Upper School Counseling

Academics are the core of a student’s time in high school, and we have courses that appeal to all interests. Our creative faculty continuously introduce new electives to fill the eager minds of our students and answer their demands for emerging trends in education. We will work with your student each year to pick the most rigorous course schedule academically appropriate for him or her. Counselors know that a strong academic record is the easiest way for your student to have the most options available during the college process.

The freshman and college counselors overview the scheduling process, graduation requirements and the many paths to graduation.  Counselors meet individually with families directly following each program to provide personal instruction and guidance and ensure families get the help they need.  This unique opportunity is held multiple times in late winter.

Designed for rising freshmen and after Freshman Orientation just before school starts, we equip students to hone their study skills and learn new approaches best suited to the demands of our college prep high school. 

With our unique approach to counseling, freshmen have a designated counselor.  This person meets with every freshmen a minimum of 2 times each year to set goals, define their strengths and struggles, and work through the social dynamics of being new to the US 9-12 building.

Things have changed a lot since CHCA parents applied to college, and webinars help you see what lies ahead. Typically we discuss testing details, the college process, SCOIR, and more. Videos are posted in SCOIR for those unable to attend in person.

Your student has many interests and sophomore year is a great time to talk through which of those interests could translate to potential college majors and/or careers.  Using two different assessments, your college counselor meets with each family to talk through hopes and plans for the student.

Which is more important - a high GPA or broad involvement in extra-curriculars? A panel of college admission experts share their insights regarding the college search and selection process. This general presentation is a prelude to the junior individual family meetings that occur each winter/spring with your counselor.

This individualized college planning meeting for juniors and their families sets students up for success as they continue the college search process.  We converse about testing, high school curriculum rigor, college visit information, and introduce several different websites and platforms students use as well as talking about how to create a dynamic college application.

In between the Junior Family Individual Meetings and the start of senior year, we know parents have many questions. This late spring webinar is designed to calm anxiety, ease fears, and give parents a wealth of knowledge about how CHCA partners with students and families during remainder of the college process.

A financial aid professional talks families through the basics of the college financial aid process and explains the different types of aid available.

Sometimes the hardest part of college essays is figuring out what a student wants a college to know about them.  These identical group workshops are designed to jumpstart ideas and create excitement surrounding this process and occur a week or 2 after junior year ends and repeat the week before senior year begins.

The week before senior year begins, seniors bring a draft of a completed college essay to be critiqued by a college professional for clarity, content, and overall structure. Students can expect conversation and time to alter the work during this workshop.

Students are not always communicative and we want to make sure parents know all the ways we're working with their students, and how we will continue to guide them through the process. We invite senior parents to join us for an update about the college process, their students' journey to date, and general Q&A.

The college counselors offer office hours three days a week during the school day designed to help seniors become accustomed to this terminology and a drop in method of gaining help!  We want seniors to become self-advocates and to know they are never more than 24 hours away from getting their questions answered!

Sometimes students just need a designated time to work on college applications. We provide seniors with the time, space, and our expertise to get it done in a timely fashion! We schedule work sessions before, during, and after school.

This meeting, unlike the others, is for the student only.  The college counselors are encouraging both students and parents to allow the student to take the lead during this important time!  These meetings must happen prior to the submission of any college applications and are discussed at length with the students during their English class! 

These evening programs allow us to talk with families about topics important to them that may not be academic in nature.  They are designed to be informal and allow parents to learn while growing in community and are offered several times a year.  Topics change with each discussion.