College Counseling

College Counseling

The mission of Oakwood College Counseling is to build personal relationships with each high school student and their family. Oakwood College Counseling is committed to alleviating anxiety for families through the notoriously stressful college search. Students are encouraged, guided, and supported every step of the way, helping to make sure that they are aware of what they should be doing to prepare and apply for college.

Consistent with Oakwood’s educational philosophy, these relationships will foster students’ unbridled exploration, self-expression and advocacy, strong moral choices, and academic achievements as they prepare for college and other post-Oakwood endeavors.

Succeeding Once You’re There

Oakwood High School graduates are among the best-prepared students when they enter college. Oakwood’s graduation requirements surpass the entrance qualifications for even the most elite universities in the United States. Not only will students be prepared with critical thinking and writing skills and advanced knowledge of core academic subjects, but they will also be poised to become confident, self-expressive leaders on their college campuses.

What Makes Oakwood College Counseling Distinctive?

• Through a highly individualized process of meetings and consultations, Oakwood College Counseling guides each student and their family through the many post-high school paths, including gap year options, to identify colleges that will support them academically, socioemotionally, and spiritually.
   
• Oakwood offers access to computer-based tools – College Kickstart and Cialfo – to assist students in crafting well-balanced college lists, meeting application deadlines, and identifying options to make college more affordable.
   
• Oakwood hosts college admission officers on its campus each year to meet with current students. Admission officers are eager to meet with students and are familiar with Oakwood’s academic offerings, vibrant community, and the preparedness of its students.
   
• Oakwood’s Director of College Counseling, a credentialed professional, attends conferences on Oakwood’s behalf to stay abreast of changes to the college admissions landscape.
   
• Beginning in 9th grade, College Counseling conducts grade-specific seminars and timely guidance throughout high school. By the fall of 12th grade, students are fully prepared to submit applications to colleges.
   
• Oakwood College Counseling and the English department partner to help students finish the first drafts of their college essays by the end of 11th grade.
   
• Rising 12th-graders partake in a comprehensive workshop through which they learn about the nuances of college applications and how admission decisions are made.

Additional Programming

Oakwood College Counseling offers assistance and workshops in the following topics:

• Applications
• Athletic Recruitment
• Choosing Recommenders
• Essays
• Mock Interviews
• Paying for College
• Standardized Testing and Test-Optional/Free Admissions