College Counseling

The Office of College Counseling supports students and their families through the college search process. With three full-time college counselors on staff, Hathaway Brown provides comprehensive and individualized counseling through every stage of the college search. Students receive robust support on everything from building a college list to standardized test prep to writing college essays to financial aid. Additionally, students receive advice that is informed by best practices in college counseling and in-depth understanding of the ever-changing college admissions landscape.

The college search is an exciting time. While it shouldn’t define a student’s high school experience, it is certainly a significant culmination of her education to date. The College Counseling Office at Hathaway Brown views a student’s college search as an educational endeavor, epitomizing the school’s motto to “learn not for school, but for life.”

Students use valuable skills, reflection, writing, organization, meeting deadlines, interviewing, decision-making, and more that they have developed throughout their time at HB. The college search is also closely tied to a student’s social-emotional development. This experience helps her strengthen many important soft skills such as independence, resilience, open-mindedness, confidence, empathy, self-advocacy, and risk-taking that will serve her well, both in this process and in the years to follow.

In this spirit, College Counseling is anchored by four values. When these priorities are embraced by the counselors, students, and parents, the college search is a positive one.

Self-Awareness

The better a student knows herself, her strengths, interests, and motivations, the smoother the journey. Through Junior and Senior Forum classes, as well as through one-on-one counselor meetings and the implementation of various interest and aptitude surveys, the College Counseling Office assists students through this process of self-reflection. A keen sense of self-awareness helps the student identify schools that are a good fit for her interests and goals.

Student Agency

While the HB student has the support and guidance of her parents and counselors, ultimately, this is her search and her life. The student is the leader of her search and when she sees that she can successfully lead it, her confidence grows. This is excellent preparation for the independence that will be expected of her in college.

Authenticity

Students need to simply be themselves. Colleges want to hear her distinct voice, her genuine personality, and her unique goals. Abandon the notion that there is one "right" thing to be, do, or say. Be you.

Individual

No two college search journeys look the same. Students each have a different level of readiness to dive into this process, and the College Counseling Office meets them where they are. Students and parents alike are encouraged to resist the urge to compare one student's journey to that of others.

The College Counseling Office firmly believes the college search does not have to be fraught with stress. It can actually be fun and exciting, and that is the tone the counselors aim to set. For many students, this is the first time they have a sense of uncertainty in their lives. However, as the counselors frequently remind students, there are many things that they do have control over in their college search, and the College Counseling Office is honored and proud to educate, support, and advocate for them as they discover where they would like to begin the next chapter of their education.

What to Expect

Sophomore Year: Looking Ahead to College

HB Sophomore College Information Night

Held in October, the event is for families to learn about college admissions, HB's College Counseling philosophy, and general guidelines for what students should do now.

PSAT and Practice ACT

Students take the PSAT in the fall and a practice ACT in the spring. A detailed score report for each indicates strengths and areas for growth on each test.

CCIS Event: Navigating the College Process

This panel discussion for sophomore families features admissions deans from an array of colleges. The event is hosted by the Cleveland Council of Independent Schools in January.

Testing Meetings

Sophomores meet with a college counselor in spring to discuss their practice test results, establish a standardized testing plan for her junior and senior years, plus resources to prepare.

CCIS Event: College Fair

In April, sophomores and juniors are invited to the annual Cleveland Council of Independent Schools College Fair. Attendees also have an opportunity to participate in an admissions case study and a financial aid workshop.

College Counseling for Recruited Athletes

Prospective student-athletes typically have an accelerated college search timeline, and the counselors are available to coach students in how to communicate with coaches and how to understand the level of support they will have from the coach in admissions.

Summer Opportunities

Starting in winter and through spring, sophomores receive an extensive list of summer opportunities to consider through a wide range of pre-college programs.

Junior Year: Launching the College Search

Junior College Information Night

In September, juniors and their parents attend this event to learn about key components of a smooth college search and appropriate steps families should take at this time.

College Admission Visits

Nearly 175 college admissions officers visit HB from September through November. Juniors can attend these informational sessions during their free periods.

College Counseling for Recruited Athletes

Counselor Assignments

In December, juniors are assigned a primary college counselor, with her college search beginning in earnest in January.

Parent-Only College Information Night

At this January event, parents learn what to expect in this first phase of the college search and how they can support their daughters, logistically and emotionally, in her college search.

Junior Forum

Starting in January of junior year and continuing through January of senior year, students are enrolled in Forum, a non-graded class taught by the college counselors. Everything a student needs to know to successfully navigate their college search is organized into a curriculum spanning 22 sessions and it includes topics ranging from interest and aptitude assessments to the nuts and bolts of how to send test scores.

ACT/SAT Prep

Juniors can utilize the free ACT/SAT prep sessions offered during the school day.

One-On-One Counselor Meetings

Beginning in January of junior year, students meet regularly with their college counselor, discussing things such as senior year course selection, the college list, college visits, programs of interest, and what they are looking for in a college academically, socially, and financially.

Family Meeting

The college counselor hosts a lengthy family meeting with each student and her parents in the second semester to discuss each student’s unique college search, her aspirations, an exploratory college list, financial considerations, and a plan for moving forward.

Essay Support

Students are introduced to the Common App essay in Junior Forum, studying the prompts, evaluating exemplars and non-exemplars, and participating in a series of writing workshops. The counselors help students identify essay topics and provide feedback on clarity and message. Each student prepares a draft of her college essay prior to summer break.

