The world of college admissions has seen many changes this year. That’s why the Storm King’s Office of College Counseling has been working hard to keep our students involved and up-to-date with the latest in the college search and application process. According to Director of College Counseling Dr. Marti Kwon, finding ways to alleviate the stress associated with meeting all the requirements and deadlines, taking standardized tests like the SAT, and choosing the right school is one of her main goals this year. “With so many changing parameters, these times are difficult enough for our students,” explained Dr. Kwon. “It’s our goal to find as many ways possible to reduce their anxiety and keep them on-track in their journey toward attending the right college.”
One very big step in making things easier and safer for our students was arranging for the SAT exam to be administered here on the SKS campus this fall. The first SAT was taken by 15 members of the senior class on Wednesday, September 23, and a second SAT will be offered to 36 juniors and seniors on October 14, 2020. Although other standardized tests including the PSAT and AP exams take place at SKS each year, this is the first time in the School’s recent history the SAT is being held on campus.
“Throughout the year, I kept in touch with several students who were concerned about their ability to take the SAT during the pandemic,” continued Dr. Kwon. “After national test days were canceled in the spring, I grew concerned that the fall 2020 tests would be oversubscribed; or even worse, canceled again. I heard from some of our students over the summer that they had received notifications from both SAT and ACT that the test centers they had signed up with for this fall’s exams no longer had space for them due to high demand and distancing requirements. It seemed like an ideal time to apply for on-campus testing and ensure the students had this option.”
In addition to the SAT, the Office of College Counseling has been filling up the school calendar with virtual visits from many of the colleges and universities which came to SKS in-person last year. “We have also been providing information to juniors and seniors about how they can connect with the colleges they are interested in, and how they can make the most of their virtual college search experience. For the other grade levels, we are planning refresher workshops on how to use the Naviance platform. Using this platform, students can begin to conduct research on career opportunities after college and see how their high school experience factors into what comes next in terms of their path of study.”
“I’m confident our students will adapt quickly and rise to the challenges before them this year. Please stay tuned for more to come from the Office of College Counseling in the coming days and months, and students and parents shouldn’t hesitate to contact me with their questions and suggestions,” continued Dr. Kwon.