Profile: College Counseling

Did you know that Regents’ College Counseling program is a thriving and active part of the Rhetoric School? “My goal is not only to support your student getting into whatever college they want to attend but also to help them make informed choices about college fit and life after high school,” says Director of College Counseling Jackie Jamison.  She is no stranger to elite college admissions after getting her B.S. from Yale University and spending almost ten years as a private college consultant before taking over Regents’ College program four years ago.

“One thing I appreciate about our students and families is their investment in approaching life after high school with the big picture in mind. Sometimes alternative options like gap years, apprenticeships, and PVCC make a lot of sense depending on the student. In my mind, the end goal isn’t to attend the most selective college possible, it is to help students build careers and lives that fulfill them and glorify God. As parents, we have to remember that this is a long game.”

Research has shown two factors to be most critical in whether a person is satisfied with their college experience: 1) debt and 2) engagement. Engagement measures how involved a person was in college. Did they have a professor who was a mentor? Did they conduct research or author a thesis? Did they do internships that helped connect their major to a job? Did they create a positive network? When looking at colleges, it’s great to ask yourself: how easily could my student engage in this community? For certain students, sometimes it really is better to be a bigger fish in a smaller pond.

What Do Parents of Younger Students Need to Know about College?

1. It will be okay! If your student is not a straight-A student, there are still lots of options. Only four of Virginia's 34 four-year colleges are highly selective. (And the transfer pathway from PVCC is a much easier route to get into UVA or W&M if that is where they want to graduate from). 
2. Eighty percent of people are satisfied with where they went to college but only 40% of people are happy with the major they chose. Helping students explore interests and learning how to engage with their teachers is perhaps more important in high school than finding the perfect college because college is truly what you make it.
3. Regents students are getting into the colleges they want to go to. Your student will not be penalized for classes that are not offered at Regents, such as AP classes. The important thing is that they take the hardest classes available to them and do well.
4. Your student will have the option to earn college credit in high school via AP tests.
5. In 8th grade (and for advanced 7th graders), Latin and Math are classes that go on high school transcripts.
6. We have never had a student admitted to UVA with more than two non-A grades on their transcript.

What is Changing about College Admissions?

The big change in college admissions since Covid is the number of schools that no longer require standardized test scores. If your student is not applying to a selective program or scholarship or highly selective school, there is a good chance they will never need to submit a standardized test score.

Selected Elements of College Counseling at Regents Include: 

College Field Trip – Tenth to 12th grade students have the option to go on a school-sponsored college tour each year. This gets students thinking about what life after high school might look like and helps students think critically about important questions to ask of colleges.

Standardized Testing – Students take the PSAT, SAT, ACT, and CLT10 in the Rhetoric School with the option to take the CLT.

Junior Workshop Series  – Juniors are led through career/college major assessments, learn about tools to construct a great college list, explore what it takes to make a great application, and more.

Family Meetings – Each family meets with Mrs. Jamison in the spring of junior year to discuss preliminary ideas and goals.

Shadowing Day – Students have a release day from school to shadow someone at their work. Required for 11^th grade students, optional for 10^th/12^th.

Essay Review & Application Support – Regents submits all recommendations and transcripts, reviews student essay drafts and applications, monitors deadlines and provides accountability for students, fields questions, and more.  

Communication – The college counseling office announces scholarship and enrichment opportunities, provides Rhetoric School students with their scores and transcripts, and is always available to meet with students and parents as questions arise. 

To Learn More:

How Do I Afford College? - Regents College Counseling Article

The Truth about College Admission - Brennan Barnard and Rick Clark

This book is a well-done general overview of the college admissions process. It covers topics such as finding the right school, standardized tests, common obstacles families encounter and much more.

Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be; An Antidote to the College Admissions Mania - Frank Bruni

This book contains valuable perspective for students (and parents too) who are feeling overwhelmed and under pressure to find - and get into - the perfect college.

For more of our annotated suggested reading list, click here.