Freshman year is more about acclimating to Deerfield and establishing a strong foundation for academic and extracurricular success than it is about applying to college, but there are several areas where students and families should be planning ahead. Most notably, course selection and how you perform in those courses is key to establishing a strong academic profile. Spend some time speaking to your academic advisor about a potential four-year course of study in each of the academic departments. Be sure to check with Pat Moriarity if you might be a recruited athlete and you have questions about NCAA eligibility, particularly if you repeated a grade.
Sophomore students should begin to prepare themselves for the admission process, which will begin in earnest in the fall of their junior year. Most notably, sophomores should check with their academic advisors regarding course selection, review NCAA eligibility if they hope to be a recruited athlete, and think about standardized testing (you may want to sign up to take the PSAT in October), as well as attending DA virtual and in-person college fairs. The College Advising Office holds required informational meetings for sophomores over the course of the year, and invites sophomores to sign up for brief one-on-one meetings with a college advisor in February to review future course selection and testing plans. The College Advising Office encourages students and their parents to begin touring campuses in the summer between their sophomore and junior years to begin to get a sense of what sort of college may seem to be a good fit based on location, size, academic focus, and selectivity. A more comprehensive list of suggested colleges will be created by the college advisor and the student in the winter of their junior year.
College advisors begin one-on-one work with juniors in mid-November, after seniors have submitted their early applications. We host group information sessions for juniors in the early fall and occasionally throughout the junior year.
There are required small-group meetings for juniors about the college admission and application process, beginning in early fall and once or twice a term throughout the year. Juniors will be divided into small groups and scheduled for group sessions during free periods and we will sometimes meet as a full class during community time. We will explore the various factors that can influence college choice, such as location, size, proximity to a city, relative degrees of competitiveness and selectivity, and the availability of special programs or facilities. At the group meetings in the fall, we will introduce students to Naviance and give them their passwords for this website so they can begin researching colleges. Once juniors have access to their Naviance accounts and have been assigned a college advisor, they are asked to complete a junior college questionnaire on that website, which will solicit information about students’ academic and extra-curricular histories and their interests and aspirations for the future. As soon as that questionnaire is completed online, juniors should contact their college advisor for an initial meeting. We recommend each junior meet with his college advisor at least once before the December break, and that they set up and appointment to check in with their advisor about once a month during the junior year.
We begin early in the junior year so that students have time to digest a significant amount of information and thoroughly complete a sensible exploration of colleges, a task that is very often time-consuming. Begun now and pursued diligently, the process need not compromise a student’s academic performance during the junior or senior year. With these group meetings and regular one-on-one appointments scheduled by the student with their advisor, we hope to make each student feel comfortable with this new responsibility and encourage rational, intelligent decisions over the course of the college research and application process.
Look for your invitation to a meeting with college advisors and in late January. Please fill out the Parent Questionnaire prior to the January meeting, or by February 1st at the latest. As we work with your children and create personalized lists of colleges to recommend to each junior for research, it’s invaluable to have parental input.
This is a great time to make some college visit plans while college students are on campus. Admissions offices will be in the thick of their meetings to review senior applicants, so tours and information sessions may be limited, but a visit to nearby colleges may help students begin to think about what type of college they might be interested in and why. If possible, visit a larger university and a smaller, perhaps more rural college outside of New England to give yourself some sense of the variety of colleges. We strongly recommend visiting schools with a range of selectivity each time you plan a family trip; avoid the “aspirational college tour” (visiting a large number colleges to which even the strongest students are statistically unlikely to be admitted). Seeing a wide range of colleges helps each student begin to delineate personal preferences and can be reassuring to all, as some selective (but not uber-selective) colleges are incredibly impressive, if you take the time to visit.
