come/first served so the sooner you complete the FAFSA, the better.
  • Look at the list of schools to which you plan to apply and figure out which ones require the CSS profile.  You can check here: https://profile.collegeboard.org/profile/ppi/participatingInstitutions.aspx.  The profile is due two weeks before the earliest admissions or scholarship deadline at the schools that require the CSS profile. For “early action” schools this could mean mid-October deadlines.
  • Follow up to ensure your employers, teachers, and guidance counselors send letters of recommendation.
November
  • Complete early decision/action applications by their deadline.
  • If it has been a few weeks since you completed your FAFSA and you have not received your Student Aid Report (SAR), call 1-800-4-FED-AID. If you have received your SAR, review it for errors and make any corrections.
  • Contact the financial aid offices at the colleges you are interested in to find out what forms you must submit to apply for aid. Apply for aid by or before any stated deadlines. Funds are limited, so the earlier you apply, the better.
  • Complete applications for every scholarship for which you may be eligible: There may be scholarships through the schools on your list that have additional applications. Figure out if this is the case and do any extra essays or applications now.
December
  • Finalize admission applications.
  • Watch for early admissions notices.
January
  • Regular decision applications are due between early January and mid-February, depending on the school you're applying to.
  • Keep a watch out for scholarship applications and make note of the deadlines. Get an early start completing them.
February
  • Research local scholarships and apply as applications are available.
March
  • You'll typically receive your admission decisions between mid-March and early April.
  • Financial aid packages often come separate from the admissions decision. For the schools that really interest your family, assess whether you can afford them. If you were hoping for better funding, you can ask for a better deal.
April
  • If you are having trouble deciding between schools, remind yourself of your priorities. What factors are most important to you and do your offers coincide with your priorities? Have you visited or talked to current students and their families? Have you made a list of pros and cons?
May
  • Accept or decline your offers by May 1.
  • If you have received a merit scholarship, formally accept the scholarship in your NMSC application portal. Don’t forget to do this! Make sure you receive confirmation that this step is complete.
June
  • Notify your high school guidance office of your college selection and any scholarships received.
  • Follow up with the financial aid office to ensure all paperwork is complete.
  • Attend or register to attend college orientation.

 

Grade 11 College Application Calendar

 

September
  • Practice for the PSAT, which will be offered at Riverstone in October. Khan  Academy has free practice modules. Even if you think you might  apply to test-optional schools only, you won’t know that until you complete your college list. There also may be scholarships later that require a test  score. So practice a little now just in case.  
October
  • Go on the Riverstone Fall College Tour!
  • Take the PSAT. 
November
  • Students and Parents/Guardians: Start reading about how the college admissions process works.  Recommended books:

    College Admission Essentials by Ethan Sawyer

    The Truth about College Admission: A Family Guide to Getting In and Staying Together by Brennan Barnard and Rick Clark

    Who Gets In and Why by Jeffrey Selingo

    The Price You Pay for College Ron Lieber

    Where You Go Is Not Who You Will Be by Frank Bruni 

    December
    • Keep reading those college admissions books.
    January
    • Keep reading.
    February
    • Parents/Guardians:  File your taxes. The information from this tax year helps  you estimate college costs, so that you can start getting a college application list that  is a good academic fit for your student and a good financial fit for your family.  
    March
    • Parents/Guardians: Get a handle on college costs. Now that you’ve done your taxes, you have the tools  you need to get a sense of what various colleges might charge your family. Get an early estimate of how much federal student aid your student may be eligible for by filling out the Federal Student Aid Estimator. Use the Estimator to calculate your student’s “aid index” (SAI),  then plug this information into a few Net Price Calculators for schools to which your student may apply.  
    • Students and Parents/Guardians: Make a good financial fit list and minimize issues with affordability next year. Many families find it helpful to set a college budget for their student with a ballpark figure that the family can  afford. This can give the student the freedom to make their own choice without causing  financial hardship for themselves and their family. 
    April
    • Student: Make a balanced college application list, often consisting of around 10 schools with 1 “wild card” (1-10% chance of acceptance), 3 “reach” schools (very low chance of acceptance), 3 “maybe” schools (decent chance of acceptance), and 3 “likely” schools (good or very good chance of acceptance).  
    • There are so many ways to research schools.  Pick a method that works for you. You can use Naviance, you can use college search websites like Niche or CollegeVine, you can look at individual school’s websites, or attend college fairs. At the very least, become familiar with the College Board’s BigFuture website. You can search colleges and make lists there. 
    • Google each school’s “Common Data Set” and study Section C to better gauge your chances of acceptance.
    May
    • Students and Parents/Guardians: Work on making an application list that is a good fit financially and also academically. Be sure to run the Net Price Calculator for each  school on the list so there are no nasty financial surprises. Parents, if you haven’t  already, talk to your student about costs so that your student isn’t expecting you to pay  for a school that you cannot afford.  
    • Student: Decide who you would like to ask for letters of reference and ask them now if  they will do that for you in the fall.  
    June
    • Work on the pieces you will need for the Common App: list your activities and awards and work on your essay. Consider getting a summer job if you don’t already have one.  
    July
    • Work on the pieces you will need for the Common App, especially your essay. Work at your summer job. Research scholarship opportunities both at the schools that you plan to apply and also through other organizations. Studentscholarships.org is a good place to start looking for scholarships that aren’t tied to a specific  college.  

