Our Process
As the 2028 Navigators arrive, we will support them and their families through all steps of the college preparation process. We encourage all students to consider higher education as well as various career opportunities, and can guide them through the process of taking even the most challenging programs available at the Institute and applying to colleges and universities that are the best fit, based on multiple criteria.
- Grades 9 and 10
- While 9th grade students are often curious about the college process, our primary message at this stage is to focus on challenging themselves in their coursework and testing new waters. Students at this age are often learning study, communication, and self-advocacy skills.
- Grades 11 and 12
- In 11th grade, students will take the PSAT in October and they may take the SAT as early as the spring. They will also begin to consider the types of colleges they feel may be a good fit. Our counselor invites college representatives from across the United States each year. As we get to know our Navigators, some of these representatives will be invited based on our student body and particular interests. For example, in the arts, representatives from BFA programs come to the school to review student portfolios. All students in Grades 11 and 12 will be invited to attend meetings with representatives to learn about different programs and ask questions. These representatives are often the ones who read applications, and it is of great value to our students to have the opportunity to meet them. Many of our nation’s most prestigious colleges and universities are already familiar with the Poughkeepsie Day School narrative report. Our non-graded assessment gives our students an advantage in the application process.
Beginning in the spring of Junior year, families will be encouraged to meet with the college counselor to make progress on their child’s college list. By the fall of their Senior year, students will be well along their way in the process of selecting colleges to apply to. Their letters of recommendation will have been produced by teachers and the college office, and their college essays and supplemental essays will be ready to polish and complete in the fall and winter.
During college counseling meetings in their senior year, students further refine their college list for appropriate fit, and are helped in assembling an application that faithfully reflects their interests and personality. The college counseling office processes all application materials, including transcripts, class profile, secondary school reports, and letters of recommendation. Additionally, the college counselor provides students and families with reminders about application deadlines, financial aid, and scholarships. At the end of the process, Navigator Institute students will have choices among excellent schools that match their education, interests, and goals. Poughkeepsie Day School graduates have historically attended the most selective schools, including universities, small liberal arts colleges, and schools of art, drama, design, and music.
Today, more and more colleges are looking beyond pure number scores in their acceptance decisions. In fact, some of the nation’s most selective colleges have gone so far as to say that the numbers carry little weight in their final choices; many colleges are test optional.
We recognize that our graduating classes are entering college in a time of vast and rapid change. Colleges are preparing students for a workforce that is also in transition. The future work world will require new ways of thinking, creativity, flexibility, and a boundless spirit of, and capacity for, learning, connection, and collaboration. Above all – the capacity to learn, unlearn, and relearn is a key attribute. And courageous leadership is at the heart of those skills.