College Counseling

The Stony Brook School offers a comprehensive four-year college counseling program.

The college counseling program at The Stony Brook School takes a holistic view of the college process and sees it as a time when students can both discover themselves and the necessary skills to navigate the process successfully.

The college counselors will act as coaches by providing timely information, counseling, feedback, and support to help each student in the process.

The program empowers students to make informed decisions, to advocate effectively for themselves, and use strong organizational skills throughout the process by following a schedule and meeting deadlines.

SBS OUTCOMES

53% of seniors accepted to a highly selective college whose acceptance rate is below 15%

41% of students were accepted to a top 30 college or university The class of 2024 was accepted to 174 different colleges and universities

In this section

College Counseling Program

9th and 10th Grade: Increasing Self-knowledge

We want to caution our 9th and 10th graders against becoming too preoccupied with colleges; instead, they should focus on growth through our college preparatory curriculum. Students will be encouraged to challenge themselves appropriately in their studies, identify their strengths, develop as leaders and continue to be involved in extracurricular activities.

  • The college counseling office (CCO) will provide programming for parents and students to help encourage and guide families about student development.
  • The CCO will cooperate with the Academic Dean and Registrar to provide input into academic advising and course selection.
  • Beginning in 10th grade, students and parents will be given access to SCOIR, our online platform for college counseling.
  • Students will be encouraged to complete PrinciplesYou, the personal inventory available on SCOIR.
11th Grade Year: College Preparation
The focus of 11th grade will be on preparation for the college application process. Beginning in the second half of the junior year, students will meet with their college counselor in a collaborative effort to assess their academic achievement and potential, passions and talents, strengths and areas of growth, and other factors important to determining which colleges will enable students to thrive and flourish. Students will also be advised about standardized testing.
  • Juniors will attend the Junior Readiness Class in the spring if their junior year.
  • The CCO will continue to assist the Academic Dean and Registrar in providing input about academic advising and course selection.
  • The College Counselors use meetings, surveys, and classroom observations to prepare to write recommendation letters for rising seniors.
  • Juniors will be invited to attend visits by college representatives to the Stony Brook School.
  • Juniors often take the SAT or ACT in the spring.
  • The CCO will provide programming to guide parents and students in preparing for college applications.
  • The CCO will use SCOIR to record suggestions for creating the college list of potential applications. Students and parents should use SCOIR to consider suggestions and to begin building their college list.
  • All applications are reviewed by the CCO prior to the student's submissions.
  • The CCO will advise rising seniors about the course selection for the senior year.
  • Juniors should identify teachers who can serve as academic recommenders and should ask teachers to be recommenders by the end of the junior year.
  • Juniors should begin working on the personal statement, with the goal of starting the senior year with a finished draft. In addition, juniors should consider other ways of using the summer prior to senior year to get ahead on the college application process, including attending virtual or in-person tours for potential colleges.
12th Grade: Applying to Colleges and Making Final College Decisions
The focus of 12th grade will be to finalize college lists, finish all standardized testing and prepare college applications.  Students will also be advised as they make final college decisions.
  • Seniors will attend the College Readiness course during the fall semester unless otherwise excused.
  • Seniors will be invited to attend visits by college representatives to the Stony Brook School.
  • The CCO will continue to provide one-on-one counseling during the senior year to review college applications and to ensure informed strategic decision-making.
  • Seniors will meet with the CCO to finalize their lists and establish a schedule for submitting applications. All applications are reviewed by the College Counselor prior to the student's submissions.
  • The CCO will provide guidance about all aspects of the application process, including application writing.
  • Any remaining standardized testing is completed in the fall.
  • Parents and students will be invited to attend a financial aid workshop in the fall.
  • Most applications are submitted by either November or January and decisions are received by mid-April.
  • The CCO will assist students as they make their final commitment to attend a college by May 1.

 

School Profile      SCOIR.     College Counseling Resources

2023 Outcomes