College Counseling at CIS

College Counseling Philosophy and Curriculum

Columbia Independent School’s demanding and dynamic curriculum and our many opportunities outside the classroom serve to cultivate introspective, innovative, and interesting young people who become engaged participants in their collegiate careers and beyond. With this in mind, we strive to demystify and humanize the college search process by placing the focus on each individual student and his or her needs.

Our college counselor works with all students and their parents through the college search and application process to develop and foster the following qualities in students…

Self-Awareness and Authenticity

Occurring over four years of high school, the college search process ultimately rests upon the work of self-discovery and will focus on “fit” in a way that helps students identify their own focus and goals in life.  

Initiative and Independence

Students are responsible for labor-intensive tasks such as researching colleges, knowing and meeting deadlines, and staying organized. They should take responsibility for planning college visits and meeting all admission requirements.

Discernment of Complexity

Navigating the many pathways through the college search process is hard work and sometimes confusing. The process relies upon the student’s training in how to think critically, ask good questions, and self-advocate.

Tolerance for Uncertainty

The process of discovering colleges to which to apply, then meeting the requirements for those applications, and finally receiving decisions occurs over several months. Students work to grow comfortable with the long wait and the element of uncertainty in the process.

The following outlines the responsibilities of the school, the student, and the parents over the four-year college search process:

The goal for every 9th grader is to adjust to the demands of high school, to begin cultivating a strong sense of self, and to become involved in the life of the school and the world around them. 9th grade is a year to develop the skills necessary for taking part in the college search process.

What we do:

  • Meet with students prior to their 9th grade year to review graduation requirements and discuss the course options (e.g. taking one or two languages, electives, etc.).
  • Meet with students regularly to discuss self-discovery, initiative, independence, executive function and other essential skills for planning one’s future.

What parents do:

  • Support their child in his or her interests, while also helping them adjust to the challenges of the upper school curriculum.
  • Assist your student in creating interesting summer plans.
  • Attend parent meeting in March.

What students do:

  • Read a book or a newspaper outside of classroom requirements.
  • Get involved.
  • Stay balanced. Don’t feel like you need to do it all. Focus on depth over breadth when choosing your extracurricular activities.
  • Use the Career finding tools and assessments in Naviance.
  • Identify a select number of activities that are of high interest to you and invest time and energy doing what you love.
  • Meet with your teachers outside of the classroom.
  • Begin developing relationships both with new friends and with new teachers.
  • Eat well, exercise, and get enough sleep.
  • Learn time management skills. Keep an organized calendar or agenda.
  • Work hard in school and stay focused.
  • Consider community service with an organization that supports your interests and priorities.
  • Explore Columbia and all that this great town has to offer.
  • Attend CIS College Fair in April.
  • Use your summer to expand your horizons. Research fun and exciting summer opportunities that offer a chance to learn something new or to deepen prior knowledge on a subject of interest.

In the sophomore year, students should continue to take advantage of the opportunities both at CIS and in Columbia. Strong academic and extracurricular involvement is crucial.

The college process gently begins when the sophomores take the PSAT for practice in the fall of the sophomore year. This test marks the beginning of taking the standardized tests. Although the scores from the PSATs are NOT used for admissions, scores do help students begin to gauge testing strengths and weaknesses.

What we do:

  • Administer the PSAT.
  • Administer Pre-ACT.
  • Meet with students to review transcripts.
  • Review course options and graduation requirements.
  • Work with students in Naviance on a variety of college prep tools.
  • Meet monthly with students to discuss personal goals and interests.

What parents do:

  • Attend parent meeting in March.
  • Help your student to maintain a healthy life balance.
  • Assist your student in creating interesting summer plans.
  • Consider incorporating a college visit or two with a summer vacations.
  • Review PSAT scores with the individual student and discuss study strategies for the PSAT/NMSQT in 11th grade.

What students do:

  • Maintain goals from freshmen year.
  • Get involved. You still have time to try new things, but remember depth over breadth.
  • Give back to your community in a meaningful way.
  • Use the Career finding tools and assessments in Naviance.
  • Eat well, exercise, and get enough sleep.
  • Begin reading about colleges through Naviance or another search tool.
  • Visit college campuses, if time permits. You are still in the early research phase of choosing what types of schools you prefer.
  • Meet with College Counselor to review transcripts.
  • Study and prepare for the PSAT and pre-ACT.
  • Continue to cultivate relationships with teachers and/or coaches at school.
  • Again, use your summer to continue to expand your horizons. Find a job, take a class, continue with your art or music, attend sports camp, do a language immersion program, find an internship, volunteer.
  • Attend CIS College Fair in April.

As students head into the junior year, they should continue to strive for balance in their young lives. The junior year is the most crucial for college admissions.

What we do:

  • Administer PSAT/NMSQT in October.
  • Administer Practice ACT and Practice SAT in January/February.
  • Meet with junior parents and students individually in January/February.
  • Offer SAT/ACT tutoring through our partnership with Revolution Prep.
  • Meet weekly with students to prepare the fundamental elements necessary for the admissions process (i.e. resume, college list, etc.).

What parents do:

  • Help your student register for the ACT/SAT (both the practice tests and the real deal).
  • Work with your student to plan college visits in the spring of junior year, and in the summer before senior year. Plan to have all college visits completed before the beginning of senior year.
  • Attend the Junior Parent/Student individual college meetings in January/February.
  • Write your Recommendation Letter — due to Ms. Buko by April 1.
  • Have a frank and honest conversation about financing college (with your son/daughter and partner).
  • If your son or daughter plans to compete in college athletics, assist him or her in signing up for the NCAA Clearinghouse or the Play NAIA Center.

What students do:

  • Eat well, exercise, and get enough sleep.
  • Meet regularly with college counselor to discuss resume, teacher recs, college list.
  • Prepare for and take standardized tests for college admission (ACT and/or SAT).
  • Attend CIS College Fair in April.
  • Second semester, formally ask two teachers to write a recommendation letter for you.
  • Begin building your college list. Your goal is to identify schools that will be a good fit for you and to make sure that you apply to at least two schools in which you are likely to be accepted based on objective information, with a full complement of possible/middle schools (roughly a 50:50 chance) and reach schools (roughly less than a 30 percent chance of admission based on objective data). Refining this list comprises much of the work of the spring semester junior year and even first semester senior year with your college counselor.
  • Begin marinating on college essay topics and ideas.

Wrapping up the final year of high school, seniors prepare for the future ahead of them. Senior year is the time for students to make decisions on what they want to do after their high school career.

What we do:

  • Host a meeting for parents in August.
  • Host a college essay writing workshop evening in August.
  • Host a Financial Aid Evening in September (for parents and students).
  • Help students manage deadlines of upcoming applications.
  • Offer mandatory College Counseling Elective to manage college and scholarship applications.
  • Meet weekly with seniors to finalize college list and process applications.

What parents do:

  • Attend Senior Parent College meeting in August.
  • Attend the Financial Aid Evening in September.
  • Beginning October 1st, complete FAFSA and CSS Profile.
  • Discuss your student’s list of colleges.
  • Ensure you student has completed either the ACT or SAT with a satisfactory score.
  • Make sure your student is working on college essays and applications by checking in on deadlines and reminding student of upcoming due dates.

What students do:

  • Work with your college counselor to refine and finalize your list of schools.
  • Manage deadlines and stay on top of due dates.
  • Continue to research and apply for scholarship opportunities.
  • Finalize and polish college essays.
  • Complete college applications.