College Counseling

The academic and extracurricular program at Vermont Commons School prepares students for the rigors of college level study. Each year since we opened in 1997, 100% of our graduates have been offered admission to and have matriculated at a variety of institutions across the country. Our mission at Vermont Commons School is to focus on the process of finding institutions that are ideal matches for each of our seniors based on their academic performance and scholastic capabilities, their extracurricular involvement, and their personal strengths. Our students are well-rounded individuals, and each has pursued a challenging academic program which has been enhanced with an exposure to a wide range of artistic and cultural venues, environmental issues, and leadership opportunities.

Take a look at the colleges that have offered admissions to Vermont Commons graduates!

Through careful guidance and support, the college counselor and each senior create a personalized college list. We include a variety of factors when creating the list: curriculum, location, size, arts, athletics, character, and admissions standards. The ultimate goal is finding an institution where the student will find happiness on every level upon graduation from Vermont Commons School: personally, socially, and academically.

Beginning in late January of the junior year, the college counselor meets with each junior and their parents or guardians and begin discussing academic strengths and weaknesses, as well as focusing on interests, hopes, and plans for life after Vermont Commons. During junior and senior years, students and parents are encouraged to meet with the many college representatives who visit the school to share information and learn about collegiate study and admission. Each week in the spring semester of Junior year, all Juniors attend a “Co-Co” class with the college counselor to learn and work on all aspects of the college admissions process.  Students attend a regional college fair held in Burlington each fall with over 200 colleges in attendance as well.

Vermont Commons School utilizes an online college counseling tool called Naviance to assist students with the processing of their transcripts and college search. All students have their own personalized Naviance account that they use extensively to research colleges, request transcripts and letters of recommendations and look up scholarship opportunities.

The school is fully committed to assisting each and every student in finding the best college match possible. Students are encouraged to make regular use of their Naviance accounts for updates, statistics, and features that are geared specifically to their own personal needs and interests.

Our students excel in standardized testing, greatly improving their acceptance percentage when applying to college. Each year, our students in the Senior Class–as recorded by the College Board who administers the SAT–rank significantly higher than the Vermont state and National average on every section of the SATs:

Critical Reading: 684 (VT Average: 516)
Mathematics: 713 (VT Average: 519)
Writing: 653 (VT Average: 505)
TOTAL: 2050 (VT Average: 1540)

Read Our College Counseling Handbook

Helpful websites for the college search process:

http://www.collegeboard.com/
http://www.princetonreview.com/
http://www.act.org/
http://www.commonapp.org/
http://www.fairtest.org/
http://www.ctcl.com/
http://www.petersons.com/