Secondary School Counseling
The goal of our Secondary School Counseling Program at Whitby School is to help students find the right school "match," where the student will learn effectively, enjoy and contribute to their next community, as well as reach his or her full potential.
Consistent with Whitby's overall approach to education, Whitby's secondary school counseling is highly individualized. The school works in close partnership with students and their parents to explore each student's academic and extracurricular interests and optimal school community, size, and location. Parents and students are encouraged to ask questions, share ideas, and concerns with the Director of Secondary School Placement as well as teachers, advisers, and administrators.
Students are advised at each step of the process, such as writing essays, preparing for interviews, and completing applications. Whitby's low student teacher ratio means the teachers are able to write very personal and knowledgeable letters of recommendation that prove an invaluable component of student application packets. Whitby also prepares its students through practice interviews and preparation courses for standardized admissions tests.
Whitby also hosts an annual Secondary School fair, open to the public, that attracts numerous leading secondary schools. This past September, Whitby hosted a Secondary School Fair for 7th and 8th grade middle school students and their families with representatives from forty independent secondary schools. Victoria Newman, Executive Director of Greenwich Education and Prep, Mark McWhinney, former Director of Admissions at Kent School and a parent experienced in the school admission process all spoke on "How to choose the secondary school that's right for you". Click here for 2009 School Fair flyer. Whitby will be co-hosting the 2010 secondary school fair at Greenwich Catholic school on September 21st at Greenwich Catholic school. Please call Karen Mills at 203-869-8464 x116 to learn more.
Overall, the result is students prepared with the necessary knowledge to make good decisions and submit high quality applications that reflect each student's unique character and strengths. Whitby students have a successful track record of acceptance and performance at leading boarding and day private schools as well as local public schools, with 90% accepted at their first choice of school. Over the past five years, in addition to local public schools, Whitby students have attended:
Day Schools - Number of Students Attending
Brunswick School, 4
Cheshire Academy, 1
Convent of the Sacred Heart, 3
Fairfield Prep School, 1
Fieldston School, 3
Fordham Prep, 1
Greens Farms Academy, 2
Greenwich Academy, 5
Hackley School, 2
Harvey School, 1
Hopkins School, 1
King & Low-Heywood Thomas School, 2
Rye Country Day, 2
Sacred Heart Academy, 1
St. Luke's School, 4
Wooster School, 2
Boarding Schools - Number of Students Attending
Avon Old Farms School, 1
Berkshire School, 1
Brooks School, 1
Choate Rosemary Hall, 3
Dana Hall School, 1
Deerfield Academy, 5
Gunnery School, 1
Indian Mountain School, 1
Kent School, Kent, 1
Lawrenceville School, 1
Loomis Chaffee School, 2
Masters School, 4
Millbrook School, 1
Northfield Mount Hermon School, 2
Phillips Exeter Academy, 1
Pomfret School, 3
Purnell School, 1
Rumsey Hall School, 2
Taft School, 2
Trinity Pawling School, 1
If you wish to read more you may follow these links:
There are more than 300 boarding schools in the United States. There is a lot of good information available through The Association of Boarding Schools, TABS.
Another valuable resource is Peterson’s Guide to Independent Schools, available at most bookstores or online.
You can find detailed information about day schools from the Connecticut Association of Independent Schools (CAIS).
Great Schools - A website dedicated to providing families with information about both public and independent school.