By winter, we expect juniors to have completed their Naviance questionnaire and have had at least one meeting, if not more, with their college advisor. After two or three one-on-one meetings, the college advisor will create a list of college suggestions for research: a list of 20-25 institutions that will satisfy some or all of that student’s requirements. We’ll also share our estimations of the student’s chances of admission to particular colleges, using the rough categories “30% or less,” “50-50,” and “70% or greater.” When the list has been compiled, we will discuss our suggestions with the student and send a copy of the list to parents. It is then up to each student and their family to research these schools as fully as possible, attempting to be realistic about the student’s qualifications and needs. For those parents and guardians able to visit Deerfield for Spring Family Weekend (typically in April), there will be a time set aside for us individual family meetings, by appointment. Each year we invite an outside expert to speak to the parents of juniors to offer insights into how a student should approach the task of choosing a college and how the college admission process works. Advisors are also available at other times during the year for family meetings by appointment.
Although a lot colleges have become test optional as a result of many students not having access to testing during the pandemic, we still encourage all students to prepare for and take the ACT or SAT so they will have scores if needed; there are still colleges that require test scores as a part of the application and college advisors will work with students to determine if and where to submit scores.
Junior year can be a busy one, so we advise juniors to plan their testing carefully with their college advisor and to calculate about an hour of test preparation into their weekly schedule for a month or two leading up to their planned test. Most juniors will take either the ACT or the SAT during the spring and AP exams in the first two weeks of May. The best results tend to come from focused preparation and taking the test in the second half of junior year or in senior fall. Most students will take the ACT /SAT two times. There is rarely any benefit to taking these tests more often or beginning to test as a younger student. Please see our page on Standardized Testing for more information.
We strongly encourage juniors to ask two teachers for college application recommendation letters before school closes for summer. Colleges generally expect to hear from two academic teachers, ideally in different subject areas: often one math/science teacher and one humanities teacher. Since colleges want to hear what recent teachers have to say about each applicant, junior year teachers are ideal candidates. (Many seniors file applications in the month of October for November 1 deadlines, so senior year teachers won’t have had as much quality time to work with a student before writing a recommendation.) Juniors should discuss their options with their college advisor and ask teachers in person before leaving campus. Occasionally a particularly talented artist, musician, or actor will also ask for a supplementary recommendation from a fine/performing arts teacher. Many colleges cap the number of recommendations they will accept, so plan on asking for two letters of support for your application and seek the counsel of your college advisor if you have any questions.
Research the colleges on the list from your college advisor and any other institutions that interest you. Use a college guide such as Fiske because it will give you some subjective information not available on websites or in a college’s written materials. Take notes as you go—colleges can begin to sound the same but of course they’re not. Note curriculum requirements, faculty-student ratios, retention rates, housing, strength of the department(s) that most interest you, location, social life, and any other criteria that are important to you—such as athletics, diversity, community service, etc. Log into your Naviance account regularly to research schools and to update your electronic “list of colleges I’m thinking about.” Save your notes about each college you research and/or visit; they will be helpful next fall when you need to answer supplementary questions to the Common Application about why you are a good match for a particular college.
As part of your research at each college, be certain to check out course requirements for particular programs in which you may be interested. For example, if you are planning to apply to any of the University of California campuses you must have a full-year fine arts course during high school. If you are applying for engineering, please check for specific math/science high school courses requirements. Fine arts or architecture programs may require portfolios; what format would they prefer? What’s the due date?
We submit transcripts and recommendations for all college applications electronically using Naviance. This means that it is ESSENTIAL that you keep your Naviance account up to date. Please follow the Naviance instructions, including completing the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act section on the Common Application after August 1. During the summer you will be able to keep a list of colleges you are considering in your Naviance account. After you return to school, you and your advisor will narrow this list down to the schools to which you wish to apply and then activate the list, a critical step in being certain that all of your forms get to the right college at the right time. In addition, we’ll be asking your teachers to submit their recommendations electronically to Naviance so that all of your materials reach colleges at the same time.
Select schools from each category of selectivity on your list that you are most interested in visiting. THIS IS CRUCIAL. Determine a visit plan with your parents, and go to those colleges’ websites to make appointments to visit and interview, if possible. (If there is an opportunity to call a college, please do it yourself! Some colleges will track who does the calling, and they prefer to speak to the applicant, not the parent.) Most large colleges will not offer interviews, but many small liberal arts colleges will. Take advantage of the opportunity to interview. Not only is it a chance to learn more about the college, but it will also give you an opportunity to talk about your academic and extracurricular interests. These interviews are not difficult—most Deerfield students are poised, articulate, and comfortable speaking with adults. You will shine! And interviews demonstrate to the college your sincere interest, which at many colleges today is very important. It is especially important to express your serious interest at 50% and 70% schools. Each year we have several students who were likely to be admitted to schools on their 50% and 70% lists, but were not because they did not visit (especially a school nearby), attend a virtual information session, or did not seem interested in their interview.
