Our Programs

    • A Successful College Process

What is the formula for a successful college process? Listen to this short clip with WFS Director of College Guidance Kathleen Martin. Click here to listen to the full podcast episode about the importance of college fit, dealing with stress in the admissions process, and how WFS prepares students for college.

College guidance program and process at Friends (written for Friends parents):

The college guidance program at Wilmington Friends School is a comprehensive program for high school students in grades 9-12.  The program supports students in clarifying their individual goals in order to effectively identify colleges that will allow them to thrive academically, personally, and socially. In keeping with Quaker values, the college program encourages students to learn about themselves throughout the process in order to identify the institution that is the best fit for them.

The college program offers individual guidance to every Wilmington Friends School family as well as providing a series of college-related programs and experiences including practice standardized tests, grade-specific programming, guest speakers, and hosting more than 100 college representatives each year.

Wilmington Friends School students attend a wide variety of colleges and universities, ranging from small liberal arts colleges to large universities to technical colleges, choosing to attend not only U.S. colleges, but also international universities. The diversity of Wilmington Friends is reflected in the college list, with WFS students applying to more than 400 different colleges in the past five years.

9th Grade:
  • Students should focus on academic success; their GPA is calculated beginning in the ninth grade.
  • Ninth graders should join WFS activities that interest them and continue to nurture their hobbies or outside interests.
  • If your student expresses interest, attend a local college fair in the fall to get a sense of the wide variety of colleges. The College Office shares area college fair information with parents of 9th – 12th graders each fall.
  • If your student is interested, register him/her to join the free, diagnostic, practice SAT and/or ACT exams which are offered in the fall, new year, and spring.
  • To learn more about the college process, attend the First Steps for Freshmen and Sophomores program which is offered each fall.
  • College Guidance meets with freshman and sophomore homerooms, advisories, and English classes to highlight basic topics in college planning (GPA, appropriate course choices, IB, etc.) 
 
10th Grade:
  • Students should focus on academic success; their GPA is calculated beginning in the ninth grade.
  • Sophomores should join WFS activities that interest them and continue to nurture their hobbies or outside interests.
  • Your tenth grader will be automatically registered to take the PLAN (pre-ACT) in school in mid-October.  This test introduces students to the standardized test format and provides career information to students.
  • If your student expresses interest, attend a local college fair in the fall to get a sense of the wide variety of colleges.  The College Office shares area college fair information with parents of 9th – 12th graders each fall.
  • If your student expresses interest, drive through (or schedule a visit) to a college while on vacation.
  • If your student is interested, register him/her to join the free, diagnostic, practice SAT and/or ACT exams which are offered in the fall, new year, and spring.
  • To learn more about the college process, attend the First Steps for Freshmen and Sophomores program which is offered each fall.
  • College Guidance meets with freshman and sophomore homerooms, advisories, and English classes to highlight basic topics in college planning (GPA, appropriate course choices, IB, etc.) She is also available for parent questions.
 
11th Grade:
  • Courses and grades in the junior year are vitally important to the college process; juniors should focus their academic energies!
  • Juniors should join WFS activities that interest them and continue to nurture their hobbies or outside interests.
  • Your 11th grader will be automatically registered to take the PSAT (pre-SAT) in school in mid-October.  This test introduces students to the SAT and qualifies students for the National Merit Scholarship.
  • Juniors may wish to begin meeting with college representatives when they visit WFS in the fall.  Over 130 college and universities visited WFS last fall.
  • Encourage your junior to attend a college fair in the fall to learn about colleges, programs, activities, and admission requirements.
  • You may wish to attend the Jump Start for Juniors college program in the fall.  This optional program introduces the college process.
  • If your student expresses interest, drive through (or schedule a visit) to a college while on vacation. College visits may be especially helpful for juniors over the March break.
  • If your student is interested, register him/her to join the free, diagnostic, practice SAT and/or ACT exams which are offered in the fall, new year, and spring.
  • Juniors and their parents/guardians are required to attend the Kick Off for College  program in late fall.
  • Beginning in January, each junior and his/her parent(s)/guardian(s) will be scheduled for an individual meeting with College Guidance.
  • In May, juniors and their parents attend the College Panel, featuring admissions experts.
  • Generally speaking, most juniors take the SAT in March, the ACT in May or June, and, if necessary, SAT II exams (subject tests) in June.
  • In the spring of junior year, juniors will draft their primary college essay and participate in practice interviews in English class.
  • Juniors request letters of recommendation from faculty in the spring of the junior year.
 
12th Grade:
  • Seniors are invited to attend the Application 101 Program in August to prepare college applications and finalize college essays before beginning senior year.
  • Seniors should continue to visit colleges as they begin to narrow down their college list.
  • Seniors continue to meet individually with College Guidance as necessary.
  • Seniors write college essays and begin preparing applications; College Guidance is available for essay review.
  • Seniors meet with college representatives at WFS in the fall.
  • Seniors should plan to submit college applications by 10/31.
  • Seniors should schedule interviews with colleges, either on-campus or with alumni interviewers.
  • If necessary, seniors can register for additional SAT, ACT, or SAT II exams in the fall.
  • If parents plan to apply for financial aid, parent(s)/guardian(s) should file the CSS Profile (if required) in the fall of the senior year and the FAFSA beginning January 1 of the senior year.
  • Families can attend the Financial Aid Night in the fall to learn more about financial aid forms, deadlines, and processes.
  • Seniors review their college list with College Guidance to verify that there is an appropriate range of colleges on the list.
  • After applying, seniors wait patiently for college decisions; hope springs eternal!
  • By May 1 (National Candidate Reply Date), seniors need to choose the college that they will attend.
101 School Road, Wilmington, DE 19803
302.576.2900   |   info@wilmingtonfriends.org
Preschool - 12th Grade
Statement of Nondiscrimination as to Student Enrollment
Wilmington Friends School admits students of any race, color, gender, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students of these schools. Wilmington Friends School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, national and ethnic origin in administration of their educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school administered programs.