College Planning Process

Fall Semester

• The College Guidance and English Departments offer summer school classes in College Essay Writing andCollege Application Workshop in June and August.
• College Guidance meeting for seniors and parents covering all relevant college application information.
• Early in the year, seniors learn procedures relating to requesting transcripts through Naviance, requesting letters of recommendation, and visiting with college reps at ESD in the fall.
• College Guidance meets with seniors in small groups during advisory time throughout the fall to go over applications and cover other pertinent issues.
• Counselors meet individually with each student throughout the fall semester and finalize personal counselor recommendations. 
• Counselors work with seniors to ensure completion of application files (including transcripts and recommendation letters) at all colleges to which they apply.
• Counselors work with seniors on honors and scholarship applications. 
• On the afternoon of the PSAT administration, College Guidance offers an application work session for seniors.
• Mock College Interviews. Alumni who interview students in Dallas for their alma maters conduct practice interviews with ESD seniors.
• Annual Financial Aid/Scholarship meeting for parents.

Spring Semester

• In January, College Guidance sponsors a panel of recent ESD alumni who speak to current seniors about their transition from ESD to college.
• Deans Panel Presentation. Three deans of admission are brought to ESD to speak with upper school students and parents about the college admission process. 
• College Guidance submits midyear transcripts and other supporting documents to colleges that require them. 
• College Guidance submits a final transcript to the one college where each senior enrolls. A copy of the final transcript is sent home to each family for your records.
   

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Fall Semester:

• Juniors meet with college representatives visiting ESD.
• In preparation for the PSAT, College Guidance distributes PSAT student guides to all juniors English teachers. English and math teachers then work together to familiarize students with the various sections of the PSAT.
• Prior to the PSAT, the College Guidance Office conducts pre-registration meetings for 10thand 11thgrade students. The meeting includes tips on test-taking and information about how scores will be distributed and used later in the school year.
• Annual Financial Aid/Scholarship meeting for parents.
• College Guidance meeting for juniors and parents featuring a college admissions speaker. 
• Juniors meet with their College Guidance Counselor to complete the Information for College Planning(ICP). This form gives the College Guidance Counselors necessary information to prepare for initial individual family conferences in January and February. 
• When PSAT scores become available, College Guidance mails each family information about the PSAT along with their student’s test booklet for possible test-prep work later in the spring.
   

Spring Semester:

• Early in the spring semester, College Guidance hosts a meeting to provide information on the PSAT, the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Program, and college testing in general.
• Individual conferences with junior families and their counselor begin in January. In these meetings, we will create a preliminary college list and discuss an individualized college plan for each student.
• WORX Internship Information Meetings for parents and students
• Deans Panel Presentation. Three deans of admission are brought to ESD to speak with upper school students and parents about the college admission process. 
• College Seminars for Juniors that focus on specific topics related to the application process take place throughout the spring semester.
• After Spring Break, College Guidance Counselors meet individually with juniors to refine résumés, discuss ongoing testing options, and explore possible summer plans.  
• Annual “College Previews” college fair for Upper School students and parents.
• Annual Case Studies Program. Deans from various colleges present mock college applications, their evaluations and decisions, to juniors and parents in small group sessions.
• College Guidance Counselors present information in junior English classes on writing the college essay and review first drafts of essay.
• Juniors in any AP classes are encouraged to consider taking the SAT Subject Tests in May or June if they are planning to apply to highly selective universities.
• Junior students complete the Student Questionnaire, and junior parents complete the Parent Appraisal Formto assist counselors in writing recommendations over the summer. Students also complete teacher recommendation forms.
• The College Guidance and English Departments offer summer school classes in College Essay Writing andCollege Application Workshop in June and August.
   

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Fall Semester

• In preparation for the PSAT, College Guidance distributes PSAT student guides to all sophomore English teachers. English and math teachers then work together to familiarize students with the various sections of the PSAT.
• Prior to the PSAT, the College Guidance Office conducts pre-registration meetings for 10thand 11thgrade students. The meeting includes tips on test-taking and information about how scores will be distributed and used later in the school year.
• An expert on the topic of Financial Aid meets with upper school parents in the evening to offer an overview of the financial aid and scholarship application process.
• When PSAT scores become available, College Guidance mails each family information about the PSAT along with their student’s test booklet for possible test-prep work later in the spring.  
   

