College Counseling
College Counseling at AIAN is a comprehensive program which provides students with the guidance, support, and tools they will need on their journey toward post-secondary education. This program is integrated into the High School program starting from Grade 9, but guidance and support actually begin even earlier in Middle School as we work with parents and students in preparation for High School. The College Counseling program is supported by two College Counselors who work closely with each student individually to ensure they understand all of the requirements that must be met and actions that must be taken to achieve acceptances to the universities they wish to attend. Below, you can find all of the details of the AIAN College Counseling program:
High School Entrance
Students moving up from the Middle School to High School program at AIAN receive support prior to the start of Grade 9, including an orientation session with the Vice Principal and High School teachers, where they will be introduced to the expectations and differences they will encounter. During the first week of High School, students are guided by their College Counselor and all teachers to choose an individualized schedule of courses that will set them on a path to meeting all graduation requirements over the 4 years of High School. Students are provided a two-week window during which they may change their elective selections. The induction process includes support for the following:
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Advisory Curriculum
Supported by the widely popular Bridge-U online university guidance platform, AIAN's College Counseling program includes a dedicated weekly College Advisory course at each grade level for students to meet with their College Counselor for relevant lessons and discussions, and to work on the various tasks throughout the application process. Contact time with College Counselors includes weekly advisory classes, flexible office hours and communication for individual support, and scheduled one-to-one meetings as necessary. A full lesson curriculum is covered through this credit-earning course, including:
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Examination Support
One of the most stressful and worrisome components of the college planning process is assuring that various examination requirements are met, and that the scores achieved will strengthen a student's university application. At AIAN, we guide students to understand which exams they should take, and when is the optimal time to take each one. This begins in Middle School, when students in Grade 8 are given the opportunity to take the PSAT 8/9 practice exam to have a baseline on which to set growth goals for reading, writing, and mathematics skills. College Counselors support students from the very beginning by assisting them in registering their personal College Board accounts, which they will use throughout High School. As an official College Board testing center, AIAN offers on-campus administrations for the following exams:
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University Networking
As a longstanding international school, AIAN has formed a solid network with universities around the globe. Each year, we connect High School students with representatives from colleges and universities to gather useful information about their programs, campus life, admissions requirements, and application process. Once or twice a year, we organize on-campus college fairs where we invite several universities to give presentations and talk directly with our students about their offerings. Additionally, graduates of AIAN are currently studying at top universities around the world, and our alumni network allows students to gain an inside perspective into college life at specific universities. Our graduates in the past 3 years have been accepted to top universities such as:
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Application Assistance
Starting in Grade 11, students will begin the application process, which includes many required actions over several months. Applications to different universities and colleges in various parts of the world involve many components which must be carefully submitted according to very strict deadlines. This process can become stressful and tiresome for High School students who have many other tasks to focus on for their current classes and extracurricular activities, and our College Counseling program aims to assist students to streamline this process by carefully planning and organizing. This assures that each item submitted to a university is of the highest quality for consideration by admissions offices. Supports in this area include:
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Graduation
At the end of the High School journey, AIAN students can be proud of all their accomplishments upon receiving their diploma in one of their proudest moments in front of family and friends. Before graduation, College Counselors check in with students frequently to assure that all graduation requirements are met using the Student Advisory Plan. As graduation approaches, the graduating class collaborates to plan various elements of the graduation ceremony, and some of the students' best moments are spent having photos taken in their caps and gowns and practicing for the highly-anticipated graduation ceremony. When conditions permit, teachers and counselors help the students to plan a class trip or post-graduation activity to further celebrate their momentous accomplishment before moving on to the universities of their choosing.
