College Guidance

Welcome to the College Guidance Office at Loomis Chaffee. Our mission is to help students identify, apply to, and secure admission to colleges and universities that will meet their current needs and future goals, nurture their talents and interests, and appropriately challenge them.

We pride ourselves on our personal relationships with students and parents; our expertise in the fields of college admission and guidance; and the advocacy we provide.

To do this, our six professional counselors draw upon their college admission backgrounds at a wide range of institutions as well as the professional relationships they have developed and maintained over time. These resources greatly inform every stage of our work with Loomis Chaffee students, from our introduction to ninth-grade students in their Seminar in the Best Self to the hours of individual counseling spent with each junior and senior.

School Profile

Four-Year College Guidance Curriculum

9th Grade — “Do Loomis Well”

The College Office’s goals in working with freshmen are very much aligned with the school’s desire to facilitate their entry into the Loomis Chaffee community. We meet with students during the spring term in their Best Self Seminar where we …

inform students of the resources available to them,
underscore the rationale behind the four-year academic plan,
talk about the various academic opportunities available at the school,
encourage them to work closely with their advisor and their academic dean,
discuss the realities of a transcript and a GPA, and
share the timeline of their four years at Loomis Chaffee with respect to the college selection process.

Ultimately, the message freshman year is “do Loomis well.” We hope students begin thinking about education — at Loomis and beyond — as an experience to be fashioned as opposed to a credential to be secured.

10th Grade — Think Strategically

In the beginning of the sophomore winter term, every student is assigned a college counselor. Each counselor hosts cohort meetings with their assigned students throughout the year on a variety of college-related topics including standardized testing; course selection; and intentional thinking about the summer for things such as test prep, exploratory college visiting, and opportunities that enhance interests/demonstrated strengths.

With regard to testing, all sophomores take the PSAT in October. This PSAT is given in order to introduce students to the test that they will take again in the fall of the junior year. In addition, a practice ACT is given in the spring term.

In the spring term, sophomores are invited to attend an on-campus college fair with more than 100 colleges in attendance.

For parents, the College Office offers programming about the current state of college admissions, financial aid, and standardized testing. The College Guidance team also introduces its members to parents on Family Weekend in the fall.

11th Grade — Begin Your College Search

In the junior year, the College Guidance counselors …

introduce students to the specifics/logistics of the College Guidance Office, standardized testing, Scoir (the school’s college search, planning, and application software), college fairs, and the selective college admissions process;
begin meeting with students one-on-one in the winter term;
help students to explore the match between their own educational goals with the various types of institutions of higher education; and
continue to encourage students to approach the college selection process with an open mind, to maximize the Loomis experience, and to think about college and the college selection process itself as opportunities for growth.

Programming in the junior year includes:

an on-campus college fair in the fall term for Loomis juniors and seniors with more than 100 colleges in attendance as well as a college fair in the spring term;
outside speakers from college admission offices in both class meetings as well as during Family Weekend;
a college essay writing program, conducted in the spring of the junior year.

12th Grade — Find a college that is right for you

The College Office’s goals in working with seniors are:

to work collaboratively on determining a final college application list;
to complete the requirements of the application and financial aid processes (if applicable);
to prepare for interviews;
to manage the waitlist process (if applicable); and
to further develop the student/counselor relationship. In doing so, the conversations that center around where and how to apply and where to matriculate become much more individualized and nuanced, leading to better decision making.

Programming in the senior year includes:

an on-campus college fair in the fall term for Loomis juniors and seniors with more than 100 colleges in attendance;
outside speakers from college admission offices in both class meetings as well as during Family Weekend; and
college visit/re-visit opportunities.

Ultimately, we expect that Loomis students will gain access to an appropriate post-Loomis educational opportunity and that in so doing they will further develop the independence, decision-making skills, ability to collaborate, and self-advocacy that will enable them to thrive in that setting.

For Parents and Guardians

The College Guidance Office offers programming and support for parents and guardians throughout the college search process.

Regular Emails

The College Guidance Office communicates all information vital to the college search process via email to students and parents. Parents of juniors and seniors can expect monthly emails during the school year.

Family Weekend Presentations

The College Guidance Office offers presentations appropriate for parents of students at each grade-level during the school’s Family Weekend in the fall. These events, which feature both Loomis Chaffee college counselors and college admission professionals, are recorded for parents who are unable to attend in person.

Webinars

The College Guidance Office broadcast webinars for parents throughout the year. These can be watched live and also are available on the College Guidance Office webinar channel (login required). Recent topics have included: Q&A Sessions with David Rion, the director of College Guidance; College Essays; Navigating the SAT and ACT; Athletic Recruiting; and College Financial Aid.

Webinars (Login Required)

Meetings with College Counselors

Parents and guardians are welcome to contact their child’s assigned college counselor at any time during the college search process for one-on-one conversations. If your child has not been assigned a counselor yet, any of our counselors can answer your questions, just call the main office at 860.687.6251.

“My college counselor was so helpful and always available to answer any questions I had. He had great suggestions throughout the whole process and helped me every step of the way.”

Eliza Nelson ’22