Trends in College Counseling

On Woodberry’s campus, sixth formers are feeling both excited and anxious right now, as college decisions begin to roll in. Mid-December is when early-decision and early-action results post, which can result in a period of trepidation and celebration. Regardless of the outcome of these decisions, the college counseling department will continue working with students until they are admitted into college.

“We’ll continue to help them with refining any continued letters of interest if they’re deferred or helping students refine their college lists before regular-decision deadlines,” said Director of College Counseling Stephen Jackson. “Our ongoing work with them helps to redirect a student’s process and has the potential to open a host of other opportunities. You can always see a hurdle as another opportunity. Because our work is relational, we see this entire experience as a partnership between the student and his college advisor, and there is a high level of reciprocity between us because of the residential life at Woodberry. The more information the student provides a college counselor, the better we can counsel them.”

The college counseling office at Woodberry is committed to guiding students to attend the best college for them. Every year, Woodberry boys are admitted, and ultimately attend, a diverse range of colleges and universities. 

“We believe in helping students develop a list that represents their preferences, meaning that the school culture and academic programs match with the student’s needs and, importantly, provides the academic, intellectual, and broad spiritual support they’re looking for,” said Jackson. 

Woodberry’s college office has noticed trends in where students typically apply. 

“Last year, UVA, UNC, South Carolina, Sewanee, and Ole Miss were the top five schools in terms of the number of Woodberry boys who applied,” said Jackson. “Since most of our boys are from the Southeast, you’re going to see them pursue SEC and ACC schools with vigor, along with highly selective private universities like Duke, Wake Forest, and Vanderbilt.”

Other Southeastern schools, such as Washington & Lee, Alabama, and Tennessee were also popular schools last year, and that remains true this fall.

“Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, and Northwestern are schools that have been strongly considered by students who have found a home in our STEM curriculum, which is significant,” said Jackson.

Despite these trends, the range of schools that Woodberry boys applied to is not limited to the Southeast.

“We’ve had several students applying to the UC (California) schools and considering public research universities throughout the Southwest and West this year,” said Jackson. “These are typically students who are interested in seeing somewhere new, beyond northern and central Virginia, the Southeast and Northeast portions of the U.S.”

While the seniors are in the midst of the application and decision frenzy, fifth formers are just beginning their college counseling journey. On December 10, they met with their respective college counselors during flex time. Currently, Jackson and his colleague, Julia Hixson, are in the process of going over timelines and application terminology with the juniors. 

“The first big milestone for the classes of 2026 and 2027 is the Parent’s College Weekend on February 21 and 22. I’ve invited people from the college side to unpack the college application experience for both the fourth- and fifth-form parents,” said Jackson.

“Mrs. Hixson and I are here to ensure that there is a clear understanding that our boys remain committed to intellectual thoroughness,” said Jackson. “We also provide academic advising in addition to the guidance that students receive from their teachers and advisers.”

Many juniors have either taken the PSAT/SAT/ACT, or are in the process of preparing for standardized testing through Ashland Prep, a test preparation company that’s partnered with Woodberry. 

“We’re making sure that the testing sequence fits the timeline for where students might be applying, and what type of application they might choose: early action, early decision, or regular decision,” said Jackson.