Academics
College Advising
Indian Springs College Advising
Our College Advising program strives to advance the school’s mission by engaging students in a highly individualized college search. Our program inspires students to seek to understand themselves, to approach their search with curiosity and an open mind, and to cultivate the courage to make decisions about college that reflect their true needs, desires, and values.
From residential liberal arts colleges to metropolitan research universities and conservatories to institutes of technology, our students’ collegiate choices mirror their myriad talents, interests, and personalities.
We get to know our students to build the trust necessary to challenge and support them as they embark on their college search and application journeys. Through individual and group meetings in 11th and 12th grades, we help students identify colleges of interest, think about how and what to research, and compose applications that authentically convey their individual strengths.
From residential liberal arts colleges to metropolitan research universities and conservatories to institutes of technology, our students’ collegiate choices mirror their myriad talents, interests, and personalities.
We get to know our students to build the trust necessary to challenge and support them as they embark on their college search and application journeys. Through individual and group meetings in 11th and 12th grades, we help students identify colleges of interest, think about how and what to research, and compose applications that authentically convey their individual strengths.
College Advising Timeline
List of 2 items.
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Grades 11 & 12
Our college advising program intentionally focuses primarily on 11th and 12th graders because they are better equipped to take part in the self-reflection and research that goes into the college search. College Advising for 11th and 12th graders consists of:- A series of small group meetings in fall/winter of 11th grade to introduce the college advising curriculum and process.
- Several one-on-one meetings with a college adviser in the second semester of 11th grade to begin individual college planning: self-assessment, course planning for 12th, standardized testing, building a college list, planning for summer, and requesting teacher recommendations.
- A meeting with each student’s parents or family members in the spring of 11th grade.
- Continued one-on-one meetings with a college adviser in 12th grade to balance and finalize the college list, work through applications, plan and strategize about deadlines, and review essays and other written materials.
- A series of optional application workshops, essay-writing workshops, and workshops on interviewing and other relevant topics.
- College visits to Indian Springs throughout the fall, open to 11th and 12th graders.
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Grades 9 & 10
Because 9th and 10th graders should be busy establishing a solid academic foundation, engaging in activities they enjoy, and developing as human beings, the college advising process for them is broad and consists of:- A group meeting in 9th grade to discuss maintaining good academic habits and exploring extracurricular activities and to answer questions students have about college and the college search. We will discuss what a transcript is and what it means moving forward.
- A couple of group meetings in 10th grade to reinforce messages about good academic habits, to answer student questions about the college search, and to introduce Naviance for students who wish to begin doing college research and self-assessment.
- A one-on-one meeting with a college advisor to discuss 10th-grade PSAT and Pre-ACT results and plan for future standardized testing and course selection.
- When requested, one-on-one meetings or phone calls with 9th or 10th graders or their parents (as time allows) to answer preliminary questions related to college.
College Admission Counselors
Each year we welcome more than 60 colleges and universities to Indian Springs. During the fall of 2024, we will be conducting visits in person. Please register for a time through SCOIR or by emailing anne.burruss@indiansprings.org. Click here to access our School Profile.
190 Woodward Drive, Indian Springs, Alabama 35124
Phone: 205.988.3350
Indian Springs School, an independent school recognized nationally as a leader in boarding and day education for grades 8-12, serves a talented and diverse student body and offers admission to qualified students regardless of race, gender, religion, national origin, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. Located in Indian Springs, Alabama, just south of Birmingham, the school does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, religion, national origin, ethnicity, or sexual orientation in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship and loan programs, or athletic and other school-administered programs.
© 2023 Indian Springs School. All Rights Reserved.
© 2023 Indian Springs School. All Rights Reserved.