Frequently Asked Questions

Since independence and maturity are common traits among successful college students, we work closely with students and help them take a leading role in the conversations about college. We help them develop the independence and decision making skills necessary in researching colleges, creating a college list, writing authentic applications and making creative decisions about where to apply and which schools to attend. Our role with them is one of guidance, support, advice in the logistics of applications, and encouragement. We also offer a realistic sense of the college admission landscape, stemming from our extensive experience, and strive to help all students put forth the most positive picture of themselves.

The Director and Associate Director work with all students, although students are assigned a main point of contact. We feel that each student and their family benefits from our collective experiences and expertise.

We will meet once per cycle in college guidance class during the Class 11 and Class 12 years. In addition to these classes, we meet regularly and individually with all students. Students are also able to schedule additional meetings as needed.

We begin family meetings in February of Class 11. Those meetings are more productive if they take place after we have spent some individual time with the students. We are available for these meetings during the school day. We also offer College Conversations sessions for Class 9 and Class 10 parents. We invite communication from any parent or student through emails and phone calls at any time.

Each Chapin senior will have two teacher recommendations from Class 11 or in a few cases Class 12 (only from a teacher the student has had previously) highlighting the student’s strengths in the classroom and a Counselor/School recommendation, which is more extensive biography of the student.   The counselor recommendation is written by the College Counselors. 

An arts portfolio may be created when applying for various majors including studio art, photography, theater or writing.  The Common Application partners with SlideRoom, a secure online system for receiving and evaluating applications during undergraduate admissions.  In some cases, colleges have different deadlines to submit portfolios. This is a project that is important to accomplish prior to senior fall.

Spring recess, or the summer prior to that, in Class 11 provides an ideal time to visit colleges, possibly when those schools are in session so that students can see the full picture of the school and its students. Since the development of a college list is more of an evolving process than a timed event, any plans to visit schools should include seeing different types of schools in potentially different locations. This allows students to observe the differences between a large, urban university and a small, more rural liberal arts college. Often colleges are not yet prepared to interview juniors until the summer prior to Class 12, so we caution you about visiting too many schools. The college counselors will work carefully to get to know each student and to help identify specific colleges that might appeal to them.

Demonstrated interest if how an applicant’s interest is displayed to colleges; this may mean participating in an alumni interview, visiting the campus, attending high school visits or college fairs, attending online events or webinars, opening emails, or applying through an Early program.

Many colleges and universities offer diversity fly-in programs, where they will cover transportation and meals for prospective students to visit. Students are hosted by a current student, so housing will also be covered, and will learn about life on-campus firsthand. 

Typically, most students take the SAT Test for the first time in January, March or May of Class 11 or the ACT in April or June. Students should not take both tests. For more information on standardized testing, click HERE.

Students set up an account on the College Board website www.collegeboard.org or www.act.org so that they can readily register for tests. The college office does have fee waivers for families receiving financial aid to help with the cost of these tests. Please allot one hour for the initial registration process.

SAT score may be canceled 48 hours after taking the exam. ACT does offer an option to cancel scores off a record once they are recorded but should only be used in extreme circumstances. We do not endorse canceling scores prior to sending the report to colleges.

Score reports may be sent one of two ways. Each college will have a policy on how they are willing to accept the score report. Some colleges allow a student to self-report their scores by listing on the Common Application or the school's application. This is cost free.

Some college asked that scores be sent officially.  In this case, they must be ordered through www.collegeboard.com and/or www.act.org by the student. Chapin's college support fund may be used to pay the required fee, if the student qualifies. Chapin's rule of thumb is to order score reports at least three weeks prior to any application deadline to ensure they are delivered by the deadline. 

Chapin is not able to send score reports on behalf of students. 

No. There is no pre-registration for the PSAT. Chapin will order a test for your student.

This is a personal decision. The Chapin School does not endorse any particular program or tutor. The College Guidance Department can provide families with information about some of the options available locally, so if your family is interested we encourage you to ask. There are strong options in every price point. Chapin also offers a prep class at the school where financial aid is applicable.

Chapin seniors typically curate a list of approximately 12 colleges. There are two requirements: each student must apply to two Likely schools and be excited to attend any college to which they apply. 

The most important factor in the recruiting process is for the student to make her academic achievement the highest priority. Stronger grades will present greater opportunities. While the athletic recruiting process varies depending on whether a student is a Division I or Division III recruit, the student’s first step should be to have a discussion with her coach about the level of collegiate play that would be suitable for her. The student should also ask her coach about the proper steps to take to increase the chances of recruiting (e.g. camps, tournaments, showcases, etc.). Many students prepare a letter and resume to send to the coaches at schools of interest as a way to make initial contact. She will most likely need to create a highlight reel to send to coaches.Once the student has a better sense of her appropriate level of college play, she should meet with the college counselors and Athletic Director to begin discussions about schools and programs that fit her academic and athletic abilities.

We recommend our students do something over the summer that they enjoy. Summer breaks offer students the chance to try something new, deepen an interest, or have an experience that may support their academic interests. For example, if they are considering studying education, they might volunteer to work with children. If they enjoy creative writing, they might attend a summer writing program. They may also want to get a job to see what real world experience is like. It's important to do something, and also important to have some down time and family time.

There's not a particular type of summer program that colleges prefer above all; they just want to see that students did some sort of enrichment activity during their time off from school. Finally, students should not try to impress admissions committees with an excessive quantity of summer activities. They prefer meaningful participation in one or two activities, and will be able to see right through any attempts at filling a resume.

Summer pre-college courses are offered for credit and may benefit students in three ways: they may prepare students for the required subjects they will encounter in college as a freshmen, they may open a student's mind to new ideas or life paths, and they may give students a taste of campus life. However, Pre-college courses do not give students an advantage for college admissions.

Chapin uses Naviance to submit school materials and College KickStart to create and manage college lists.  College KickStart provides extensive data about merit and need-based aid, demonstrated interest policies, interviewing practices and admit rates.