Mission Statement

The principal goal of the college counseling program is to empower our students to have successful and fulfilling careers in a college appropriate to their individual strengths and interests. Toward this end, we help our students think deeply and carefully about their talents and aspirations, set reasonable and appropriate goals and present themselves in a manner that will maximize their strengths.

We encourage our incoming students to find and develop those strengths by sampling a wide range of academic and co-curricular opportunities. We have consistently found that the students best served by the college counseling program are those who have committed themselves most meaningfully to the life of the School. In addition, we urge students to develop a good sense of what kind of college environment will best suit them.

Students and parents come into the process with many different hopes, concerns and expectations. We pride ourselves on communicating clearly and promptly with families, giving them the information they need to support their children with confidence and wisdom. In the rapidly changing world of college admissions, we keep ourselves up to date and pass this current understanding on to all with whom we work.

The headmaster, the director of college counseling and three college counselors also act as strong advocates for individual students and the School as a whole. We visit over 50 colleges and universities throughout the year to keep our understanding of the colleges fresh and to maintain the colleges' familiarity with St. Andrew's unique strengths and character. Each year, St. Andrew's hosts around 75 college admission professionals, who provide students with an overview of the colleges they represent as well as general information about the college application process.

College counselors also guide students in using the Internet and other resources to gain information about colleges, scholarships and financial aid, and SAT, AP and ACT testing. In the V Form year, students confer frequently with college counselors, both individually and in group sessions. As VI Formers, the students take primary responsibility for their application process, while we continue to support them with advice, advocacy and logistical support.