College Counseling
Personal, Individualized
College Counseling at Harley
Welcome to the College Counseling office at the Harley School! We have put together this guide to start-up guide to introduce you, juniors and their families, to our approach. We are excited to start working with you. Please read these materials carefully, as they contain a wealth of information about our process and advice on how to get started.
What do we do in the College Counseling Office?
We work with students to find the right matches
This is a College Counseling Office, not a College Placement Office. To that end, we will meet with students to help them learn to identify, research, and choose the colleges that meet their needs, but we will not “give them” a list.
We communicate with colleges about the Harley academic program
In the fall, representatives from colleges come to Harley to meet with juniors and seniors and with the Director of College Counseling to better understand what kind of students this school produces. The Harley School Profile (available online) also helps to communicate what our education provides. In addition, the counselors are responsible for writing the School Report, sometimes called the Counselor Recommendation.
We provide information
Using tools such as scattergrams (charts that plot Harley application history using grades and test scores) we help students and families understand the competitive nature of college admissions and help to manage expectations. Students use our web-based programs with our assistance, to help craft a balanced list of colleges.
We help students create a testing plan
While there are some general recommendations for standardized testing, testing plans are unique to each student. We will work with students to tailor a plan for the spring of the junior year and the fall of the senior year
FAQ
Do all colleges require standardized testing?
Some of the score optional colleges and universities to which Harley students sometimes apply are:
American University
Bard College
Bates College
Bowdoin College
Bryn Mawr College
Colby College
College of the Atlantic
College of the Holy Cross
Colorado College
Connecticut College
Denison University
Dickinson College
Fairfield University
Franklin and Marshall
Furman University
George Mason University
Gettysburg College
Goucher College
Hamilton College
Hampshire College
Hobart & William Smith
Loyola University, MD
Middlebury College
Mt. Holyoke College
Muhlenberg College
New York University
Providence College
Rollins College
Sarah Lawrence College
Smith College
St. Lawrence University
Trinity College
Union College
Wake Forest University
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
When should I take the SATs or ACTs?
When can I make my first meeting with a college counselor?
The formal college counseling process begins in January of the junior year, though the college counselors are available to answer questions at any point. Once the college counselor has an initial meeting with a student, their parent(s) can request a meeting.
When do colleges visit Harley?
Every year approximately 65 college admission representatives visit the Harley campus during the fall in order to meet seniors and present information about their colleges. There are occasionally similar visits in the spring. These meetings provide excellent opportunities for students to meet and interact with members of a college’s admissions staff. In most cases the representative who visits is the person responsible for presenting students’ applications to their colleagues in committee meetings.
I have heard about applying “Early.” What does that mean?
Most college applications are due in January or February of the student’s senior year. These are known as regular decision applications and a student can apply to as many schools as she likes (though the college counselors recommend a thoughtful, targeted list of approximately six to nine schools). Students typically receive admission decisions at the end of March or in early April.
Many colleges also offer some version of an early application round, with application deadlines typically in November and with decisions arriving in December. “Early Decision” asks a student to make a binding commitment to a college. If accepted, the student cancels any other applications and accepts the offer of admission. “Early Action” does not require a student to commit to the college; therefore, they can submit regular decision applications as well.
What are the differences between the SAT and ACT?
The SAT and ACT generally test the same type of content. The SAT contains two sections: Math and Evidence Based Reading . The ACT contains four sections: Reading, Math, English, and Science. Both tests have an optional essay portion. The SAT is scored on a scale of 400-1600 while the ACT uses a scale of 1-36. Colleges do not prefer one test over the other and as many Harley students now submit ACT scores as submit SAT scores. Students should explore both tests to decide which one is right for them.
What are the components of a typical application?
In evaluating candidates for admission, college admission officers consider many factors. Among the most important are:
- High school academic record (including courses taken and grades)
- Standardized test scores
- The quality of the student’s application (usually including an essay)
- School and faculty recommendations
- Extracurricular activities, internship experience, employment
- Special talents and interests
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College Counseling
Harley’s Approach to College Counseling is highly individualized and student-centered. Students have direct access to college counselors throughout their Upper School experience, but really, each student is part of a team including faculty, administration, and staff. It’s our job to support each student and we want nothing more than to send students on to the next step of their journey at a right fit school for them. The student centered and driven process is wrapped in care, expertise, and professionalism.
We host college reps during times students are available (no need to miss a class) so they can make connections and learn more about potential schools. We also arrange campus visits for classes as field trips, host an alumni college day (where recent Upper School graduates return to share advice and answer questions), and help connect students with our international alumni network. In fact, representatives from schools all over the world actively seek opportunities to come to Harley and meet with our students!
Our college counselors are accredited and are part of national/global conversations on admission trends. They also attend and present at conferences across the country.
Beginning with our Grade 11 parent night, we offer informational sessions for parents, including one devoted just to financial aid. Our partnership with families is critical, as the college admissions world changes very quickly and having an expert to guide students and families through the process is essential.
Clubs
“Club Rush” is an afternoon every fall in the Upper School when students have the chance to sign up for clubs for the year, and each year it is very different because new clubs are created based on student initiative and enthusiasm.
A few of this year’s choices: Sports Media, Social Action Club, Journalism Club, Feminism Club, Student of Color & Allies (SOCA), Gay-Straight Alliance, Tri M (music honor society), E-Sports Club, Euchre, Key Club (service), Animation Club, Dungeons & Dragons, Sustainability Club, Jewish Cultural Club, Astronomy Club, Biomimicry, and Beyond Soup (social justice/service).