Senior Year: Choosing a College

Common App Bootcamps

Seniors are invited to these fun and productive summertime sessions to complete the common portion of the Common App in a small group setting with their college counselors.

Parent-Only College Information Night

At this August event, parents learn what to expect in the busy college application season.

CCIS Event: Financial Aid Night

Parents of seniors are invited to attend this September event, hosted by the Cleveland Council of Independent Schools. A college financial aid director discusses key considerations for need-based and merit-based aid, as well as guidance for completing the FAFSA and CSS Profile.

College Admissions Visits

Nearly 175 college admissions officers visit HB from September through November. Seniors are encouraged to attend these sessions for any visiting school they are considering.

Senior Forum

In Senior Forum, students and counselors pick up where they left off in Junior Forum. The non-graded class, taught by HB college counselors, covers essentials for successfully navigating the college search.

One-On-One Counselor Meetings

Seniors meet regularly with their counselors to discuss a broad range of topics, from refining the college application list to being a sounding board in the decision-making process.

Essay and Supplement Writing Support

Seniors and their counselors discuss ideas for college essays, both the main Common App essay and the wide range of supplemental essays. The seniors are supported by the college counselors and the director of HB’s Osborne Fellowships in Writing.

Exposure to Special Scholarships

The Office of College Counseling regularly informs students of special full-ride scholarship opportunities, including The Coolidge Scholarship, The Joyce Ivy Foundation Scholarship, The Jefferson at UVA, Morehead Cain at UNC-Chapel Hill, the Morrill at OSU, the Belk at Davidson.

Advocacy

The college counselors advocate for HB students in every way possible, including in a comprehensive school letter of recommendation, phone calls, and in-person when meeting with college admissions representatives.

Interpreting Financial Aid Packages

As needed, counselors help students understand each of the college’s financial aid packages to effectively compare them and understand how much they need to pay.

Class of 2020 - 2024 College Matriculation List

American University (8)
Arizona State University (Tempe)
Babson College (2)
Barnard College (2)
Bates College (2)
Baylor University (2)
Belmont University (2)
Boston College (6)
Boston University (9)
Brandeis University
Brown University
Bucknell University (2)
California Institute of Technology
Carleton College
Carnegie Mellon University (2)
Case Western Reserve University (14)
Chapman University (3)
Chatham University
Clemson University (2)
Cleveland State University (2)
Colby College (2)
Colgate University (3)
College of Charleston (3)
College of the Holy Cross
Colorado College (2)
Columbia College Chicago
Columbia University (4)
Cornell University (5)
Dartmouth College
Davidson College
Denison University (6)
DePaul University (2)
Dickinson College
Drexel University (2)
Duke University (2)
Elon University (3)
Emory University (9)
Fairfield University (2)
Fashion Institute of Technology (2)
Fordham University (3)
George Washington University (5)
Georgetown University (4)
Georgia Institute of Technology
Goucher College
Hamilton College
Hampton University (2)
Harvard University (4)
Hobart and William Smith Colleges (3)
Hope College
Howard University
Indiana University (Bloomington) (3)
Ithaca College
Johns Hopkins University
Kent State University (3)
Kenyon College
Lafayette College

Lawrence University
Lehigh University (2)
Loyola Marymount University (2)
Loyola University Chicago (4)
Marist College
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (7)
McMaster University
Mercyhurst University
Miami University (8)
Middlebury College
New York University (7)
Northeastern University (8)
Northwestern University (7)
Oberlin College (3)
Occidental College
Ohio University
Ohio Wesleyan University
Olin College of Engineering
Pennsylvania State University, Behrend
Pennsylvania State University, University Park
Pitzer College
Pratt Institute
Princeton University (3)
Purdue University (2)
Reed College
Rhode Island School of Design
Rice University (3)
Ringling College of Art and Design (3)
Rochester Institute of Technology
Saint Louis University
Sarah Lawrence College (2)
Savannah College of Art and Design (3)
Seattle University
Sewanee: The University of the South
Skidmore College (3)
Smith College (2)
Southern Methodist University (3)
Spelman College (2)
St. Bonaventure University
St. John's College, Annapolis
St. Lawrence University
Stanford University
Swarthmore College (2)
Syracuse University (10)
Texas Christian University
The College of Wooster
The New School (2)
The Ohio State University (21)
The University of Tampa
The University of Texas at Austin
Tufts University (4)
Tulane University of Louisiana (9)

Union College
University of Akron (3)
University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Los Angeles (5)
University of California, San Diego (2)
University of California, Santa Barbara
University of Chicago (3)
University of Cincinnati (6)
University of Colorado Boulder
University of Denver (3)
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (2)
University of Kentucky (2)
University of Maryland (2)
University of Miami (6)
University of Michigan (11)
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
University of Mississippi
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
University of Notre Dame (3)
University of Oxford
University of Pennsylvania (6)
University of Pittsburgh (5)
University of Richmond (3)
University of Rochester (6)
University of South Carolina (4)
University of Southern California (3)
University of St Andrews (2)
University of Strathclyde
University of the Pacific
University of Virginia (6)
University of Washington (2)
University of Wisconsin, Madison
Ursuline College (2)
Vanderbilt University (5)
Vassar College
Villanova University (2)
Wake Forest University (3)
Waseda University
Washington and Lee University
Washington University in St. Louis (10)
Wellesley College (2)
Wesleyan University
Whitman College
William & Mary (3)
Williams College
Worcester Polytechnic Institute (2)
Xavier University of Louisiana
Yale University (4)