College Advising

While the college admissions process may seem daunting, we seek to provide resources at the right time to help students and families navigate next steps.

The Director of College Counseling serves all 200 Upper School students but primarily works with the junior and senior classes. Karman is available to meet with students and parents throughout the academic year and over the summer. During these meetings she provides information about different colleges and universities, application requirements, career exploration, Christian formation, financial aid, leadership opportunities, and more.
We encourage students to build strong relationships with teachers who may someday write them a letter of recommendation to advocate for them. And to take advantage of experiences that will make them strong, well-rounded candidates for college admission.
We partner with area experts in test prep, essay writing, need and merit-based aid (i.e., FASFA, CSS profile, local/regional/national/school-specific scholarships), and more. We share resources for additional tutoring as needed.
We welcome college and university representatives to Trinity's campus to speak with students throughout the school year.

College Counseling Timeline

Grade 9

Meet with your advisor to develop your Upper School course plan. Take the most challenging courses for which you are prepared. Get involved in extracurricular activities you enjoy, including volunteer activities. Pursue new interests.

Take your schoolwork seriously—your freshman grades are recorded on your transcript and will be reviewed by college admission officers during your senior year. In addition to your other summer plans, remember to read, read, read.

Reading is the best way to prepare yourself for the college admission tests you will take in a couple of years. Also, visit museums, aquariums, and similar places to develop an appreciation for art, history, and science and develop your general knowledge of the world. This curiosity will make you more attractive to college admission offices.

Junior and Senior Meetings

As part of Trinity's College Counseling process, students will have three different required meetings, beginning in the spring of their junior year. These meetings are crucial to the college advising process and are the foundation of the work we do to help students build their college lists, applications, and much more.

Individual Junior Meeting

Scheduling the Meeting

Individual junior meetings take place in the early spring after Winterim concludes. This meeting is for the student and Director of College Counseling only. Appointments are scheduled for one hour; please make every effort not to miss class. If you have difficulty finding a time that works for you, please let Mrs. McNeal know, and she will work a different time out.

Students need to schedule these meetings as soon as possible to ensure that everyone is seen in the necessary time frame to allow for the student and parent meetings that will follow.

Before the Meeting

Students are must complete their Junior Survey and You Science Career Assessment in SCOIR no less than 24 hours before the scheduled meeting.

Students will also need to upload their aptitude report and description report from the You Science Career Assessment to "My Drive" in SCOIR. Instructions can be found at the bottom of the page.

If you have not registered for SCOIR, please email Mrs. Ferguson at rferguson@tsdch.org to request access.

During the Meeting

Students will receive their login for College Kickstart.
Mrs. McNeal will review how to use College Kickstart and SCOIR.
We will discuss standardized testing.
We will discuss the student's potential college interests, teachers they may want to write letters of recommendation, and their criteria for colleges, and answer any questions the student may have.

SCHEDULE YOUR INDIVIDUAL JUNIOR MEETING

Family Junior Meeting

Scheduling the Meeting

Family junior meetings take place once all individual junior meetings are completed. These typically begin mid-spring. This meeting is for the student, at least one parent, and the Director of College Counseling only. Appointments are scheduled for one hour; students should make every effort not to miss class. If you have difficulty finding a time that works for you, please let Mrs. McNeal know, and she will work a different time out.

Families should schedule these meetings as soon as the calendar opens up to ensure that the meetings are completed before the summer break.

Before the Meeting

Parents must complete their Junior Parent Survey in SCOIR no less than 24 hours before the scheduled meeting.

If you have not registered for SCOIR, please email Mrs. Ferguson at rferguson@tsdch.org to request access.

During the Meeting

We will discuss the student's and parent's goals and expectations for their college search.
We will confirm who the student will ask for letters of recommendation.
We will review the potential colleges the student is interested in.
We will discuss standardized testing.
We will cover any questions the student or parent may have.

Schedule your family meeting

Individual Senior Meeting

Scheduling the Meeting

Individual senior meetings take place beginning in August. This meeting is for the student and Director of College Counseling only. Appointments are scheduled for one hour; please make every effort not to miss class. If you have difficulty finding a time that works for you, please let Mrs. McNeal know, and she will work a different time out.

Students should schedule these meetings as soon as possible, as college deadlines will be fast approaching.

