Taking the Next Step
Two crucial aspects of Seabury’s mission statement – academic growth and character development – come together in the process of college planning, as we prepare to send our students out into the broader world for which we have prepared them.
In the history of the school, Seabury graduates have matriculated to colleges from coast to coast and everywhere in between. Our students have found success at private colleges and state universities, liberal arts colleges and large universities.
The key element in successful college planning is finding the right fit for each student – there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Students often ask me, “Which college is the best?” The only answer to this is that there is no single best college out there. For each student, there is a range of colleges that would be suited to his or her interests, needs, values, and expectations, and the process of exploring those options is where college planning begins in earnest. It generally ends during the second semester of senior year, when students and their families sit down with me to discuss admissions and scholarship offers to find out which of these schools will be a student’s home for the next four years.
In addition to helping students and families to select appropriate colleges, I work with students on preparation for standardized tests; I help them to explore their ideas when they compose college admissions essays; I work with them on brag sheets and resumes. I answer questions and dispense advice, but ultimately it is the student who assumes ownership of this process. For many students, this is the first major decision of their adult life; it marks the transition from youth to adult. And it is a testament to the quality of our students that they plan so successfully for their futures.
The purpose of educating students at Seabury is to send them off successfully to the next stage of their academic and personal development. I am justly proud of the results we have achieved in doing so!
