The College Guidance Experience at Lsas

By Juno Masoudi

Fall is a busy season for students at the Loudoun School for Advanced Studies. It’s exciting: classes are starting, friendships are being created or renewed, and there’s a brisk chill in the air. But also, fall is a time to think (and perhaps stress) about college.

At LSAS, we do things a little differently when it comes to college prep. Unlike other schools, the conversation about college begins with the youngest students, the sixth graders. The process is progressive: middle schoolers are mostly advised to get enough sleep, take agency in their classes and schoolwork, and have fun with activities outside of school. The inclusion of younger students is a microcosm of the larger attitude of our school. All students carry equal importance, even though, in this case, they are farther away from applying to college. The preparation that we all get, regardless of grade level, helps to clarify and smooth out the college prep process and takes away some of the stress we face.

But even though our school is small, our counseling does not suffer. On October 24 and November 21, we were lucky enough to learn about the college admissions process from Hannah Serota at Creative College Connections. Students from all grade levels got advice and attention to set us on track for college admissions. We learned about course rigor, extracurriculars, standardized tests, and more. Students of all ages had the opportunity to ask questions that may have been overshadowed at a larger school.

The small community we have at LSAS is also an asset in many ways. As just one example, letters of recommendation are an important part of a holistic application. At a large school, it can be challenging to get personalized letters of recommendation that show a student’s character. However, at LSAS, teachers know students very well both inside and outside of the classroom. This can give students a leg up on their applications.

At LSAS, we also find ways to incorporate college visits into the fun trips we take. For example, for our fall trip this year, we went to Colonial Williamsburg. First, we went to Busch Gardens for their Halloween event. The next day, we visited William & Mary and the juniors took a guided tour. We also got to visit with LSAS alumni Maddie and Neal who now attend W&M. Two years ago, we went to Boston and visited Salem, the Museum of Fine Arts, and Fenway Park, and also toured Harvard and MIT. These trips help students of all ages to get a sense of what types of colleges they like and don’t like to build their college list.

The stress of the college application process is inevitable. However, it doesn’t have to be all-consuming. LSAS helps us as students to effectively manage all the steps in the process so that it’s less daunting. So this fall, I’ve finished my applications knowing I’m prepared and then I’ve gotten to take a deep breath.