     

    Grade 12 Calendar for Applying to Colleges Abroad
    August -September
    • Finalize your admission essays. 
    • Submit the first draft of your personal statements for feedback from the counselor.
    • Students will need to write additional essays in supplemental forms required by most US and Canadian universities. 
    • This is also the time for many entrance exams like the UCAT for Medicine applicants to the UK, the SAT/ACT tests for mostly the US, and language proficiency tests like the International English Language Testing System(IELTS) and Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) for some countries, especially if they are nonnative English speakers. 
    October -November
    • Complete the personal statement for UK universities.
    • Several university systems have early application deadlines that some students need to be prepared for. For example, the 15th of October is the deadline for Oxford and Cambridge applications.
    • Students aspiring to study specialist subjects such as Medicine and Veterinary Science in the UK must submit applications to The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service by October 15th.
    • Early Decision/Early Action in the US has deadlines in early November. The decisions from the Early Decision/Early Action are in by December/January. 
    • Students applying to Canadian universities must take the English/French language proficiency tests during October-November. 
    November -December
    • Many early decision and early action deadlines are in this period, usually in early November.
    • For those who are not applying for specialized courses or early action/decision, regular admission applications will open during this time.
    • This is the time to prepare for applications to universities in Canada, Europe, Hongkong, and Singapore.
    • Canada has a centralized application portal for Ontario, Ontario Universities' Application Centre. Other provinces will require students to apply through each individual university website.
    • For the Netherlands, students need to go through the centralized application portal, Studielink.
    • Similarly in Australia, students need to register through the University Admissions Centre, though students must check to see if they meet the specific requirements for international students.
    • For Hongkong and Singapore, applications open during this time and each university has its own registration website. Students will need to spend a good amount of time applying to universities in these countries.
    • Those applying to Korea can register through the Study in Korea application website. Korea has the flexibility of two admission cycles, spring and fall. Students can select which cycle suits them.
    • For other popular destinations like Germany, this is a good time to start applying. Students can directly apply through the university website or register through the centralized admissions portal for international students at uni-assist.
    • A minimum of 10-12 hours is required to complete three to four applications to one country. Choose carefully in order to focus on the quality of applications over the quantity of applications.
    January -March
    • Most regular decision application deadlines for United States universities are over by January 15th.
    • The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) deadline for most courses is also January 15th.
    • Most Canadian universities also have final application deadlines between 15 January and February 15th.
    • The Netherlands also has a January 15th deadline for Numerus Fixus programs.
    • The Hong Kong university's regular decision applications have begun, and it is crunch time for completing all requirements.
    • The Korean university first-round applications have also commenced; hence, students will spend a considerable amount of time completing these applications.
    • Most university decisions will be made sometime during the month of March.
    • By early April, students should have a decision from all the universities to which they have applied.
    April -July
    • Support students to make the final university choice and confirm with the university.
    • Advise students on conditional offers as they will be taking exams and need to perform as per the condition laid down by the university.
    • Remind students to complete the housing applications as soon as they accept the offer as places sometimes might be limited and you do not want a student to be disadvantaged.
    • Discuss post-results processes like sending the results directly to universities, procedures to reapply in case results do not match the condition, and completing orientation formalities.

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    Academics

    Academics