A Strong Start to the BWL College Counseling Year

The school year is just beginning, but BWL’s College Counseling program is already in full swing. From helping seniors and their families navigate the months ahead to giving juniors their first firsthand look at college campuses, Director of College Counseling Patti Cohen, Associate Director Katerina Walter, and Administrative Assistant Kay Boyes are setting students and families up for a thoughtful, informed, and positive college process.

For senior families, that meant starting the semester with Next Steps in the College Process, an evening designed to bring clarity to one of the busiest stretches of the college journey. Ms. Cohen and Ms. Walter walked families through the senior-year timeline, important dates and deadlines, and today’s college application systems and protocols. An informal Q&A also gave parents/guardians the opportunity to ask questions and address common myths and misconceptions about the process, helping them feel prepared to support their seniors in the months ahead.

At the same time, seniors are connecting directly with the colleges themselves through on-campus admissions representative visits. Already this fall, students have met in small groups with representatives from Wake Forest, Bucknell, Brandeis, Connecticut College, Vanderbilt, the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, the University of Chicago, American University, and Penn State. With many more visits ahead, these conversations give students an opportunity to learn about individual schools, ask questions specific to their interests, and build connections with the admissions representatives who know their institutions best.

While seniors are narrowing their focus, BWL’s juniors are beginning to explore what they may want from their own college experience. On September 24, the Class of 2028 set out on the Junior College Tour, a signature BWL experience that took students to Colgate University, Syracuse University, and Cornell University over two days. Visiting three distinct campuses gave students a firsthand look at different college environments while beginning to consider factors such as campus culture, size, academics, and student life.

There was plenty of fun along the way, too. Students heard Ms. Cohen’s and Ms. Walter’s now-iconic stories about each campus (ask them about the unhatched dinosaur egg at Colgate and the Tree of 40 Fruits at Syracuse!), and an evening of bowling gave the class time to connect, form new bonds, and deepen friendships. Students returned to BWL with valuable perspective as they take their first steps in the college search.

These early fall experiences reflect a larger philosophy behind College Counseling at BWL: the college process is not something that suddenly begins in 11th or 12th grade. Students are introduced to college counseling as early as 8th grade, with age-appropriate programming continuing throughout the Upper School. By the time the formal search and application process begins, students and their families already know the counselors, understand what lies ahead, and have had opportunities to begin thinking about interests, goals, and the environments in which each student might thrive.

For parents/guardians of younger Upper School students, there is plenty to look forward to. Each year brings new opportunities to engage with the College Counseling team and gradually build the knowledge and confidence that will support students when it is their turn to begin the search.

Visit the College Counseling section of the BWL website to learn more about our approach, programming, and the college journey at BWL.