Beyond College Prep
Steamboat Mountain School’s academic program aims to prepare students to succeed in college by offering challenging courses where critical thinking is paramount. Students are taught to think independently and to collaborate effectively with their peers. Throughout their time at SMS, students will complete meaningful work that includes extensive writing across disciplines, diligent research projects, investigative laboratory work, comprehensive exams, and public presentations. For seniors, a year-long capstone project provides a culminating intellectual experience in a student’s area of interest.
. . . But true “College Prep” goes beyond academics. Colleges are looking for students who are resilient, flexible, and who will contribute positively to their community. Through our outdoor program, global studies curriculum, community service opportunities, and athletic competitions, our students learn to persevere through adversity and uncertainty. They learn the importance of place, they appreciate different perspectives, and they are able to see the world through the eyes of others. Consequently, SMS graduates are prepared to thrive in college and beyond.
College Guidance Timeline
Though we begin having conversations about future goals, including college and career possibilities, with our underclassmen, the college process at SMS begins in earnest junior year.
Juniors meet weekly as a class with a faculty advisor to learn about potential options, identify goals, and prepare to represent their strengths and interests as strongly as possible on their college applications. Juniors will have a minimum of one individual meeting with the College Counselor to discuss personal goals and begin creating an application list. The college counselor helps to develop an initial list of schools based off of that conversation and the student is asked to research those schools along with additional schools in order to develop a final list for senior year.
Seniors meet weekly as a class to discuss the nuts-and-bolts of applying to college. In addition to finalizing the list (if needed), we work to craft strong, competitive, well-rounded applications. Additionally, we provide coaching and feedback on the writing portions of the application, paying particular attention to the Essay. This work happens together as a group as well as through individual meetings with the college counselor and other faculty. The college counselor will help the student strategize their application process if needed.
“Providing the right balance of one-on-one meetings and independent work, not only supports them through the application process, but prepares them for the work they will have once they get there.”
–Erin Davis, Director of College Guidance
Resource List
Read Books!
- “Who Gets in and Why: A Year Inside College Admissions,” Jeff Selingo
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“The Gatekeepers: Inside the Admissions Process of a Premier College,” by Jacques Steinberg
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“The Black Family’s Guide to College Admissions: A Conversation about Education, Parenting, and Race” by Timothy L. Fields and Shereem Herndon-Brown
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“The Colleges that Change Lives” by Loren Pope
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“The Fiske Guide to Colleges” by Edward Fiske
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“The Price You Pay for College: An Entirely New Road Map for the Biggest Financial Decision Your Family Will Ever Make” by Ron Leiber
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“The Truth About College Admissions: A Family Guide to Getting In and Staying Together” by Brennan Barnard & Rick Clark
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“Where you Go is Not Who’ll You Be: An Antidote to the College Admissions Mania” by Frank Bruni
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College Admission Essentials: A Step-by-Step Guide to Showing Colleges Who You Are and What Matters to You, by Ethan Sawyer (aka The College Essay Guy)