The Common Application Opens Soon: The Common Application opens for the 2026-2027 admissions year on August 1. Seniors should visit CommonApp.org on or after that date to get started, and to be in touch with their assigned college counselor with questions. For those attending our August Bootcamp, we will offer a session during the program on completing the Common App. Please note that a few students will not need to use the Common Application; if there is any question about which type of application to use for your student’s colleges of interest, please let us know.
Fall College Essay Workshop: We invite seniors, especially those not planning to attend our August Bootcamp, to register now for our Fall College Essay Workshop, which will be held on Saturday, October 3 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. This workshop is intended to give students one additional opportunity to work extensively with PA college counselors and English faculty on college essays and supplemental questions in a workshop format. As always, the college counselors are available throughout the summer and fall for essay assistance and feedback, but we expect that the Fall Essay Workshop might be helpful to students managing a large number of required essays and/or who were unable to attend Bootcamp. The registration fee for the Fall Essay Workshop will be $75.
The College Process and Social Media: Our message to students has been that they should anticipate that admission officers may (or may not) seek to learn more about them or even connect with them via social media/online searches. We will share a presentation to our Bootcamp participants that will include mention of LinkedIn, which is increasingly a cornerstone of college career advising programs and is, as we know, recognized as an essential tool for networking, connecting, and maintaining relationships among professionals in all fields and careers. We leave the decision of whether to create a LinkedIn account to you and your students, and we will require a parent’s written approval before assisting students with their online profile.
Senior Parent College Night, Tuesday, September 15th at 6:30 p.m.: Senior parents are invited to attend this annual one hour presentation with the college counseling team. We will provide adult refreshments and discuss the year ahead and how you can best support your student in completing his or her college applications and deciding where to enroll. Details forthcoming.
College Financial Aid Info. will be shared with parents via virtual College Conversation on Thursday, December 3 at 8:45 A.M. Upper School Parents are invited to tune in to an in-depth virtual presentation covering the college financial aid and scholarships process. Details (including the virtual Google Meet link) forthcoming.
Parent Feedback Form for College Counselor Letters of Recommendation: We also ask parents to complete the Senior Parent Survey for College Counselor Letters of Recommendation in Maia. Parents will need to log in with their assigned Maia account and locate the survey link on their Dashboard (landing page). The survey questions are available to preview prior to completing the official form in Maia. If you need assistance logging into your Maia account, please contact your student’s assigned college counselor.
A helpful role senior parents should play this fall is to remind your student about the items in this email, including when a college they care about is coming to PA or has invited your student to a local admissions event. Even if your student has a conflicting obligation, encourage him or her to send the admissions representative a simple email indicating that he or she is unable to make it. This sort of engagement and courtesy goes a long way towards establishing your student’s demonstrated interest in their high priority colleges.