The staff of the office is always ready to answer questions and to counsel students and their families. The college counseling process begins in earnest during the winter term of the upper year when students are randomly assigned a counselor. Some students may also be encouraged at an earlier date to take specific SAT II Subject Tests at the conclusion of certain language or science sequences at the Academy. The counseling process continues through the senior year until the student has been accepted to college. Most students consult their counselor approximately half a dozen times through this process, though the number of consultations depends on the student's initiative and individual situation.
Parents often seek interviews or phone appointments with their child's counselor as well.
While some students may visit colleges during the spring break of the upper year, most students will visit colleges in the summer between upper and senior year. The College Office recommends that students consider arranging individual interviews at their prospective colleges during these visits. Certain colleges will send representatives to interview students at Exeter during the fall and winter of the senior year, but space is often limited and attendance by these college representatives is varied and uncertain. Over 100 colleges visit Exeter during the spring and the fall to speak with students about the application process. The College Office is responsible for forwarding student records to the colleges, for responding to questions from the colleges regarding character and performance, for the preparation of a composite written report on each Exeter senior, and for maintaining liaison with parents.