Athletics
Each and every year, students at The Harley School participate in HAC Athletics, and their success continues to be impressive, both as students and athletes. Our athletic program is an integral part of Harley, teaching student-athletes invaluable lessons about teamwork, time management, persistence, and competition. Our program allows them to develop physically, mentally, socially, and emotionally as they represent their school on and off the field. They grow, mature, and work hard to be the best teammate they can, while creating lifelong memories with teammates who often remain friends for life.
Helping our athletes to reach their potential are some of HAC’s best assets: our coaches. More often than not, they are drawn from the ranks of our faculty and have a deep understanding of the personalities and abilities of the student-athletes on their teams.
We strive to find the right balance of academics, exercise, and personal growth for everyone. By offering a variety of sports at many different levels, all student-athletes find a sport they can be successful in. It is with great pride and pleasure that my team and I work to enrich the athletic lives of all our HAC student-athletes. Go Wolves!
To learn more check out our athletics page.
Student Leadership
Our Upper School is filled with formal and informal opportunities for students to take on leadership roles. Whether following passions or learning new skills, student-driven opportunities take many shapes.
– Independent study: one trimester, full year, and multi-year projects have included automating our solar chimneys, coding handmade musical instruments, or developing a class on financial literacy for underserved high school students.
– Serving on student council
– STEM: Climate curriculum program, biomimicry program, NASA Hunch program
Clubs
“Club Rush” is an afternoon every fall in the Upper School when students have the chance to sign up for clubs for the year, and each year it is very different because new clubs are created based on student initiative and enthusiasm.
A few of this year’s choices: Sports Media, Social Action Club, Journalism Club, Feminism Club, Student of Color & Allies (SOCA), Gay-Straight Alliance, Tri M (music honor society), E-Sports Club, Euchre, Key Club (service), Animation Club, Dungeons & Dragons, Sustainability Club, Jewish Cultural Club, Astronomy Club, Biomimicry, and Beyond Soup (social justice/service).
Hospice
Unlike this class, death is not an elective. Although it is one of two universal human experiences, our culture often ignores, denies, or misconstrues the true nature of death and dying. What happens when we bear witness to this natural process in the cycle of life and develop our ability to be fully present with others when they need us more than ever? It has the potential to change us deeply and fundamentally while shining a brilliant light on the path of our own lives.
With the support of their classmates, teacher, and comfort care home communities, senior students are offered the chance to care for others who truly need their purposeful, non-judgmental attention. In the home-like setting of a comfort care home, opportunities for learning extend beyond a traditional classroom rubric and conventional methods of evaluation. In this course, students will certainly find tangible “learning outcomes” by studying the medical/physical processes associated with dying and the basic nursing assistant skills of comfort care. The ultimate goal, however, will always be rooted in true relationships and connection, which occurs only through empathy and compassion.
Learn more about the Hospice Program at Harley HERE.
Capstone/Independent Studies
This program utilizes environmentally-focused approaches to education and hands-on learning in order to foster the next generation of leaders through a lens of sustainability and problem-solving.
Food & Farm: These year-long and trimester-long classes are held outside as much as possible, allowing students to become leaders in our various growing spaces. They cover environmental justice issues as well as hands-on work such as planning and overseeing planting, harvesting, and preparation of the gardens.
Past year-long focus projects have included: Creating a native plant shade garden in the Wild Wood area, redesigning our hydroponic system, overhauling Harley’s high tunnel, and improving the irrigation system for the MicroFarm.
Culinary Arts: These classes have a two-fold purpose: to give students practical skills in cooking and the science behind different techniques in the kitchen, learning about food justice, food sourcing, labor topics, and sustainability.
Past topics have included: Examining a plant-based diet, looking at the carbon footprint of different meals and food preparation methods, proposing a low carbon footprint menu to the dining hall, links between food labeling and environmental issues of food production.
Beekeeping: This one trimester class provides hands-on training in beekeeping, how to be a beekeeper, and safety and other techniques for working with bees. Once trained students help with all aspects of Harley beekeeping such as hive inspections, honey collection and extraction, and teaching students in Lower School about our hives.
Students pick a research topic addressing honeybee health and the larger environmental picture.
Social Justice
At Harley, our students learn how to evaluate social systems in order to identify complex problems in society through a lens of social justice. They take a hands-on approach to working for a fair, equitable society by researching, exploring and evaluating different perspectives, and offering solutions—both theoretical and practical.
Our faculty integrate social justice into our broader curriculum to assist students in gaining a foundational knowledge about what makes a democracy function. By gaining skills in ideating supportive pathways they become more exposed and experienced to how communities can undergo healing and restorative actions.
Capstone/Independent Studies
Students may create independent studies with supervising teachers throughout their Upper School experience or, during Grade 12, they can design Capstone projects—intensive collaborations with Harley faculty and off-campus mentors—involving rigorous academic study and culminating in public presentations. They are empowered to create their own curriculum, set goals, and work on time management skills in order to accomplish their objectives.
Independent Studies run the gamut from The Psychology of Sports to Furniture Design to The Neuroimaging of Alzheimer’s Disease. Capstones, meanwhile, are as diverse as the students who pursue them: Fictional Rochester, Autobiographical Art, Biomimicry Education, Organic Fuel, and Rochester Refugees.
Indicative of Upper School curiosity and creativity, pursuits such as these distinguish our graduates in college. Through deep dives of this sort, Harley students master more than speaking, writing, and computing: they learn to communicate, advocate, collaborate, organize, listen, and empathize.
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