College Counseling

Latin measures its success by ensuring that each student is prepared with the academic and emotional skills needed to thrive in college and beyond, and it is the College Counseling Office’s mission to ensure students continue their education at their best-fit institution. College counseling is a highly personalized process at Latin. With a counseling staff of four, each with significant college admissions experience and counseling expertise, the program is as individualized as the rest of our curriculum. Our counselors work closely with students to discover their hopes and dreams, their interests and strengths, and then match those with the best-fit schools. Each student’s college process is about so much more than simply gaining admission; it is an opportunity to learn about one’s own educational and social needs and to develop decision-making tools that will help shape future choices both in and out of the world of academia. Ideally, applying to college is the conclusion of a Latin career that involves engagement in the classroom, an impassioned approach to learning, and a commitment to the life of our school, community and the world beyond Chicago.

The staff of Latin’s College Counseling Office encourages students to be involved, reflective, and accountable for their choices. As the people who know their children best, parents/guardians also play an active role. No two students are alike, and we work hard to connect with students and families and meet them where they are. We will work closely with each student and family to find a group of schools that best match (and build upon) the individual strengths, interests and achievements of an ever-evolving Latin student. We support students and their families every step of the way; we help build college lists, create college visit itineraries, brainstorm essay topics, prepare for interviews, fill out financial aid paperwork, and review all applications prior to submission. We also provide emotional support; we are there to celebrate a student’s successes and console students during times of disappointment.

Latin students attend some of the most diverse and reputable institutions in the United States and abroad; they seek schools that are both far afield and locally situated, small liberal arts colleges and large universities. Latin students are successful in the college application process and apply to a broad spectrum of schools. Ultimately, their choices reflect diligence, the strength of their academic preparation and self-exploration that are the hallmark and natural culmination of their Latin education.

138

unique institutions attended in the past 5 years

100%

college matriculation

First page of the PDF file: Latin College Counseling 2022-23

Highlights of our process

Five on-site college counseling staff members
Significant, personalized one-on-one counseling beginning junior year with student and families
Grade 11 curriculum focused on school research process
Expert assistance in the financial aid process
Informal coffees and Q&As with the counselors
Direct advocacy

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Test-Optional: How Latin Prepares Students Amid Evolving Trends (Part 2)

College Counseling at Latin: An Overview (Part 1)

I understood the value of this education first hand when I went off to college. My persistence and strong desire to learn and connect with my professors was a reflection of the close relationships I made with my teachers at Latin.

Latin taught me from a young age how to be organized, think critically and manage a rigorous academic load.

When I got to Kenyon, I had a head start because of Latin. It wasn't just that I was confident in writing a paper. It was that while everyone else was learning to write a paper, I had time to think about the bigger picture.

Timeline

FRESHMAN & SOPHOMORES

College Counseling at Latin begins formally at the end of the first semester of junior year but is an informal process that builds upon strong academic and personal advising that takes place throughout students’ high school career. In the freshman and sophomore years, students are encouraged to get involved in school activities, athletics and clubs to hone their own academic interests and artistic talents. The best foundation for a successful college process is the same foundation for a successful high school experience. Students are encouraged to enroll in a variety of appropriate courses that expand their minds and challenge their sensibilities and to join organizations that test them as citizens, competitors and leaders.

In the fall of sophomore year, students will take a practice ACT, and in the fall of junior year, they will take a practice SAT (PSAT). This ensures that by the time the counseling process formally begins, a student will have been exposed to both testing formats.

JUNIORS

Beginning in the spring semester, all students will meet in group seminar classes with a college counselor to discuss a variety of issues related to the college search process. These classes will continue in the fall of senior year, when the tone will switch from informative and exploratory to one that is more administrative where we collectively tackle the actual business of applying to students’ schools.

Throughout the spring these seminars address a variety of topics that include but are not limited to:

Taking a personal inventory of strengths and achievements - personal assessments
Researching colleges
Test planning and how tests are used by colleges
Mock admissions committee exercises
Coping with the public nature of the college process
Essay writing and interview skills

At the beginning of spring semester students and families will be assigned to a college counselor and will begin their individual meetings. Students and counselors build close relationships that will serve as an essential support throughout the process. Latin’s college process is personal and individual, and counselors get to know each and every student. The staff is then prepared to offer tailored suggestions to students regarding their college choices, and professional and personal advocacy throughout the college application process.

SENIORS

College seminars return in the fall of senior year, and each student and their counselor work closely to shape a list of colleges that are appropriate, competitively diverse and appealing to the student’s interests and needs. These classes take place in the first half of the semester and include such issues as:

Details and deadlines
How to submit applications
Self-advocacy, preparation and interviews
Essay writing
Timelines

Latin counselors are the students’ advocates in the college process – they represent their interests to colleges, write lengthy letters of recommendation and ultimately offer wisdom and careful counsel to each member of the junior and senior classes. College counselors are available as advisers, editors, interview coaches and ambassadors to representatives from over one hundred colleges and universities. Latin’s college office provides information and guidance until each senior has made a decision to enroll in the school of their choice. It is our first priority to address the needs of each student, so the primary relationship is forged between each Latin student and the college counselors; however, we are also a resource for parents and guardians. Parents and guardians should feel free to seek Latin’s counsel to help navigate the stressful and often confusing transition to college.

College Matriculation List

2018-2022

Schools in bold have more than one Latin student in attendance.

