Our Approach
Our college counseling philosophy is simple: the more students understand who they are and what they want to do, the better able they are to recognize the colleges where they’ll learn and thrive.
In ninth grade, we pair every student with a college counselor who works with them individually for all four years. These professionals listen and learn about each of their students, formulating a thoughtful plan that ultimately includes every aspect of the college search:
- In freshman year, we encourage students to jump into the life of the Upper School inside and outside the classroom. We talk with them about their courses and their study habits, their extracurriculars and their community interests, and we lay the foundation for our four-year counseling relationship.
- We ask sophomores what they learned about themselves as freshmen and how they want to use that information to move forward. We listen for their academic strengths, talk about how to shore up weaknesses, discuss new activities and interests, and work on time management. We encourage them to drop into a college representative’s school presentation, to attend a college fair, to sit for the PSAT, to see a few colleges during a school vacation. And we plan with them for the all-important junior year.
- We meet with juniors in groups and individually to make sure they’re on top of the key college admissions details that will affect their lives. That means more conversations about what they’re taking and why, how they use their nonacademic time, and what dreams for their future are beginning to take shape. We prepare their college lists, clarify the characteristics of SATs and ACTs, discuss which tests to take and when to take them, explain how to use college visits to their advantage, and how the Challenge Experience and Community Service projects can serve them well.
- We are the seniors’ constant companions, working with them on their applications, their resumes, their interviews, their essays from beginning to end. We help them decide whom to ask for recommendations, which scores to send, how to maintain a balanced college list, when to apply for scholarships and financial aid, and how to stay sane in the process. We are often also in touch with parents, who tend to have many of their own questions!
By the time students make their final decisions, they’ve gone through a thorough process of self-discovery. They know what matters to and motivates them, and most importantly, they are ready.
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Click here to view the Class of 2026 Senior Circle
Click here to learn what our seniors will miss most about Seven Hills
15%
of the class received National Merit Recognition*
29
ACT composite score*
*Class of 2026
Click here to read the 2025-26 Student Profile
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