"We prepare students to engage in the world that is and to help bring about a world that ought to be."
Academics
College Counseling
The college counseling program at Friends Seminary is designed to empower and support students as they make the transition to higher education or other post-graduate pursuits.
Applying to college is a process of discovery, of pondering who you are and who you want to become, of contemplating what role you want to play in the larger world. The college search is, in essence, an extended research project, which requires students to look within themselves for many of the answers. Students learn to identify and assess themselves, to set priorities, and to make major decisions. How students navigate through this process is just as important as where they end up.
Students are discouraged from viewing high school as simply a means to an end, that end being admission to a brand name college. Instead we advise students and their families to focus on finding the best college match; the environment in which that particular student will thrive intellectually, personally and socially.
Students are discouraged from viewing high school as simply a means to an end, that end being admission to a brand name college. Instead we advise students and their families to focus on finding the best college match; the environment in which that particular student will thrive intellectually, personally and socially.
For more information on Friends Seminary College Counseling, including: Standardized Testing Advice, The College Handbook, Financial Aid Information and additional materials, please visit the College Counseling Resource Board.
Freshman & Sophmore Years
As freshmen you have the opportunity to write the script for your experience in the Upper School. Our advice to students is to use this time wisely, to make the most of the opportunities available here at Friends and outside of school. Seek out courses that will stimulate and challenge you. Get involved in activities which interest you. For the next year or two, you don’t need to think too much about the details of the college admission process. Instead work hard, get involved, discover your passions, and have some fun.
College-related activities include:
- Financing a College Education Seminar in November: open to all Upper School families.
- Coffee for Freshmen and Sophomore parents on FAQ about the SAT and ACT in December.
- Sophomore College Evening (optional), an introduction to the college process, in February.
- A practice ACT & SAT exam will be administered in February & March; sophomores are required to sit for one exam and encouraged to take both.
- College Tour in March; open to sophomores and juniors.
Junior & Senior Years
Junior year, students need to begin the college process in earnest. As your College Counselors, we are here to help you and excited to start our work together! Though college counseling at Friends Seminary is intended to be as individualized as possible, there are also a number of group activities for students and parents.
Beginning in the second semester of the junior year, students meet with the College Counselors once a week in small groups. This is the Seminar class and it will continue through the first semester of senior year. This small group format allows us to break the college process into bite-size pieces… each week discussing a different topic such as “Research & Resources,” “Developing Interview Skills,” or “Do’s and Dont's of the College Essay.”
In addition, students will begin meeting with their assigned College Counselor individually. These one-on-one meetings allow us to focus on the student’s particular interests, issues, and choices. These meetings are also an important way for us to get to know the young people for whom we will be writing letters of recommendation and serving as their advocate to admission committees in other ways.
Other college-related activities include:
- College Admission Representative visits at Friends throughout the fall: open to seniors and juniors.
- Case Studies Event for seniors and their parents in September.
- Senior College Night for parents in September.
- The PSAT is administered in October to interested juniors.
- College Coffees for parents are hosted in October (senior), February (junior) and May (junior).
- Financing a College Education Seminar in November: open to all Upper School families.
- Junior College Night in November for students and their parents.
- ACT & SAT are taken in the winter/spring of the junior year and the fall of the senior year.
- Annual College Fair is held every April at UNIS for juniors.
- Transition to College Talks in May for seniors and parents.
Contact Us
Audrey Reynolds
Director of College Counseling
646-979-5122
Justin Holmes
Associate Director of College Counseling
646-979-5124
Brooke Boyd
College Counseling Assistant
646-979-5123
Alyssa Zierenberg
College Counseling Assistant
On Maternity Leave Fall 2024
School Code - 333645
Follow us on Instagram at
fscollegecounseling
Director of College Counseling
646-979-5122
Justin Holmes
Associate Director of College Counseling
646-979-5124
Brooke Boyd
College Counseling Assistant
646-979-5123
Alyssa Zierenberg
College Counseling Assistant
On Maternity Leave Fall 2024
School Code - 333645
Follow us on Instagram at
fscollegecounseling
Matriculation
Click here to see a full list of the Class of 2024 College Destinations.
Top 25 Colleges | Classes of 2020-2024
Top 25 Colleges | Classes of 2020-2024
- Boston University
- Brown University
- Colgate University
- Columbia University
- Cornell University
- Duke University
- Emory University
- George Washington University
- Georgetown University
- Hamilton College
- Haverford College
- Kenyon College
- University of Michigan
- Middlebury College
- New York University
- Northeastern University
- Northwestern University
- Oberlin College
- University of Pennsylvania
- Rice University
- University of Southern California
- Syracuse University
- Tufts University
- Washington University- St. Louis
- Wesleyan University
- Yale University
Downloads
Friends Seminary actively promotes diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism in all its programs and operations, including admissions, financial aid, hiring, and all facets of the educational experience. To form a community which strives to reflect the world’s diversity, we do not discriminate on the basis of race or color, religion, nationality, ethnicity, economic background, physical ability, sex, gender identity or expression, or sexual orientation. Friends Seminary is an equal opportunity employer.
Friends Seminary — the oldest continuously operated, coeducational school in NYC — serves college-bound day students in Kindergarten-Grade 12.
