College Counseling

College Counseling Philosophy

At RPCS the goal of college counseling is to help students discover and gain admission to the colleges to which they are best suited. For that reason, the RPCS college counseling program is a highly individualized process in which students, their parents and their designated College Counselor together assess students’ interests, needs, strengths and abilities to work toward making the best possible college choices.

College Counseling Process

The college counseling process begins formally in the Junior year. Students are encouraged to meet with college admissions representatives when they visit RPCS in the fall in order to learn about different types of colleges and to gather specific information about schools they may already be interested in attending. In December there is an informational meeting for students and parents after which time they will begin to have individual meetings with the college counselors. During these meetings, students’  goals and interests and the college selection process are further discussed. The college counselor also advises families on college visits and other issues such as standardized testing, financial assistance options, and more. In the spring, juniors attend a day-long essay-writing workshop designed to help them begin the process of writing their application essays. During the senior year, the process picks up speed as students narrow their list of college choices and work on completing their applications.