College Advising
Finding Your Best Fit
Preparation for college admission begins the first day a student enters Marian Catholic High School. While applying to college takes place in the fall of senior year, college admissions counselors look at a student's total academic profile. Marian Catholic provides a rigorous college prep curriculum. It is important that students meet the challenge and do their best from the beginning. Educating Scholars with a Soul means we take the life of the mind and faith seriously. Cumulative grade point average are computed beginning with a student's first day of school. The freshman and sophomore years of high school are vitally important to the college admission process. Students cannot make the mistake of "waiting until junior year" to prepare for college.
Searching for a college match is a highly individualized process. The college counselors in the Counseling Department work diligently to assist students with their college search. A guiding principle of college counseling is "College is a match to be made, not a prize to be won."
As students and parents enter this subjective college search process, they must be cautious of attaching hopes and dreams to only one college or university and careful not to create a mythic place. Most people can be happy at any number of colleges. It is advisable to investigate different colleges with varying degrees of selectivity - highly selective to less selective - that can satisfy academic, social, and extracurricular preferences. The happiest high school student is the one who in April of senior year can say, "It almost doesn't matter where I am accepted. Whatever college I attend, I will be happy, satisfied, and prepared to be successful." This perspective is reached by researching schools, using the resources of the College Room, and working closely with the counselors.
Both parents and students will have the opportunity to talk and meet with college counselors during sophomore, junior, and senior years. There are evening programs for parents held throughout the school year to help with the college search process. Reminders about programs and deadlines are communicated in News from the World of Counseling (the counseling newsletter). Information will also be posted in Naviance Student.