Four-Year Journey

List of 4 items.

• Grade 9

  I meet with the ninth grade as a group a few times during the year to encourage them to use their Cape Cod Academy experience to identify interests and to invest in passions. The core questions I promote are “Who am I” and “What’s important to me?” We talk about the ways that their interests can shape their college experiences and their eventual careers. I begin teaching some basic things about colleges and help students map out potential four-year plans for themselves. The college process truly begins in the classrooms and in community involvement as students begin to identify their interests and abilities.

• Grade 10

  In the tenth grade, students take part in a career exploration seminar where future careers are explored. Alumni are part of this process and share their journeys from Cape Cod Academy to their college experiences, and ultimately their professions.
  
  Students will take an "interest inventory" and compete questionnaires about their learning styles, interests, and future career paths. I discuss how their education at Cape Cod Academy informs their future decisions by discussing course selections and community involvement that will help them find the right fit for a college or university. I encourage sophomores to explore two to three colleges over the summer before their junior year to help them understand the variety of colleges available to them.

• Grade 11

  In the fall of their junior year, students will take the PSAT and continue to build their academic and community portfolio. During the winter, juniors will take part in an eight-week introduction to college counseling seminar where everything from college visits to college majors to the Common Application and college essay guidance will be covered. It is my goal to set the juniors up for the successful completion of applications and essays over the upcoming summer and fall. Juniors will begin meeting one-on-one with me to build their lists and discuss options. They will end the year with a parent/student meeting with me to assure we are all on the same page and are working together as a team. Both students and parents/guardians will complete self-study questionnaires, and juniors will secure teacher recommendations.
  

• Grade 12

  Much of the work in completing applications has already been done with the goal of submitting all applications prior to December break. Seniors continue to meet with me on a regular basis to discuss options and process. Cape Cod Academy welcomes 60+ college and university representatives to meet with our students on campus. From October to mid-November, seniors take part in another eight-week college seminar to polish off applications, essays, and supplements. This is a crucial time for me, as the college counselor, to advocate for our seniors by making phone calls and sending emails to the colleges and universities where our seniors applied. A majority of the senior class will apply to at least one early action or early decision school with the hope of receiving a decision prior to the regular decision rounds.
  
  I look forward to working with students and parents on this exciting journey as they consider all options and make their final decisions. I encourage our seniors to research scholarship and financial-aid opportunities, and also how to proceed should a student be wait listed at a college of their choice. It is very rewarding for me to see our students cross the stage at graduation knowing they are heading off to a college experience that fits their aspirations.