1. How do you think most college admission officers would characterize your students?

College admission officers regard Oakwood students as academically prepared, community-minded and mature. Admission officers often remark during their visits to Oakwood on how well the students interact with adults and seem more like college students. Oakwood students are taught in a similar fashion to students attending rigorous liberal arts colleges and therefore share many of the same characteristics to those students but at a younger age. Classes are smaller and discussion-based, interactions with faculty are informal, the curriculum is reading and writing intensive, and the Quaker beliefs emphasis community, respect, and service to others. All of those things combined allow for Oakwood students to be seen as well-rounded, interesting, and ready for the challenges of college.

2. What are the three most important things a student at your school should know when he/she is considering and exploring colleges?

First, students are encouraged to reflect on their high school experience and know the type of academic environment where they believe they will be most successful. They can then use these insights to know what characteristics in a college are important to them. Once a student knows what they are looking for the process becomes quite a bit easier. The second thing the student should know is what types of colleges are within his/her range. My role in the early part of the college process is to walk students through the self-reflection and then identify colleges that fit with what they are looking for and help them understand which ones are stretches, within their reach or below in terms of selectivity. This last part is very important information so that students can put together a list of schools to apply to that are a good fit and appropriate given their academic history. Lastly, the third thing a student should know is what their parents’ expectations and hopes for their future college are. The expectations can be as tangible as the college must be within a certain mile radius from home to as nebulous as the college must be one of the “hot schools”. Having the parents’ hopes and expectations stated in the beginning of the process can help alleviate a lot of disappointed and hurt feelings later on.

3. What are the key factors you consider in advising your students to pursue particular colleges?

The key factor that I consider in recommending particular colleges is finding a good fit for the student. I listen to what the student describes as they reflect on their high school experience and what he/she are looking for in a college. I listen to what the parents are hoping for and what their expectations are. I also listen to how faculty members describe the student in the classroom and what type of learner the student is. Lastly, I think about what activities the student has been involved with at Oakwood and what types of leadership roles they have had. I then recommend a range of colleges that have all or some of the characteristics the student and parents are looking for as well as being a good fit with who the student is as a person.

4. Please describe the kind of college that is most popular among your students?

Our students are attracted to colleges that allow them to continue to engage in the classroom and be active participators in their education and community. Oakwood students go onto a wide variety of colleges and universities based on their interests and abilities. Our students do tend to pick colleges that are academically rigorous and have a strong community feel.

5. Aside from the strength of the academic program, how do you assess a college’s appropriateness for a student?

Whether or not a college is appropriate for a student is an issue of fit. One of the privileges of working in a small community like Oakwood is that I have opportunities to really get to know the students. Through my personal relationships with students and working closely with their faculty advisors, I can get a very good sense of what type of college would be appropriate. In order to do this successfully, I take advantage of college visit days for counselors and regularly am visiting college campuses so that I can make helpful recommendations.

6. What do think most surprises students at your school about the college admission process?

Most students face the college process with anxiety and trepidation. I think it surprises them to find out to what extent they are in control of the process. The students can define with their parents what type of college they are looking for and lay out what they will do with the remainder of their high school career to achieve their college goals. Many students remark at the end of the college admissions process that they were surprised that it was not as stressful as they had feared. I think this is because they learned how to manage the process once they defined what they are looking for in their future college.

7. Describe the specific ways your school effectively prepares its students for college?

There are many ways that Oakwood prepares students for college. Academically, the curriculum is reading and writing intensive and students are expected to participate regularly in class. Students build strong relationships with faculty members, and these relationships help students when they get to college to make the effort to get to know their teachers and take advantage of opportunities to collaborate with faculty. Lastly, students take on many different leadership roles at the school. By the time an Oakwood student graduates, they have had practice at being a leader and have the confidence in their abilities to seek leadership roles at college.

8. What do you think students most appreciate about their experiences at your school?

Students appreciate that they are receiving an academically challenging education and that they have access to faculty members who are excellent resources and willing to help guide them in many facets of their high school life. Students also appreciate the dynamic and close-knit community at Oakwood that is rooted Quaker values.

9. Please add anything else that you would want prospective students and their families to know about college advising and placement at your school.

The student experience at Oakwood is very personalized. The college advising program takes a thoughtful and intentional approach to advising each student and their family to find the college that best fits their interests, abilities, needs.