College Counseling


 

Preparing Students for College and Beyond

One hundred percent of Sandia Prep graduates are accepted to four-year colleges and universities.

Our counselors work diligently one-on-one, beginning in ninth grade, to help students and their families understand the complex process of planning for and applying to college.

Freshmen learn to understand the importance of their early academic work and select the appropriate courses. Sophomores explore their aptitudes and abilities as they relate to career options and future college choices. Juniors and seniors hold individual meetings with our college counselors to help them select and apply to the schools that best fit their needs.

The college counseling office also assists with financial aid applications and scholarship information. The Class of 2023 (71 students) received more than $8 million in scholarships.


College Counseling Timeline

From portfolio-building to PSATs and from college visits to college acceptances, Sandia Prep students are equipped with comprehensive college counseling information and skills beginning in ninth grade.

Grade 9

Fall - Ninth Grade College Night: general introduction to the importance of courses and a strong academic record; discussion about transcripts and building a personal portfolio

Spring - Personality and career-planning activities to better understand how students learn best

Grade 10

Spring - PSAT 10 and Pre-ACT administration; continuation of personality- and career-planning activities

Grade 11

September - Eleventh Grade College Night: specific information on the college admissions process

October - PSAT administration; New Mexico College Fair; Tri-School Symposium; financial aid presentation

November - Juniors assigned to a college counselor

December through May - Individual college counseling meetings with students and families; researching scholarship opportunities; admissions testing planning

January through April - College workshops

April -  Case studies – how college admission decisions are made; mini college fair

May - AP exams available

Grade 12

August - Senior College Night: specifics on the college application and financial aid schedule; teacher recommendation requests begin

September - Individual meetings to refine a college list; college essay writing workshop

October - Finalizing college list; New Mexico College Fair; financial aid presentation

November - Most Early Decision/Early Action applications due

December through February - Regular Decision applications due

December through March - Admissions decisions made

May 1 - Deadline for college matriculation decision for most colleges


 

Our New Alumni

We have more than 2,100 alum working around the globe. Whether they are navigating college, earning their degrees, or launching into their careers, we love hearing our alum success stories and welcoming them back onto our campus. Hear how Sandia Prep prepared our alumni for success in college and beyond.

Click here or the map below to see where the Class of 2023 is headed!

 

 


 

Colleges Visiting Sandia Prep

Each year more than 60 colleges and universities send recruiters to Sandia Prep to visit with students.

Below is a sample of schools that visit Sandia Prep every year:

 

American University

Arizona State University

Babson College

Baylor University

Boston College

Bowdoin College

Brandeis University

Bucknell University

California College of the Arts (San Francisco)

Chapman University

Claremont McKenna College

Coe College

Colby College

Dartmouth College

Duke University

Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Emory University

Hamilton College-NY

Harvey Mudd College

Hofstra University

 

Kalamazoo College

Knox College

Lawrence University

Lewis and Clark College

Linfield College

Maryland Institute College of Art

Middlebury College

New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

New Mexico State University

Northeastern University

Occidental College

Pacific Northwest College of Art

Prescott College

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Salve Regina University

Sarah Lawrence College

Scripps College

Seattle University

Southwestern University

St. Edward’s University

 

St. John’s College

Texas Christian University

Trinity College

Trinity University

Union College (New York)

University of Arizona

University of British Columbia

University of Chicago

University of Colorado at Boulder

University of New Mexico

University of Portland

University of Richmond

University of Rochester

University of San Diego

University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Vanderbilt University

Watkins College of Art

Whitman College

Willamette University

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Yale University

 

 


 

Melissa Morse

Director of College Counseling
mmorse@sandiaprep.org

 

Danielle Yepa-Gunderson

Director of College Counseling
dgunderson@sandiaprep.org