Interviews are either evaluative or informational. In an evaluative interview, the interviewer will assess you as a candidate and write a report for your admission file. An informational interview is non-evaluative and primarily for you to learn more about the college, though you still want to be prepared and engaged. To prepare for an interview, research the college’s offerings in your academic area of interest and have a few questions. Be ready to speak about your academic and extracurricular interests. Practice a mock interview with a parent pretending to be the admission officer. After an interview, write a thank you note (hand-written or emailed), mentioning specific things you liked about the college.
You should prepare your arts supplement over the summer, whether you plan to submit theatrical or dance clips, a music recording, or shots of your artwork or photography. Check carefully for due dates, which sometimes differ from application deadlines, and instructions about the desired/required format for your submission.
While an increasing number of schools have made standardized tests optional (and a few have even become “test blind”), for most colleges, having a strong SAT or ACT score can help you in the admissions process and there are still some who require test scores. Most students will take a final SAT or ACT in the fall of their senior year. For those students, we strongly recommend preparing for the test in late summer through a course, a tutor, or self-study. Students should find the option that works best for their learning style, schedule, and budget. Options include:
The college admission process will test your organizational skills. To begin with, organize all the information you have received from colleges into folders, electronic or paper. As you become interested in a college, learn about its application process. Do they accept the Common Application? (Most do.) If so, do they have a supplement? Is the ACT or SAT optional or required? How many teacher recommendations, if any, do they require? Make spreadsheet listing each college where you plan to apply and all of the relevant requirements and deadlines, or devise your own tracking system.
Your college advisor would like to hear from you during the summer. Please contact us at our Deerfield email addresses and provide us with an update of your visits and thinking about college. We’re eager to give you feedback on college essays as you begin to draft your statements.
We strongly recommend that you fill out the Common Application this summer.
Summer is the time to begin to tackle this project, especially drafting a few essays. Your objective is to tell them something about yourself that they do not know from the rest of your application. That means that you do not want to write a resumé or write about an abstract topic that is hard to grasp in 500 words. Instead, try to find a story about you that illustrates something you want colleges to know. Finding a good topic is the hardest part. Start brainstorming. Send your advisor a couple of your best ideas, and the two of you can decide which idea has the most potential. Write a first draft, and feel free to send it to your advisor for some feedback. We don’t want you to spend hours on it and have us tell you in the fall that we really don’t think it will work. By the time you return to Deerfield we hope that you will have a third or fourth draft that we can look over. You may also want to consult with one of your English teachers or your advisor. Try to limit the number of people who look at your essay; too many editors tend to muddy the waters. The College Board has some helpful information on writing an effective college essay.
Early Decision is a plan whereby a student who knows where they want to go and seems well qualified can apply, usually by November 1 or 15, and receives a decision in December. If admitted, the student must enroll and withdraw any other applications. Early Action is a plan by which a student applies early (usually a November deadline), and receives an admissions decision in December or January. Early Action is non-binding, so student may apply to other colleges if admitted EA, but an early offer can lead to a much shorter college list and a sense of relief at having one exciting offer before the spring. There exist numerous, somewhat confusing variations on this theme including Single Choice Early Action, Restrictive Early Action, Priority Deadlines, Rolling Admissions, and Early Decision II. Our advice: check out any of the early plans with the specific institution involved and discuss the options with your college advisor. A student with a clear first choice and strong qualifications at the time of application may be rewarded with early peace of mind. But, changing student preferences and dramatic academic improvement can make a binding commitment to attend a particular institution both premature and uncomfortable. And many students get swept into the early application frenzy without realistically assessing their prospects for early admission. (Almost half of our early candidates are rejected or deferred be considered with the Regular Decision applications; only a few of those deferred are later admitted to that college.) Students who wish to file an early application must feel that they are a strong candidate based on their freshman, sophomore, and junior year record and test scores. And remember that many colleges are now rejecting a larger number of early candidates rather than simply deferring them. Try not to get caught up in the early frenzy; give your own situation careful thought. Any student wishing to apply early must let the college office know by October 1, so that we have time to complete the paperwork in support of that application.
