College Advising always gives a great deal of thought to the most effective and strategic approaches for working with all students. We also draw on our long professional life in this industry as we listen for, ask questions about, and apply information about college admission. You are and will be led by a team well informed to guide you and also deeply interested in the fascinating updates to college admission. We are not in the dark, and you won’t be either.
While our understandable focus in the fall is on the 12th grade (something for which you’ll be thankful when it’s your senior fall), reach out if you have an urgent question unanswered by the following and by the answers in other FAQs on this page.
Our planned events are listed in the Seattle Academy calendar as well as in our calendar widget on the 11th grade College Advising page at right, and include an annual December meeting (details on calendar) to kick off formally the 11th graders’ college process.
Prior to that meeting, however, we hold several other events. Because we know that there are always questions that precede our December meeting, we hold a general information event for 11th grade families in October(details on calendar) to answer common questions parents and guardians frequently have and to preview the work we’ll all do together. That meeting will also provide an important status report on the latest in college admission. Other helpful events are our annual October college financing meeting and our annual standardized testing overview in November (details on calendar).
If you or your family has questions about what is going on generally with college standardized testing, or are interested in taking an official on-campus PSAT or a virtual practice SAT or ACT this fall, please see the standardized testing-related question in this FAQ or go here. Consider also attending our November (details on calendar) guest speaker who discusses changes to and next steps for standardized testing (recording will be available).
Here are some other things to know or do:.
- As grades are the number one factor in college admission, keep your grades steady even as your classes might become a bit more challenging. Once you steady your grades, work to inch them upward such that the grade trend is positive.
- Continue to reinforce relationships with your teachers, who write important college recommendation letters for next fall. Applicants will generally, but not exclusively, select recommenders from students’ 11th grade teachers, in two different academic subjects.
- f interested, sit in on an in-person visit from a college representative to get a sense of what those meetings do and don’t. Beginning the first week of school, all 11th and 12th graders also receive a weekly email from College Advising which lists forthcoming in-person college reps as well as other timely reminders. For family viewing, we archive each of those weekly emails on the 11th grade page at right.
- Colleges have increased the virtual resources available on college admission websites such that it is not imperative to visit a ton of colleges (or any!) to know much more about them. On college websites, students may sign up for information sessions for either specific colleges of interest or to geographically accessible “prototype” colleges to get an idea of what large research universities, mid-sized research universities, medium-sized urban private universities, and selective small liberal arts colleges are like.
- Learn more here about this fall’s scheduled opportunities to attend a college fair organized by NACAC, the National Association of College Admission Counseling, and attended by hundreds of colleges and universities.
- Try to attend an event by or read more about Colleges that Change Lives (CTCL), a member organization of colleges known for their powerful impact on students.
- If you hope to play NCAA Division I or II sports in college, register now with the NCAA Clearinghouse, and then communicate that to College Advising for future processing. If you are a student athlete contacted already by college coaches or in a recruiting conversation with your school or club team coaches, feel free to email collegeadvising@seattleacademy.org for more information.
- Continue to save work. It is worthwhile and strategic to save on your computer résumé fodder, samples of writing, and creative work.
- Because Seattle Academy intentionally has never chosen to have an AP curriculum for reasons explained in the AP question in this list, colleges don’t expect Seattle Academy students to submit AP exams. While a few students each year choose to take AP tests through Seattle Academy, last year around half of the students who initially signed up with us for testing ultimately opted not to take the tests, citing lack of strategic need or prioritizing other school and life activities. You will find additional information about this in the FAQ item about AP testing where we will also post additional information this fall.
We are also pleased to announce that over May 6 and 7, Seattle Academy will once again partner with several area schools/programs (Bush, Northwest, University Prep, and Rainier Scholars) in offering “case studies” (admission committee simulation) programs at which 11th graders and their families can participate in a mock admission committee led by admission officers who help reveal how admission decisions are made. We will share more information about this program at the various aforementioned meetings. In the meantime, know that this is a valuable program we generally urge all 11th graders to attend. Past participants felt this event informed and advantaged their eventual applications. The event includes a college fair staffed by the visiting admission officers.
We know applying to college probably seemed challenging enough before the events of recent years changed our lives. But as Seattle Academy previously noted, “this new reality will require individual and collective agility, resilience, and a healthy comfort with ambiguity which are all hallmarks of the SAAS community.” These are also attributes colleges appreciate and that also prepare students for adult lives. For people like us who have worked in college admission for many years, this is an important and fascinating time. Frankly, we are energized by change happening in college admission and are tracking closely college behaviors and information. Together, you and our team have a great deal to anticipate this year but in the meantime please have a healthy and productive start to 11th grade. Please mark your calendars for the above fall events which tend to answer many questions our experience suggests are common at this time. If you find you still have questions after the October meeting and reading this FAQ, please email a member of the College Advising staff.