College Counseling

This guide provides age-appropriate guidance and direction for the college search and admissions process as each student prayerfully considers the Lord’s plan and purpose for their lives. A step-by-step approach is taken for each year of secondary education at Cornerstone.

• Calendar of upcoming college visits and SAT/ACT test dates
• College Planning Guide
• Detailed list of college scholarships and financial aid resources
• Archive of the Counselor's Corner monthly e-newsletter
• Dual enrollment information
• SAT/ACT testing information
• List of summer and enrichment programs

Individual and group academic advising sessions guide students and parents through the middle and high school years.

• 8th Grade: Advisement focuses on high school course scheduling with particular emphasis on how course choices impact college and career decisions.

• 9th Grade: Advisement focuses on current and future courses, HOPE/Zell Miller Scholarship, how GPA impacts college admission, and the benefits of Honors and AP courses.

• 10th Grade: Advisement builds on the information imparted during 9th grade with the addition of the following topics: the importance of attending college visits and college fairs, SAT and ACT testing, and planning for comprehensive junior advisement next year.

• 11th Grade: Year-long advisement sessions, videos, and assignments which focus on the college search and application process, the YouScience aptitudes and career inventory, SAT, ACT, and CLEP, GAFutures, and planning coursework for the senior year and beyond.

• 12th Grade: Seniors are prioritized in the College Counseling office and are supported in any way that they need. The senior year begins with a senior breakfast to remind students of everything they learned in their junior advisement lessons and to help them kick off the application season with confidence.

• Students are offered individual advisements whenever requested, especially when the student has a unique graduation path.
• All juniors attend a required individual advisement to plan for senior courses and the college application process.
• Seniors have access to advisements about applications at any time.

Students engage with the YouScience career, skills, and interest inventory in order to explore or refine potential career choices.

• Preparation through curriculum for the SAT/ACT and a strategic understanding of those tests and scores
• Guidance on resume and essay writing
• Interview skills and practice
• Guidance through the college search and application process
• Scholarship opportunity notifications along with a comprehensive understanding of the HOPE and Zell Miller Scholarships
• Monthly Counselor's Corner Newsletter
• Individual college and career guidance for every student, supported by a long-term relationship with the school counselor