As you prepare to return to school in the fall, we will ask you to complete a Fall Information Sheet to share notes on your summer activities and college research and to get an initial sense of your application plans. We recommend you set up an appointment with your college advisor very soon after your return to campus to share the thinking that has taken place over the summer. In consultation with your advisor and keeping in mind a balanced list of colleges (where you are likely to be admitted to a fair number of them), you will narrow the list of colleges to which you will apply. (In past years the average number has been eight to ten). Throughout the fall, representatives of college admissions offices will visit Deerfield. Most of these sessions will be held in groups, though a few will be individual interviews—some are used as selective measures, most are simply informational. It is the student’s responsibility to see those representatives when they are on campus and to arrange with teachers to be excused from class when necessary.
Weekends (especially the Fall Family Weekend holiday) and the beginning of Thanksgiving vacation can be used for further college visiting if appointments are scheduled well in advance. But students will need to use time in the fall to write their applications, so don’t postpone too many college visits. You and your college advisor should have finalized the list of colleges to which you plan to apply before you leave for Thanksgiving vacation, recognizing that there will be time for small adjustments in December. Consider your Thanksgiving vacation plans carefully. Students will need plenty of free time in which to work on college applications while they’re away from Deerfield, and our long Thanksgiving break provides a wonderful opportunity to work productively.
For current students, talk to your faculty advisor. For new students, ninth-graders should contact Mrs. Koyama, tenth-graders and juniors should contact Ms. Hemphill, and seniors/PGs should contact the College Advising Office.
Students who want to play a sport in college at the Division I, IA, or II level, must register with the NCAA Eligibility Center by the end of their junior year. For more important information about NCAA academic requirements, please visit Athletic Recruiting.
Naviance is an online college search tool that helps students research potential colleges, keep track of their prospective and active applications, and estimate the likelihood of admission based on the results of previous Deerfield students’ grades and testing profiles as compared to each individual student’s personal academic record. All students are given access to Naviance in the fall of their junior year, and parents are given their own log-in information shortly afterwards. Naviance is the site through which Deerfield submits the school’s portion of a student’s application materials (transcripts, letters of recommendation), so it’s important that students keep their application information up to date on Naviance.
There is no specific requirement for frequency of meetings, but most seniors meet with their advisor every two or three weeks to discuss their progress. Advisors may request more frequent meetings if a student is falling behind in the process, or around crucial times of the year (such as application deadlines). Juniors will begin meeting with their advisor in late fall of junior year; they are encouraged to check in with their advisor about once a month. Students can schedule meetings by visiting the College Advising Office on the second floor of the Boyden Library, emailing their college advisor, or using Outlook to request a meeting.
The College Advising Office sends a message to all sophomores each winter to invite them to schedule a meeting with a college advisor. In the summer before students’ junior year, the College Advising Office will send additional information about what students should be doing to prepare themselves for applying. In the late fall of their junior year, students begin the process in earnest, starting by filling out an information sheet that will help them, in conjunction with their college advisor, begin compiling a list of schools.
Deerfield is highly conscious of the needs of its student-athletes, and offers a wide range of NCAA eligible classes. The College Advising Office and Deerfield coaches are accustomed to assisting students seeking to play sports in college, and they are experienced in guiding students through the recruiting process. They will work with students to be sure they meet the NCAA requirements, and are in the best position possible to be recruited.
advising@deerfield.edu
413-774-1479
Fax 413-772-1128
Boyden Library, Second Floor
PO Box 87
Deerfield, MA 01342
7 Boyden Lane, PO Box 87, Deerfield, MA 01342
NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATORY POLICY AS TO STUDENTS: Deerfield Academy admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.
© Copyright 2023 The Trustees of Deerfield Academy Privacy Policy. Designed and developed by Underscorefunk Design in partnership with Deerfield Academy.