Academics

College Counseling

The Country Day College Counseling Office is dedicated to making the transition from high school to a selective college or university as smooth and enjoyable as possible. The primary goal of the office is to provide support for all students, helping each one find his or her most appropriate match. This process is inclusive to all grade levels in the Upper School, but the college counselor will work more closely with juniors and seniors starting the second semester of the junior year with useful information and process pieces.

As counseling becomes more individualized, a student can expect the process to grow. We will initiate a student self-assessment, develop key individualized criteria for the search, discuss college visits, and develop plans for testing, summer experiences and curriculum. Group sessions on testing strategies, interviewing techniques, essay writing, and application completion are offered by the college counseling office through advisory time, special opportunities arranged throughout the year, and resources made available through the LMS and SCOIR.

Families can expect to be directly incorporated into this process in a number of ways (throughout the Upper School years):

The College Counseling office is always open to individual meetings for Upper School parents and other persons who work in support of an individual student’s college planning. This applies to ALL Upper School students.
Fall and/or Spring meetings for 9^th and 10^th grade families, outlining the college admission process, financial aid, trends, things to be thinking about, standardized testing prep, and more.
Sophomore year, an individual student/counselor meeting will be scheduled to get more directly acquainted, and to allow for greater clarity on the topic of college options, and standardized testing.
Junior year, an individual family meeting will be held in the winter and spring months to begin (specifically) the plan for application to colleges and firming up a standardized testing plan.
Senior year, an individual family meeting is available to continue the conversation on college applications, firming up the list of schools, and planning for options that will lead to a final choice college/university. Details related to forms, process and other important items will be shared.

Ultimately, this process is best initiated through a partnership between Country Day and your family. Ownership and leadership of this process is in the student’s hands, with ample guidance and support from the College Counseling Office, family members, teachers, and administration.

Our students are going places, and YCDS college counseling is here to help.

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The College Counseling Process

The college counseling process begins in 8th grade and develops increasingly through the Upper School years, with our college counselor working most closely with juniors and seniors. The comprehensive plan offers grade-appropriate activities in classroom settings, small group exercises, one-on-one meetings, personal standardized test preparation, field trip experiences at a number of regional colleges and universities, mock interview sessions with college admission personnel, essay writing, family events related to important topics and procedures, and we host numerous college and university representative visits each fall.
College Acceptances

Acceptance List for the classes of 2014-2023 is available on our 2023-2024 School Profile.
Resources for Students and Parents
Visiting Colleges and Universities

YCDS values our college and university partnerships. Hosting institutions, each fall, is helpful to our students as it allows them to gain perspective from admission representatives, and offers insight to those representatives that will help shape the decisions made on behalf of YCDS students.

Representatives interested in scheduling a visit should utilize their institution's SCOIR account to view our schedule and make arrangements, or connect directly with Jake Doll at jdoll1@ycds.org or 717-815-6726. Thank you!
Financial Aid Resources