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The College Admissions Journey
Everyone starts off the college admissions journey from a different place—maybe you’re super excited to jump in, or quietly content that you are well prepared for this moment. Or maybe you’re in a puddle of distress, wondering how to begin.
No matter where you start, the end goal is the same: a college or university that fits who you are and who you want to become.
Every family’s admissions journey will look a little different because every family, and every teen, is unique. But the main stages of the journey will be the same.
Charting Pathways helps teens chart their own paths to college by guiding them through these stages.
Know Thyself: who are you right now and who do you want to become? You will want to find colleges that fit your interests and preferences and help you grow in ways true to your values, so the first step is learning about yourself.
Know Thy Parameters: determine your personal academic profile and your financial situation so that you will be able to find colleges that match
Compile the Preliminary List: Create a list of about 20 schools that fit your personal preferences, interests, and values, and that match your academic and financial parameters
Gather Intel and Whittle Down Your List: research, research, research!
Application Season: this stage becomes the most stressful when it is left to the end; start early, and you’ll sail through!
Decision Time: from the school that fits you best to comparing your financial aid awards, there is still work to be done after applications are submitted.
Packages and Services
Charting Pathways specializes in guiding you through the full admissions journey, but we know that sometimes you just need a little push to get unstuck from a particular stage, so we have service packages for those times, too.
High School Essentials (ninth graders): for the families that want to get the most out of high school while keeping an eye on eventual college admissions.
Sophomore Bridge (tenth graders): for the families that want a head start, work on the foundations stage begins before the junior year. More time is spent on planning the high school experience and financial situation.
College Admissions (eleventh graders and rising seniors): for the student who wants help pulling together, working on, and tracking the various components of a college application, from formulating your overall narrative, to crafting the activities list, and producing polished essays.
Hourly: Not ready for a full package? Just want a check-in to make sure you are on the right track? We’ve got you covered!
High School Essentials: for 9th graders
The focus of high school should be high school – learning who you are, what you like (and what you really don’t like), figuring out your aspirations and what you’re good at, and most of all, fully living in the moment. The High School Essentials package puts the focus on exploration and enjoying the high school years. Charting Pathways will keep an eye on making sure you tick the boxes needed for eventual college applications while guiding you through self discovery and finding your fun.
What you get:
Assessment of college readiness, activities and interests, and study habits
Written plan:
Four-year high school course plan
Extracurricular review and plan for the upcoming year
Study skills review and plan for the upcoming year
Establishing goals and check-ins on progress
How it works
Initial 1.5 hour meeting with the student
One-hour family meeting to discuss the report and set small manageable goals
Half-hour meeting with the student mid-way through the semester to discuss academic, extracurricular, and study skills progress
Half-hour meeting with the student in August to set academic, extracurricular, and study skills goals for the next year
Sophomore Bridge: for 10th graders
With a year under their belts, sophomores have learned how to do high school. While they continue to investigate and try out options available in high school and their communities, they will also begin to lay the foundations for what they want for their college experience. The Sophomore Bridge package focuses on exploration of who the student is and who they want to become, planning the high school career, and determination of their unique academic and financial parameters for their college search.
What you get:
Exploration of the self through identifying values, aspirations, strengths, and preferences
Course plan for the remainder of high school
Extracurricular review and plan
Potential academic directions for college
Standardized admission testing plan
Understanding of how college financing works (for parents)
How it works:
One hour-long meeting with the student each month
Thirty-minute parent check-ins as needed
College Admissions: for 11th graders and rising seniors
The College Admissions package takes you through assessment of how you have grown during high school, discovery of your future aspirations, identifying your parameters for the college search, building a list of schools that fit your criteria and parameters, completing the applications, and making your final choice.
What you get:
Review and refinement of high school course selections
Review and refinement of extracurricular activities
Identification of your unique theme to underpin your applications
Potential academic direction for college
Preliminary List of colleges tailored to fit your interests, strengths, and preferences
Guidance through researching schools
Guidance through the applications
Polished essays in your own voice: personal statement and supplemental essays
Strategized and polished Activities List
Grounding in how college financing works, the financial aid process, and comparing financial aid offers
How it works:
Two one hour-long meetings with the student each month
Three one hour-long family meetings (Preliminary List, Final List, Decision Time)
Thirty-minute parent check-ins as needed
Hourly sessions: at any age
Sometimes you don’t need or aren’t ready for a full package. Families use hourly sessions for a variety of reasons, such as:
Learn about the admissions landscape and process in their early high school years
Discuss how college financing works and how colleges determine financial aid
Create a high school course plan
And more!
“The nice thing about teamwork is that you always have others on your side.” ~Margaret Carty
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