College Counseling

Our Philosophy and Goals

Berkeley Carroll College Counseling works collaboratively with parents, teachers, deans, and advisors to provide informed guidance to our students as they explore options beyond graduation. We encourage a reflective approach, one that cultivates the self-knowledge our graduates need to take ownership and make informed choices about their future.

While many of our students go on to attend the most selective colleges in the nation, we believe that it is most important for every student to find colleges and universities that fit, institutions where they are most likely to have room to meet their potential and thrive, both academically and personally. All students are encouraged to approach the college search as a learning process, one of discovery, with the goal of enrolling at a school where they will be challenged, mentored, and supported.

A prevalent external measure of success is the ability of high-achieving students to gain admission to the most selective colleges and universities. An additional measure is defined by our students’ satisfaction with the process. Done right, the college search and application process begins with thorough self-assessment and the development of a list of colleges that is balanced and well-researched. In shepherding our students through this process, we encourage them to make choices that are strategic and informed.

Admission officers love the diversity of our college list because it shows that we don’t shoehorn our students into a narrow range of colleges, and thus applications from our students come across as both thoughtful and authentic. Typically somewhere between a third and half of a graduating class may venture outside the northeast to attend college (between a quarter and a third may choose to stay in state), and there is no “typical” choice expected on the part of the BC College Office. Students from Berkeley Carroll enroll in large state universities, small liberal arts colleges, art schools, conservatories, and technical institutes both domestically and abroad.