College Counseling at Journeys School:
An Individual and Personal Approach

Students work with the college counselor during their last four years at Journeys School to ensure that they find a college or university that is an appropriate match. Each year at the upper school includes a plan to help prepare the student for the college admissions process.

Statistical Data
The Class of 2008 is the sixth graduating class of Journeys School. One graduate (2004) was awarded a National Merit Scholarship; another (2005) was a National Merit Semi-Finalist. The students in the first five graduating classes were offered admission at the following colleges and universities. An asterisk indicates where students matriculated.

Ashton College *

Boise State University *

Boston College

Central Wyoming College

University of Cincinnati

College of the Atlantic *

University of Colorado Boulder

Colorado College **

Colorado State , Fort Collins *

University of Chicago *

Dartmouth College *

University of Denver

Dickinson College

Emerson College *

Evergreen State

Gonzaga College

Grinnell College

Humboldt State University *

Lewis and Clark College

University of Montana

Montana State University *

Mount Holyoke College

Northwestern University

Ohio Wesleyan University

University of the Pacific

Pitzer College

University of Puget Sound

University of Redlands *

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Rochester Institute of Technology

University of San Diego

San Francisco Art Institute

Santa Barbara City College

Scripps College *


Seattle University

Skidmore College

St. Olaf University

Utah State University

Vanderbilt University

Vassar College *

University of Vermont

University of Virginia

Wake Forest University *

Wesleyan University *

Westminster College (PA)

Westminster College (UT) *

Whitman College *

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

University of Wyoming





Grade 9:
Students work to improve their overall organizational skills, test taking skills and study habits. They are encouraged to focus on course work, class projects and extra-curricular interests, and to do the best they possibly can scholastically while interacting positively with the community as a whole. As freshmen students take the PSAT for practice.

Grade 10:
Students take the PSAT again and begin to discuss college plans with the college counselor. They receive self-assessment materials and checklists, preparing them for the college search process. The counselor informs the students of summer programs available on college campuses around the country and encourages the students to compete for the chance to study at a variety of these programs, including the University of Wyoming Summer Institute. A recent sophomore was one of two students in Teton County to win this state competition.

Grade 11:
Students prepare for and take the PSAT as part of the National Merit Scholarship competition. They receive individual college handbooks and complete lengthy questionnaires for the college counselor as they begin the search process in earnest. With their parents, students participate in group sessions about college admissions and the financial aid application process. Individually the students are encouraged to write mock college essays, research college websites, attend local college fairs, meet with visiting college admission representatives and check out the resources in the college counseling library. They also begin to meet individually with the college counselor to compile a long list of schools to research and visit. Juniors take the SAT and/or ACT in the spring.

Capstone Year:
The senior, or capstone, year at Journeys School culminates the academic and community life of the Journeys School student and gives seniors a competitive edge in the college admissions process. Meetings with the college counselor become more frequent as the counselor works closely with each student in the final selection of colleges and the completion of applications. Emphasized are: the importance of deadlines, teacher recommendations, the college essay and pertinent personal data. For students wishing to defer collegiate study, the school offers more general post-Journeys counseling, including career and study abroad options.

The Alumni Years:
Upon graduating, students receive "college survival tips" and a calendar of the "highs and lows" to expect during a normal freshman year at college. The school collects postgraduate information from its alumni and sends surveys to all graduates at the end of their college freshman year, asking about a student's particular college experience.

 

© 2007 Journeys School of Teton Science Schools.
Web site designed by Dolphin Design.
Photos by Anne Muller, Jim Winn, and Journeys School Faculty.