College Counseling

FAMILY CONNECTION

In many ways, the college application process really mirrors the Kent experience. It is student-centered, balanced, thoughtful and thorough. You'll start getting ready for college admission as soon as you start at Kent. Our rigorous college preparatory curriculum is a big part of your preparation, but there are other elements as well. For example, we push you to continually strengthen your independent study habits, and there are many great opportunities to take on leadership positions and define multiple roles for yourself in the community. Every aspect of the Kent experience contributes to making you a strong college candidate. In fact, among college admission officers, Kent students have a reputation for being particularly self-assured, with a strong work ethic and a zest for learning.

When you reach the fifth form (your junior year), your college search becomes more formal and guided. During the winter term, you will enroll in a College Seminar, a seven-week overview of the college application process. You will also begin regular individual meetings with one of four college counselors who will guide you in the college selection process. You will continue to work closely with your college counselor to explore your many interests, both academic and extracurricular, as a means to discover the best possible college match for you.

Your College Counselor will also spend time with your parents and keep them involved in the process through a series of conversations, workshops and newsletters.

In addition to weekly classes and individual meetings, you and your family will use an innovative web-based management tool which will help you manage this complex process and provide you with a wealth of support and information about colleges and universities. This program allows you and your parents to conduct extensive college searches, review five years of Kent college admission data, store confidential academic and personal information and manage your college process electronically from anywhere in the world.

As a result of these many meetings, information gathering and reflection, the college counselors will come to know you very well, help you develop a balanced college list and will advocate strongly on your behalf throughout the application process. Your faculty advisor, along with your college advisor and the Studies Office, will monitor your class selection to ensure you’re taking maximum advantage of the opportunities at Kent to position yourself competitively, and there are professional SAT prep classes held right on campus. Workshops about college admission and a college fair are major events during your fourth and fifth form Parents' Weekends, and every fall more than a hundred college admission officers come to campus so you can meet with them in person.

College Matriculations: 2008 - 2010