Roles & Responsibilities

More than any specific college outcome, Woodberry’s college counselors are interested in helping boys develop into young men with strong academic, social, emotional, and character foundations. The college search is a natural extension of the educational experience at Woodberry. Boys are expected to use the college process to learn more about themselves and select an institution that best supports their thoughtfully considered educational and personal goals.

During the college search process, the student, parents, and college counselor each have distinct roles and responsibilities.

Student • Make use of opportunities at Woodberry to develop passions and talents.

• Explore meaningful summer activities.

• Be realistic about strengths and weaknesses.

• Decide what you need from your college experience. • Seek the advice of the college counseling office, and communicate with your college counselor about your activities, the colleges to which you are applying, and the decisions you receive from those colleges. • Use Cialfo as a resource to research colleges and manage applications. • Visit colleges/universities and make the most of those visits through contacts with admission office, faculty in your academic area(s) of interest, or coaches.

• Know the requirements and deadlines of each college to which you are applying. • Complete your applications thoroughly and on time, giving ample time for review and revision. • Understand how your test scores might impact your admission at each of your colleges. At “test optional” colleges, decide whether or not to submit your scores. • Know which colleges require

“official” test score reports. Have official scores sent from College

Board and/or ACT.

Parent • Help your son set goals during his time at Woodberry. • Communicate early any strict parameters that should inform your son’s college search (i.e., financial, geographic, etc.). • Support meaningful summer activities — community service, a job, pursuit of a passion, travel, or academic enrichment.

• Share your son’s story with the college counseling team. • Be open-minded to a range of colleges, and facilitate visits to a variety of campuses with your son. • If your son is interested in playing a varsity sport in college or pursuing art, music, or drama, encourage him to talk to coaches and teachers as well as the college counseling staff.

• Educate yourself about financing college and submit financial forms.