Before the Meeting

Students are required to update their College Kickstart account with their current prospective college list, updated GPA, and current test score no less than 24 hours before the scheduled meeting. Students can choose to use their Mock ACT or PSAT score if they have not officially tested.

During the Meeting

We will discuss the student's current college list, and Mrs. McNeal will provide other college suggestions if the student desires.
We will discuss the deadlines and how the student should apply to the school.
We will discuss the student's chance of admission for each school.
We will discuss standardized testing.
We will work through any questions regarding SCOIR or applications.
We will discuss potential essay topics.

After the Meeting

Mrs. McNeal will send a formalized plan of action summarizing the meeting to the parent and student. (Scheduling link will be active once the calendar is available in the fall of senior year.)

Schedule Your Individual Senior Meeting

Grade 10

Continue to take challenging courses and earn good grades. When you’re a senior, you’ll be happy you did. (Find one and ask him or her!)

Begin to look for leadership opportunities in your classes and extracurricular activities.

You will take the PSAT your sophomore year. The PSAT is a practice test for the SAT.

Listen to the daily announcements and check your email for college admissions presentations on campus, and attend those that interest you.

You may want to attend a fall college fair to start researching colleges.

The Internet is a great source of information about colleges. Spend time researching colleges by accessing www.collegeboard.com, www.usnews.com, or other online resources.

Keep reading during the summer break, and consider attending a summer program on a college campus.

Grade 11

Check with the Director of College Counseling to ensure you are on track at this point in your Upper School career.

Continue taking the most advanced courses you can handle and earn the best grades you can.

Accept leadership roles: the quality of your participation in an activity is probably more important than the number of activities you participate in.

Juniors take the PSAT/NMSQT (National Merit Scholarship Test) in October.

Try to visit with some of the college admission officers who come to Trinity, and spend time researching colleges.

In the spring, plan to take the SAT and/or the ACT.

If you plan to play intercollegiate sports, begin exploring the NCAA and NAIA Eligibility Center to be aware of the requirements.

During school holidays, be sure to read, visit college campuses, and consider attending a college’s summer program—narrow your choices to about six colleges. Use College Kickstart to balance your college list.

Grade 12

Schedule your senior meeting in the early fall with the Director of College Counseling to ensure your college planning process is on track.

Listen intently to the daily announcements and check the College Counseling website and SCOIR to learn about campus visits by college admission representatives.

Inquire about retaking the SAT or ACT if you would like an opportunity to improve your scores.

Refine your college list by all means possible. Use College Kickstart, the internet, conversations with admission officers, fall college fairs, individual college counseling sessions, and campus visits.

Work on your college applications.

If you are applying for financial aid, send in the CSS Profile as soon as you can after September 1 to the colleges on your list that require it. You will also need to submit the FAFSA sometime between October 1 and (preferably) March 1.

Finally, it would help if you researched scholarship opportunities using the internet and the scholarship page on the College Counseling website.

Try to relax as you receive good or bad news: the waiting will all be over sometime in May. Make your final decision and reply to the college of your choice.

Congratulations! You and your family have completed a major step toward your promising future!

Select the "Your Aptitudes" tab.

Then click the "Download Aptitudes" button.

Either follow the same steps above, clicking on the "Describing You" button, or from any page click the three bars in the upper right-hand corner and click the "Describing You" button.

Then click on "Download Discussion Guide."

Next, log out and log back in to your student SCOIR account. Then navigate to the "My Profile" button at the top of the page.

Next, navigate to "My Drive" in the left-hand toolbar.
Then select "Drop files to attach" and upload both the aptitude and discussion guide.

College Counseling Events

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"I have found my college search and application process to be extremely streamlined and easy, thanks to the constant engagement and quick responses from the College Counseling Office."
- Class of 2021 Trinity Student

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College Advising

College Counseling Timeline

Grade 9

Junior and Senior Meetings

Individual Junior Meeting

Family Junior Meeting

Individual Senior Meeting

Grade 10

Grade 11

Grade 12

SCOIR and College Kickstart Instructions and Help

Help, I Don't Have a SCOIR Parent or Student Account.

Where Do I FInd My Student Surveys in SCOIR?

Where Do I FInd My Parent Survey in SCOIR?

Where Do I Find the You Science Career Assessment?

How Do I Upload My You Science Assessment to SCOIR?

College Counseling Events