Counseling for Juniors

Junior year is widely regarded as the most challenging time in high school, especially for gifted students who aspire to attend a highly selective college. Among other things, it's the time when a student and parents need to begin focusing on specific college options.

Our Junior year counseling helps students refine choices and focus on distinguishing interests and strengths. We also concentrate on preparation and planning for appropriate standardized testing.

Since college admissions officers look particularly closely at an applicant's Junior year choices and performance, we remind our clients that there is much that they still can do to highlight their strengths and be compelling college candidates.

Our meetings are not limited to in-person sessions, but include telephone conference calls as well.

Our Junior Package includes:

Note: For continuing clients, we will combine the year-end and initial meetings.

• An extended initial meeting with student and parents in the summer before or early fall of a student's Junior year, to pull together needed information and to begin to create a two-year profile, with individual attention to academic, standardized testing, and extracurricular choices that highlight individual strengths and potential “hooks” in the college process.
• Late fall meeting to review academic progress and provide appropriate support.
• Early winter meeting to review PSAT results and confirm standardized test plans.
• A mid-year review meeting in January or February with student and parents to review progress and standardized testing, plan spring college visits and summer activities, and begin Senior year planning.
• A meeting in March or April with student and parents, preferably after spring break, to follow up on college visits, discuss results of Junior year standardized tests taken to date, confirm summer plans and 12th grade classes, and further refine a student's college list.
• Guidance, as appropriate, on preparing for interviews, and long lead-time supplemental materials, such as athletic résumés, art and writing portfolios, and performing arts audio and video DVDs.
• Guidance throughout the recruitment and admission process for athletes and performing artists.
• A meeting in June after Junior year with student and parents to review the previous year and standardized testing profile, refine Senior year academic and extracurricular choices, and confirm the college list. For continuing clients, this meeting may occur anytime in the summer.
• Between-meetings access to a counselor for the student or parents to help deal with specific issues or answer particular questions as they arise during the school year.