Spring Semester

• Early in the spring semester, College Guidance hosts a meeting to provide information on the PSAT, the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, and college testing in general.
• Deans Panel Presentation. Three deans of admission are brought to ESD to speak with upper school students and parents about the college admission process. This is an excellent opportunity to hear from people who run the admission office at their respective institution about trends in college admissions and what makes a great applicant.
• Prior to selecting courses for junior year, sophomores are assigned a College Counselor who consults with them on course selections. Students are encouraged to contact their counselor with questions about course planning or college admissions.
• College Guidance offers an optional practice ACT to sophomores.  A local test prep representative administers the test and guides students through the scoring process at the end. 
• Sophomores are invited to attend the “College Previews” college fair, hosted annually by ESD, Greenhill, Hockaday, Parish, and St. Marks. Approximately 200 college admission representatives from across the country attend this fair to meet with our students.  
• College Guidance meets with sophomores to continue work on their college résumés. Using a résumé template created by College Guidance, the résumé developed mirrors many college applications. We keep copies of these résumés so that sophomores can continue to build on them each year. 
• Sophomores in any AP or Honors class are encouraged to consider taking the SAT Subject Tests in May or June if they are planning to apply to highly selective universities.
   

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Freshman Year

• Fall Semester
• Introduce freshmen to Naviance, where they can research college admission information and access x2vol, which is where they log their community service hours.
• An expert on the topic of Financial Aid meets with upper school parents in the evening to offer an overview of the financial aid and scholarship application process.
   

Spring Semester

• Deans Panel Presentation. Three deans of admission are brought to ESD to speak with upper school students and parents about the college admission process. This is an excellent opportunity to hear from people who run the admission office at their respective institution about trends in college admissions and what makes a great applicant.
• College Guidance holds a class meeting during flex time early in the second semester of 9thgrade, after students have their first set of semester grades. The purpose of the meeting is to review the features of Naviance, explain the transcript and GPA, and also to remind students that all the grades earned in 9thgrade count in the college admission process. The message is basically, “don’t wait until later to try your best academically.” 
• We meet with freshmen to begin their college résumés. The College Guidance Office has created a résumé template that mirrors many online college applications. By starting to record their high school involvement in ninth grade, they are essentially working on a rough draft of their college application, and will remember to include all of their ninth grade achievements. We keep copies of their résumés on file, so they can build on them each year. 
• Freshmen are invited to attend the “College Previews” college fair, hosted annually by ESD, Greenhill, Hockaday, Parish, and St. Marks. Approximately 200 college admission representatives from across the country attend this fair to meet with our students.
   

Download Calendar of Dates

At the middle school level, students are developing independent critical thinking skills to prepare them for the demands of their ever changing future. 

At ESD, our teachers use curriculum to introduce, develop, and master these skills, as well as linking them to the future demands of higher level education. Time management, collaborative thinking, and decision-making with integrity are the foundations that will prepare ESD students for the rest of their academic career. 

We encourage families to actively explore and discuss each individual student’s strengths and gifts with their student and their students' middle school advisor.
 

You’ve only just arrived! Are you wondering if you should already be engaged in the college planning process?

We encourage our lower school families not to worry about college placement tests and the college admission process just yet. There is ample time and expert support for that in future years at ESD. The lower school years are best spent helping children develop a strong foundation from which to build. Children at this level need to expand their curiosity, cultivate a thirst for learning, and grow the academic skills needed to support increasingly advanced inquiry. This is the best type of planning for college that lower school parents can do.

Our focus at the lower school is to help our children get to know themselves and their interests, develop strong academic skills and self-confidence, and begin to figure out how the real world works. Our students also develop a solid spiritual foundation and essential character traits such as grit, resourcefulness and resilience that will prepare them not only for future academic success, but for life. This is developmentally-appropriate college planning in action. These are precious years; let’s use them well.