College Counseling

The College Counseling Office at St. Anne’s-Belfield School is committed to helping students find the best college for them.

There are over 3,000 fine colleges and universities across the nation with much to offer our students. The Counseling Office’s role in this process is to help you learn about the range of schools available, assist in presenting you to the college admission committee in the most compelling manner, and help you select the school which will provide the best environment for you to learn and grow during your undergraduate career. We will encourage you to thoroughly research all available options and occasionally reach beyond the familiar and take risks. Sometimes the best match could be a college or university you have never considered.

College Counseling at St. Anne's-Belfield School is very personalized, with three counselors serving a class of 80 to 90 students in each grade level. College Counseling begins on an informal basis in the freshman and sophomore years with group meetings to discuss decision-making, goal-setting, and course selection. The second semester of the junior year, the student-counselor relationship is formalized. Counselors hold individual meetings with both parents and students to start the more intensive college research process. Regular communication is maintained with both students and parents, as students identify the type of school that is the right “match” for them, and narrow their list of choices.

The senior year brings with it a more intensive and structured relationship with the  College Counseling staff. We work closely with each student to ensure that he has an appropriate and  realistic list of colleges to which to apply. We also prepare a strong letter of recommendation to  endorse the candidacy of each student, collecting insights from teachers, advisors, coaches and  parents, as well as from the student himself. Students are encouraged to utilize the resources of the  College Counseling Office, and are expected to be in regular contact with their College Counselor  throughout the spring of their junior year, as well as their entire senior year.

The staff in the College Counseling Office will serve as advisors and mentors in this process,  but ultimately the ownership of the process is the student’s. You are the only one who truly knows  what you want out of your college experience, and therefore it is up to you to direct the process.  Although you might not be able to control the final decision a college admission office makes on  your application, there is much about this process you can control. The presentation of your admission credentials, combined with the persuasive arguments you make that a particular college is the  right match for you, can help you stand out in a large and talented applicant pool. There is much  more to the process than simply the presentation of your academic credentials. You do have great  control over how you present all aspects of your application and especially how you communicate  the activities and interests about which you are passionate. Take great care with your applications  and with the way you present yourself to college representatives.