Seniors Get a Jump on the College Application Process

Over the next five days, students at the camp, now in its fifth year, will meet with Collegiate counselors for help with filling out the Common Application that many colleges use and will begin drafting essays for other applications.

The counselors are thrilled to work with our rising seniors on their college applications before the school year begins, says Kim Ball, senior associate director of college counseling.  

“Given the number of constantly changing requirements in the world of college admission, the process is one that easily lends itself to a sense of overwhelm,” she said. “The camp provides students with dedicated time and space to focus not only on the work required for the applications, but also the organization of tasks required during the upcoming year.”

Students also will receive instruction on crafting emails, making phone calls and examining their social media accounts. On Thursday, they will have the opportunity to practice their interviewing skills with 14 admission professionals from Christopher Newport University, College of William & Mary, Hampden-Sydney College, Hollins University, Old Dominion University, Randolph-Macon College, Shenandoah University, University of Lynchburg, University of Richmond, University of South Carolina and Willamette University.

In addition, students get to work alongside their peers and college counselors, providing them with the ability to get immediate feedback and make revisions along the way.  

“At the end of the week, they will have completed a great deal of work and honed their interviewing and communication skills, and will leave with a strong sense of ways to move forward to complete the process,” Mrs. Ball said.