Rankings vs. Fit Demonstrating Interest Making the Most of a College Visit Applying to College Finalizing the College List Selecting Faculty for Letters of Recommendation Preparing and Submitting Applications

by a college and in turn enrich that collegiate community — is far more important than rankings. The college counselors use their wealth of experience to help each boy find a college that is the right academic and social fit.

DEMONSTRATING INTEREST

Many colleges take a student’s “demonstrated interest” into account when reviewing applications. A boy can first demonstrate interest by attending the session when a college visits Woodberry. Visiting a campus, in person or virtually, can be another critical indicator of interest, as is interviewing with an admission counselor or alum when that option is available.

If a student does schedule an interview – which we recommend – here are a few helpful tips:

An interview is a conversation between the student and the admission representative. Boys should be ready to explain why they’re interested in the school. They should do their best to relax and talk candidly about their interests and accomplishments. Showing personality and a sense of humor in an interview is encouraged.

Questions to Ask: Don’t ask questions with answers easily available online. Asking those questions shows a lack of research and preparation. Here are a few suggestions: • What would graduates say was the most valuable thing about their four years here? • What are the big issues on campus this year? • How do you think the institution will be different in five years?

MAKING THE MOST OF A COLLEGE VISIT

There’s really no wrong time to visit campuses, though most students begin making [informal] visits in their fourth-form year and finish them early in their sixthform year. Students shouldn’t take for granted schools they’re already familiar with. While attending sporting events or visiting friends and family on a college campus might be fun, these aren’t substitutes for the visits curated by college admission offices.

Plan ahead: Colleges usually host one or two in-person information sessions per day. Particularly since the pandemic, colleges tend to require advance registration.

Take notes and pictures: Visits can blend together. Photos and notes can capture key highlights.

To interview or not to interview: Not all colleges offer evaluative interviews; rising seniors should find out whether interview opportunities are available. Appointments are generally required. Classroom attire is appropriate.

Tap the Tiger network: The college counseling office can check if there are any Woodberry alumni attending schools where a student plans to visit and put boys in touch with current college students.

College days: Woodberry students are granted three days during each of their fifth- and sixth-form years when they may miss class to visit colleges. Boys may take college days with the permission of their teachers, college counselor, and the dean of students. Visits are most productive when boys visit on a class day. The exception to this rule is when an admission office has scheduled an open house or special program. Any student missing Woodberry classes for a college visit is expected to take an admission officesponsored tour and attend an information session. If a boy wishes to spend the night off campus on a weekend, he may use a long or short weekend in conjunction with a college day.

Ground work on applications begins during the fifth-form year as students build college lists and settle on a standardized testing strategy and timeline with the college counseling team. Students can open accounts and begin preparing the Common Application and individual school applications in the spring before their sixth-form year. A critical time during this process is the college counseling boot camp, which is offered at Woodberry just before senior year begins. Though boot camp is optional, it is strongly encouraged. This is a boy’s last chance to prepare applications before he must balance applying to college with rigorous, senior-level coursework. Boys who attend the camp get application support from counselors and essay support from members of the English department.

FINALIZING THE COLLEGE LIST

During the fall, seniors and counselors finalize the college list and students work on preparing the best college application possible. Typically, a college list will contain anywhere from five to ten schools. Those schools should be divided among three categories: • Reach schools (less than 20 percent chance of admission) • Target schools (50/50 chance of admission) • Likely schools (greater than 80 percent chance of admission)

Starting the college research and the application process in the winter of the fifth- form year gives boys a chance to put together a strong list. Beginning in May of the fifth form, he can turn his attention to building thoughtful applications and essays. This timing allows counselors to review essays and application materials and make recommendations for improvements.

As a general rule of thumb, if a boy wants his materials reviewed by his counselor, he should share those with his counselor no less than two weeks prior to the college’s deadline.

Counselors support students by submitting transcripts and recommendation letters on their behalf, and are guided by agreed-upon submission deadlines listed in Cialfo. It is the boy’s responsibility to submit his applications by those deadlines.

SELECTING FACULTY FOR LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION

A student will usually submit three letters of recommendation to a college. One comes from the college counselor; two come from faculty members who have taught the student. In most cases, boys should select faculty members who know them well and who taught them in the fifth or sixth form. These recommenders do not need to be teachers in a boy’s strongest subject; it’s more important that the teacher know the student well and be able to show a college how he would perform academically and contribute to the community. Boys are strongly encouraged to seek out recommendations from core academic area teachers, unless they are pursuing a fine arts major, in which case a teacher recommendation from that area is advised. Students should request at least one teacher recommendation before the end of the fifth-form year.

PREPARING AND SUBMITTING APPLICATIONS

When reviewing application options, a boy should opt to use the Common Application unless otherwise directed by the college. A handful of institutions, like Georgetown University, offer only one application method: an institution-specific online application.