College Counseling

Chart Your Own Course

Northwest empowers you to forge your own direction—here, in college, and throughout your life.

Our college counseling team will work with you to find the right college fit and will support and guide you throughout the application process.

We cannot wait to see you join the ranks of Northwest graduates pursuing their passions and making an impact in communities and industries across the world.

Empowering You Along the Way

Our programming is informed by counselors’ 40+ years of combined experience in the field. You’ll benefit from their relationships with college admission representatives and their deep knowledge of selective university admissions, trends within higher education, and student development.

Our College Counseling Program

Grades 9 and 10

Northwest’s advisory program prepares you for success – today and in the years to come. 

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Grade 11

Direct and ongoing work with College Counseling begins. 

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    Grade 12

    Your counselor will support you to look forward and to stay present. 

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    Northwest’s advisory program prepares you for success – today and in the years to come. In grades 9 and 10 you will meet weekly with your academic advisor to focus on academic skill development, goal setting, self-awareness, and more. These skills and ways of thinking will be essential for direct engagement with College Counseling.

    College Counseling works behind-the-scenes until the spring of 10th grade. Then, you will:

    • Learn about the college counseling process at College Preview, an annual information night.
    • Take the PreACT, a practice college admissions exam.
    Student Portrait 2

    Direct and ongoing work with College Counseling begins. In grade 11 you will:

    • Meet with college counselors and fellow students to explore your interests and to understand the vast offerings within higher education.
    • Interact with some of the 100+ college admissions representatives who visit Northwest’s campus each year.

    Take the PSAT, a practice college admissions exam.

    • Meet individually with a primary college counselor. You, your counselor, and your parents/ guardians will work as a team in support of your goals.
    • Refine your sense of what’s important, who you are, and where you want to go.
    • Enroll in College Counseling 11, a College Counseling class that meets bi-weekly from January through May, covering topics such as college research, interviews, and essays.
    • Attend college fairs, an admissions case study, and workshops on financial aid, college research, and more.
    Student Portrait 3

    Your counselor will support you to look forward and to stay present. In grade 12 you will:

    • Attend College Jumpstart in August. There, Humanities faculty, college counselors, and college admissions representatives will provide feedback on your application materials.
    • Check-in with your primary counselor regularly throughout the fall to finalize your applications list and refine application materials.
    • Enroll in College Counseling 12, a College Counseling class that meets bi-weekly from September through November, supporting your individualized application process.
    • Learn about financial aid and scholarship opportunities and the ingredients for a successful transition to college.

    College Destinations

    Class of 2023
    American UniversitySanta Clara University
    Barnard CollegeScripps College
    Bowdoin CollegeSeattle University
    Brown University
    Skidmore College
    Bryn Mawr College
    Syracuse University
    California Polytechnic University (San Luis Obispo)
    The New School
    Carnegie Mellon University
    Trinity College Dublin
    Case Western Reserve University
    Tufts University
    Cornell University
    University of California (San Diego)
    Culinary Institute of America
    University of California (Santa Cruz)
    Eckerd College
    University of Colorado Boulder
    Kalamazoo College
    University of Denver
    Lehigh University
    University of Illinois
    Lewis & Clark College
    University of New Haven
    Macalester College
    University of Oregon
    Mount Holyoke College
    University of San Francisco
    New York University
    University of Southern California
    Northeastern University
    University of Vermont
    Oberlin College
    University of Massachusetts (Amherst)
    Occidental College
    University of Washington
    Oxford College of Emory University
    Vassar College
    Pitzer College
    Washington University in St. Louis
    Pomona College
    Wellesley College
    Rochester Institute of Technology
    Western Washington University
    Saint Louis University, Madrid
    Whitman College
    Classes 2018 - 2022
    American University Macalester College (4) University of Arizona
    Amherst College Marymount Manhattan College University of British Columbia (3)
    Bard College (2) McDaniel College University of California, Davis
    Barnard College (2) McGill University (2) University of California, Irvine (5)
    Bates College Middlebury College (3) University of California - Los Angeles (4)
    Bellevue College Millsaps College University of California - Riverside
    Belmont University Mount Holyoke College University of California - San Diego (4)
    Bentley University (2) Muhlenberg College (2) University of California - Santa Cruz (4)
    Berklee College of Music New York University - Shanghai University of Chicago
    Boston College (2) New York University (14) University of Colorado - Boulder (5)
    Boston University (3) Northeastern University (3) University of Hawaii at Manoa
    Bowdoin College (2) Oberlin College (3) University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign (3)
    Bryn Mawr College (4) Occidental College (16) University of Maryland - College Park
    Carleton College (6) Oregon State University (4) University of Massachusetts - Amherst (2)
    Carnegie Mellon University (2) Otis College of Art and Design University of Miami
    Case Western Reserve University (2) Pacific University University of Minnesota - Morris
    Central Washington University Parsons School of Design at The New School (2) University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
    Champlain College Pitzer College (15) University of Notre Dame
    Chapman University (10) Pomona College (6) University of Oregon (2)
    Claremont McKenna College (4) Pratt Institute University of Portland
    Colorado College (7) Princeton University University of Puget Sound (4)
    Colorado State University - Fort Collins Purdue University - Main Campus (2) University of Redlands (3)
    Columbia University Reed College (2) University of Richmond (2)
    Connecticut College Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute University of San Diego
    Cornell University (4) Rhode Island School of Design University of San Francisco (3)
    Dartmouth College (2) Rutgers University - New Brunswick University of Southern California (5)
    DigiPen Institute of Technology Saint Mary's College of California (2) University of St Andrews
    Duke University San Diego City College University of Sydney
    Eckerd College Santa Clara University (11) University of Toronto
    Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (AZ) School of the Art Institute of Chicago University of Toronto -Mississauga
    Emerson College School of Visual Arts University of Vermont
    Emory University (3) Scripps College (8) University of Victoria (4)
    George Washington University (3) Seattle University (9) University of Virginia
    Georgetown University Smith College (4) University of Washington - Seattle (28)
    Gonzaga University (3) St. John's University (NY) University of Washington -Bothell (2)
    Grinnell College St. Olaf College (3) University of Wisconsin - Madison (2)
    Harvey Mudd College Stanford University (2) Vassar College (5)
    Haverford College (3) Swarthmore College (2) Villanova University
    Howard University Syracuse University (4) Washington State University
    Kenyon College (4) Temple University Washington University in St. Louis (2)
    Lawrence University The College of William and Mary Wesleyan University (4)
    Lehigh University The New School (10) Western Washington University (12)
    Lewis & Clark College (9) The University of Edinburgh Whitman College (15)
    Loyola Marymount University (5) The University of Texas - Austin (2) Whitworth University
    Loyola University Chicago Tufts University (5) Willamette University (5)
    Loyola University New Orleans (2) Tulane University of Louisiana (2) Williams College (2)
    United States Naval Academy Worcester Polytechnic Institute (2)

    Meet our College Counseling Team

    Rachel Fumia

    Associate Director of College Counseling

    Erin Miller

    Upper School Director, Director of College Counseling

    Natalie Oppliger

    Alumni and College Counseling Coordinator