College Counseling

College pennants in hallway with students

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 9th grade, to help students and their families understand the complex process of planning for and applying to college.

The college admissions process is offered at each grade level, 9th through 12th grades. Freshmen learn to understand the importance of their early academic work and selecting the appropriate courses. Sophomores explore their aptitudes and abilities as they relate to career options and future college choices. Counselors hold ongoing individual meetings with juniors and seniors to help them select and apply to the schools that will best fit their needs.

Additionally, the college counseling office provides assistance with financial aid applications and information on scholarships. More than $4 million in merit scholarships are awarded annually to graduating classes of approximately 70 students.

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 - 9th Grade College Night: General introduction to the importance of courses and a strong record; discussion of 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 - 11th 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 - Optional ACT Prep course to prepare juniors for April ACT; college workshops
April - ACT administration; 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; ACT administration; 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

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 Hoteliere 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
The University of Arizona
Trinity College
Trinity University
Union College (New York)
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

Our Alumni

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

Are you a college visiting Sandia Prep?

For the academic year 2021-2022, we are happy to invite college representatives to campus to visit with students in person as well as virtually. We use SCOIR for college visit requests; the first available visitation date is August 26, 2021. If you wish to host a virtual visit, please provide the URL or Link in SCOIR.

Click here to schedule your visit.

We will make every effort to promote your visit to students and meet briefly with you, if possible. We appreciate your efforts in providing this opportunity to learn more about your institution.

Melissa Morse
Director of College Counseling
mmorse@sandiaprep.org
505.338.3034

Danielle Yepa Gunderson
Associate Director of College Counseling
dgunderson@sandiaprep.org
505.338.3055