Although preparation for applying to colleges begins in the spring of the junior year, when juniors and their parents begin meeting individually with Director of College Counseling John Stubbs and College Counselor Clark Cloyd, in fact students' advisors help them plan from the very beginning with an eye toward college requirements. Early in the fall of their junior year, students receive a handbook from John that details the actual steps of applying to college. This becomes their resource throughout the process. They plan for the tests they will take, and they go over such things as the college visit and interview. When they come back in the fall, seniors and their parents work with John to narrow down choices to a list of five or six.
Seniors often visit colleges in the summer before and the fall of their senior year.
They are particularly urged to take planned college trips during the fall break in October and the teacher workday in November, so that as little school is missed as possible. Up to three days are considered reasonable for that purpose, but most students rightly believe that they jeopardize their grades in classes by being absent that many days in one term. During the fall, representatives from colleges visit Paideia, both to get an impression of our school and to present information about their college. Both juniors and seniors are encouraged to attend these meetings, provided the teacher of the class they will miss gives permission. A schedule is posted weekly on John's door and is announced at Monday Morning Meeting.