College Guidance

Friends School's College Board Code number is 210-090

The mission of the College Guidance Office at Friends School is to support, assist, guide, and advise students in the process of identifying a college community that matches their academic, career, and co curricular aspirations. The experience of searching for a college can be an important rite of passage for students, and the goal of the college advisors is to provide them with the necessary tools to make thoughtful decisions about their future. The concept of ‘fit’ is an important aspect of the college advising process, and students are encouraged to focus less on outwardly-oriented notions of ‘prestige’ and ‘name’. Rather, they are empowered to focus their search toward identifying colleges and universities that are just right for them; schools that ‘fit’ their academic goals, and that will support their happiness, and growth throughout their entire college experience.

Choosing to focus on finding colleges that offer the best fit means that students must be open to considering colleges about which they, their friends, or their parents may be less familiar. There are more than 2,000 4-year colleges in the United States, and the vast majority of them offer students similarly wonderful opportunities - challenging majors and courses to stimulate intellectual growth, vigorous co-curricular experiences to strengthen their leadership skills, knowledgeable and dynamic professors to enhance how they view and interact in the world, and supportive resources to help guide their planning for life after college. Students should be open to seriously researching and learning about colleges about which they have never heard, or which are located in parts of the country they have not visited before. They may ultimately decide not to make application to all the schools they learn about, but it is highly likely that they will find far more schools that interest and appeal to them than they ever thought possible.

Through it all, the college advisors are on hand to help students manage the process every step of the way. They work closely with students beginning in the second semester of 11th grade, and serve as sources of information, advice and encouragement. Additionally, they serve as a link to college admission offices, advocating on behalf of students throughout the process, while also helping colleges to understand students’ accomplishments and experiences within the rigors of the challenging Friends School curriculum.

Director of College Guidance

College Counselor

Assistant to College Guidance