The Process
We take time to build a relationship with each student in a purposeful and appropriate manner. We believe that building trust and a deep understanding of each student’s future goals enables us to accurately advise them on a variety of options and set them up for success.
Even in a city where college admissions can feel like a high-stakes sport, we take a very different approach. At LREI, the college process isn’t a pressure cooker — it’s an invitation. An invitation for students to slow down, reflect, make thoughtful choices, and discover what they want for their future. Our work is about helping them build the confidence and clarity to make decisions that will matter long after graduation day.
LREI’s College Guidance program prides itself on its individualized process, team counseling approach, and college seminar program. Research and experience demonstrates that students are happiest with their college choice when they have spent time discovering their interests, exploring a variety of possibilities and taking responsibility for the direction of their application process. This is a process of self-reflection and self-discovery through which students assess their strengths and preferences in order to make informed, well-deliberated choices.
The College Guidance staff utilizes a team approach. Unlike traditional counseling offices, students are not “assigned” to a particular counselor – All members of the counseling team are present for individual meetings, family meetings, and any other follow-up appointments with students. In conjunction with co-teaching the College Seminar, this structure allows all members of the College Guidance staff to work closely with each student – so that at any time, there is always someone in the office that knows a student’s story and where they are in the college process. This also creates a supportive and collaborative teaching structure whereby the entire team wants to win for each student. The office also helps students develop an individualized testing plan for College Board and ACT-administered standardized tests.
Ultimately, we want every student to walk away from this process with a stronger sense of who they are and what they value. When students leave with real self-knowledge and a grounded belief in their own worth, they carry with them the resilience and determination to pursue whatever goals they set next.
Entering high school is a major step forward. Once you settle into the rhythm of LREI, start practicing the skills that will eventually make the college process feel manageable—things like organizing your time, speaking up for what you need, and taking ownership of your learning.
Academically, let yourself wander, question, and discover. Use your classes as a way to test out interests, deepen existing passions, and show up fully engaged. Aim to be the most curious, committed version of yourself in every subject.
Beyond the classroom, dive into the parts of LREI that light you up—arts, athletics, clubs, service programs, or anything else that sparks joy. Seek out spaces where you can contribute, lead, and build meaningful connections. Colleges notice students who genuinely invest in their communities.
And don’t forget about summer! It’s a perfect chance to stretch yourself in new ways. Try a job or internship, return to camp in a leadership role, take a course on a college campus, or explore the world through travel, service, or study. What matters most is choosing something authentic to you. Great experiences don’t require a big budget—just intention, curiosity, and heart.
In the spring of tenth grade, parents attend small, informal discussions that include, but are not limited to, the philosophy of the LREI College Office, what colleges look for in an application, creating a game plan for standardized testing, and what to expect in junior & senior year. Tenth grade students sit for a diagnostic ACT and SAT exam, and the College Office meets with sophomores as a group toward the end of the year to give an overview of the upcoming process.
Junior year is the last full year colleges see when they review a student’s application, so make this your best year yet. Grades and rigor always matter, but passion and intellectual curiosity do too. Our unique elective program showcases each student’s budding academic interests at the beginning in the junior year.
Junior College Kickoff begins in January of students' eleventh grade year. The Kickoff is an evening event for students and families that includes an outline of the overall college process, a timeline of events, an introduction to Naviance, the online college guidance database, and a panel presentation from University admissions representatives. College Seminar and individual meetings also begin in the winter trimester of eleventh grade.
In twelfth grade, College Seminar resumes in September until the end of January. As seniors, students work individually with the College Office staff during class time to complete portions of the Common Application, edit admissions essays and finalize college applications. As a class, students are also guided through the "nitty gritty" aspects of the application process: reporting test scores to colleges, preparing for admissions interviews, understanding important dates and deadlines and the importance of articulating interest.
This weekly seminar meets once a week during the second trimester of junior year and continues through the first trimester of senior year. The junior class is divided into sections so that counselors can better understand students' individual needs and concerns.
As juniors, students read relevant articles related to today's college landscape, discuss the issues that frequently arise during the early stages of the college process, and explore their own strengths and interests as they relate to the college search. Through interactive discussions, online scavenger hunts and mock admissions case studies, students learn to better understand the admissions process and conduct meaningful college research. Other topics include how to craft a college list, how to research colleges, how to schedule visits and interview preparation.
An evening event for students and families that includes an outline of the overall college process, a timeline of events, an introduction to Naviance, the online college guidance database, and a panel presentation from University admissions representatives.
The College Guidance staff meets as a team with each individual junior student, solidifying their student-centered approach. This is an opportunity to learn more about his/her/their background, family circumstances, financial concerns, interests and initial college criteria/considerations. Students leave with a very broad list of schools to begin researching in preparation for their family meeting. Once the College Guidance staff has met with every member of the junior class, each student returns with his/her/their family for a meeting. This meeting covers initial research, college questions, potential spring visits, testing updates, and other general concerns.
Beginning in September and continuing until Thanksgiving break, over eighty college and university representatives from campuses across the country (and internationally) visit LREI and meet with prospective students. These visits are open to juniors and seniors. Juniors use this opportunity to begin their college search process, widen their perspectives and initiate conversations about schools they may otherwise not have considered. Seniors use these visits to focus their lists, ask any remaining questions, and connect with the representative who will eventually read their college application.
At LREI, all students take the practice SAT and ACT exams in their tenth and eleventh grade years. We partner with an outside test prep organization to offer both ACT & SAT Diagnostic exams (which help students identify their best testing platform) and after-school test prep courses and mock exams, all held at LREI. In addition, students can meet with the college office to plan the best test prep method for them.
Each year, recent LREI graduates share what they consider to be the most critical “tools for success” in college, highlight how LREI prepares students for post-secondary studies, and offer advice about how to best engage with the College Office.
Financial concerns are a crucial part of a family’s college process. The College Office maintains an up-to-date online financial aid website as a resource for families, and provides relevant brochures and FAFSA How-To Guides during family meetings. There is an online event early in the fall of senior year hosted by a financial aid expert in collaboration with the LREI Business Office and the Director of Financial Aid. In partnership with LREI's financial aid program, the College Office provides financial support for families to help send standardized test scores, visit colleges both before and after admissions decisions, and cover costly application fees.