Academy of Art University
Adelphi University
Allegheny College
American University
Amherst College
Antioch College
Arizona State University
Babson College
Baldwin Wallace University
Bard College
Barnard College
Bates College
Baylor University
Belmont University
Beloit College
Bentley University
Berklee College of Music
Boston College
Boston University
Bowdoin College
Bradley University
Brandeis University
Brown University
Bryn Mawr College
Bucknell University
Butler University
California Institute of Technology
California Lutheran University
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
California State University, Northridge
Carleton College
Carnegie Mellon University
Carthage College
Case Western Reserve University
Chapman University
Claremont McKenna College
Clark Atlanta University
Clark University
Clarkson University
Clemson University
Cleveland Institute of Music
Colby College
Colgate University
College of Charleston
College of the Atlantic
College of William & Mary
Colorado College
Colorado State University- Fort Collins
Columbia College Chicago
Columbia College Hollywood
Columbia University
Connecticut College
Cornell College
Cornell University
Creighton University
Dartmouth College
Davidson College
Denison University
DePaul University
DePauw University
Dickinson College
Dominican University
Drake University
Drew University
Drexel University
Duke Kunshan University
Duke University
Eastern Illinois University
Eastman College of Music
Eckerd College
Elon University
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott
Emerson College
Emory University
Emory University-Oxford College
Fairfield University

Flagler College-St Augustine
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University
Florida Atlantic University
Florida Institute of Technology
Fordham University
Franklin & Marshall College
Furman University
George Washington University
Georgetown University
Georgia Institute of Technology
Georgia State University
Gettysburg College
Goldsmiths, University of London
Gonzaga University
Goucher College
Grinnell College
Gustavus Adolphus College
Hamilton College
Hampton University
Harvard University
Harvey Mudd College
Hastings College
Haverford College
Hawaii Pacific University
Hobart William Smith Colleges
Howard University
Illinois Institute of Technology
Illinois State University
Indiana University at Bloomington
Iowa State University
Jacksonville University
Johns Hopkins University
Juniata College
Kalamazoo College
Kenyon College
Knox College
Lafayette College
Lake Forest College
Lawrence University
Lehigh University
Lewis & Clark College
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College
Loyola Marymount
University Loyola
University Chicago
Lycoming College
Macalester College
Marist College
Marquette University
Marymount Manhattan College
Massachusetts Maritime Academy
McGill University
Merrimack College
Miami University-Oxford
Michigan State University
Middle Tennessee State University
Middlebury College
Millikin University
Mills College
Milwaukee School of Engineering
Montana State University, Bozeman
Morehouse College
Mount Holyoke College
New York University
Northeastern University
Northern Illinois University
Northwestern University
Nova Southeastern University
Oberlin College
Oberlin College, Conservatory of Music
Occidental College
Ohio State University- Main Campus
Ohio Wesleyan University
Oregon State University
Pace University

Pennsylvania State University- Main Campus
Pepperdine University
Pitzer College
Pomona College
Princeton University
Purdue University
Reed College
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rice University
Rochester Institute of Technology
Roger Williams University
Rollins College
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Rutgers University-New Brunswick
Saint Louis University
San Jose State University
Santa Clara University
Sarah Lawrence College
Savannah College of Art and Design
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Scripps College
Skidmore College
Smith College
SOAS University of London
Southern Illinois University - Carbondale
Southern Methodist University
Spelman College
St. John’s College
St. Lawrence University
St. Olaf College
Stanford University
Stevens Institute of Technology
Stonehill College
Swarthmore College
Syracuse University
Temple University
Tennessee State University
Texas A & M University- College Station
Texas Christian University
The Catholic University of America
The College of Wooster
The New England Conservatory of Music
The New School
The University of Alabama
The University of Edinburgh
The University of Tampa
The University of Tennessee Knoxville
The University of Texas, Austin
The University of Texas, Dallas
The University of the South
Trinity College
Trinity College Dublin
Trinity University
Tufts University
Tulane University
Union College
United States Air Force Academy
United States Coast Guard Academy
United States Military Academy - Army
United States Naval Academy
University of Arizona
University of British Columbia
University of California-Berkeley
University of California-Davis
University of California-Irvine
University of California-Los Angeles
University of California-Merced
University of California-Riverside
University of California-San Diego

University of California-Santa Barbara
University of California-Santa Cruz
University of Chicago
University of Cincinnati (Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP))
University of Colorado Boulder
University of Dayton
University of Delaware
University of Denver
University of Florida
University of Georgia
University of Hawaii At Manoa
University of Illinois at Chicago
University of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign
University of Iowa
University of Kansas
University of Maine
University of Maryland- College Park
University of Miami
University of Michigan
University of Minnesota- Twin Cities
University of Missouri Columbia
University of New Hampshire- Main Campus
University of New Mexico- Main Campus
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina at Wilmington
University of Notre Dame
University of Oregon
University of Pennsylvania
University of Pittsburgh
University of Portland
University of Puget Sound
University of Redlands
University of Richmond
University of Rochester
University of San Diego
University of San Francisco
University of South Carolina
University of Southern California
University of St Andrews
University of Sussex
University of Toronto
University of Utah
University of Vermont
University of Virginia
University of Washington
University of Wisconsin, Madison
Valparaiso University
Vanderbilt University
Vassar College
Villanova University
Wake Forest University
Warren Wilson College
Washington and Lee University
Washington University in St. Louis
Wellesley College
Wesleyan University
Western Michigan University
Wheaton College
Wheaton College MA
Whitman College
Willamette University
William & Mary
Williams College
Wittenberg University
Woodbury University
Xavier University
Xavier University of Louisiana
Yale University