College Counseling
Our college counseling office seeks to nurture each student’s self-knowledge and critical thinking skills through the college admissions process.
Our highly individualized, student-centered approach is one of active discovery, beginning with the questions, “Who am I?” “How do I learn best?” and “What do I want?” Our College Counselor gets to know students on a deep level and provides them with the advice and resources they need to thrive, every step along the way.
Colleges love our graduates for their self-confidence, joyful, creative approach to learning, engagement with the world around them, and innovative thinking. Indeed, the post-secondary options for Waldorf graduates are as broad and diverse as their talents and interests.
Where Do San Francisco Waldorf High School Graduates Go?
Every year, our students are accepted at top research universities, liberal arts colleges, conservatories, art and design schools, international universities, and historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). After college and graduate school, our alumni pursue meaningful careers in academia, business, technology, public service, and the arts.
A sampling of where our most recent graduates are continuing their academic careers:
Research shows that Waldorf alumni...
99% of our graduates are admitted to and attend their college/university of choice
to be innovators and creative thinkers
30% more often than their peers in other independent schools
in greater percentages than average, across subjects including STEM, humanities, health, and the arts
Our College Counseling Program
Waldorf students and their families begin working with the College Counselor in earnest during Eleventh Grade, with one counselor and an approximate 30:1 student-counselor ratio. Throughout the spring semester, our collaboration includes numerous one-on-one meetings and evening programming covering a wide range of financial and admissions-related topics. Visits from college and university admissions representations allow students to ask specific questions and get to know the people who will be evaluating their applications. Throughout the process, our counselor is accessible to families, answering questions, calling on them as the “subject matter experts” on their students, and providing guidance for navigating the complex emotions that the college admissions process can evoke.
College Counseling Program by Grade Level
Ninth Grade
Students acclimate to high school, develop strong academic habits, and begin to seize new extracurricular and social opportunities. Learning to be the best they can be in this new environment will support their future ambitions, long before they begin thinking about college. Starting in Ninth Grade, the College Counseling office hosts programming to help families understand the financial side of college. This financial aid curriculum will continue to build through Twelfth Grade.
Tenth Grade
By continuing to engage in coursework and activities beyond the classroom, Tenth Graders build an authentic narrative that supports their college ambitions. Our College Counselor hosts an evening program for families to prepare them for the steps ahead, and our financial aid programming continues.
Eleventh Grade
This is when we get down to business. Juniors take the PSAT in October, followed by a winter kick-off meeting for parents and students. Then our College Counselor works with students one-on-one to learn about their interests and goals, suggesting colleges to investigate and coming up with a standardized testing plan.
Eleventh Graders take a year-long course entitled “Know Yourself, Know the World” in which they are encouraged to build a narrative about who they are and fine-tune their personal, academic, and service interests. They meet SFWHS alumni from a variety of fields, practice interviewing, write short answer responses, and read strong essays from past college seasons.
Students learn to reflect on what they’re looking for and why they like (or don’t like) certain colleges, and our College Counselor helps families prepare to navigate campus visits. Students attend college and university representative visits throughout the year. By June, students will have a working list of colleges and a summer plan that engages their hearts and minds.
Twelfth Grade
In August, before school begins, senior year kicks off with a college application boot camp. Students then work with the College Counselor to finalize their college list, perhaps sit for one more standardized test, and polish their applications.
Additionally, Twelfth Graders take a quarter-long English class called “the Personal Essay” in which they read a broad range of essays from professional writers like Sherman Alexie, James Baldwin, Joan Didion, Audre Lorde, Zadie Smith, Amy Tan, and E.B. White, discuss the strengths and characteristics of each individual voice, and peer-edit and critique one another’s essays as they refine their own voices, which will come through in their college applications.