Besant Hill School
College Acceptances
2008-2011
American Musical and Dramatic
Academy
Babson College
Bard College
Bennington College
Berklee College of Music
Boston College
Boston University
Brooklyn College
California Institute of the Arts
California Lutheran University
Cal Poly Pomona
Cal State Bakersfield
Cal State Channel Islands
Cal State Chico
Cal State East Bay
Cal State Long Beach
Cal State Monterey Bay
Cal State Northridge
Carnegie Mellon University
Chapman University
City College of San Francisco
Cleveland Institute of Music
College of Charleston
Colorado Film School
Colorado State University
Columbia College Chicago
Cornish College of the Arts
Curry College
Drexel University
Eastern Oregon University
Emerson College
Eugene Lang College
Evergreen State College
Fashion Institute of Design and
Merchandising
Fordham University
Fort Lewis College
Hampshire College
Illinois Institute of Technology
Indiana University at Bloomington
Irvine Valley College
Ithaca College
Johnson State College
Lesley University
Lewis & Clark College
Linfield College
London School of Economics
Long Island University
Loyola University, Chicago
Massachussetts College of Art & Design
Mills College
Montana State University, Bozeman
Mount Ida College
Newbury College
New York University
Northeastern University
Northern Arizona University
Otis College of Art and Design
Pacific Lutheran University
Pacific Northwest College of Art
Penn State University
- Schreyer Honors College
Penn State University
- Smeal College of Business
Pepperdine University
Pitzer College
Pratt Institute
Prescott College
Purdue University
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Richmond, The American International University, London
Ringling College of Art and Design
Rutgers, The State University of NJ
San Francisco Art Institute
San Francisco State University
Santa Barbara City College
Santa Clara University
Savannah College of Art and Design
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
School of the Museum of Fine Arts
School of Visual Arts
Sonoma State University
State University of New York, Purchase
Stevens Institute of Technology
Syracuse University
The City University of New York
The New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts
Tufts University
Université de Montréal
University at Buffalo
University of British Columbia
University of the Arts
University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Irvine
University of California,, Los Angeles
University of California, Merced
University of California, Riverside
University of California, San Diego
University of California, Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Cruz
University of Connecticut
University of Delaware
University of Denver
University of Hartford
University of Hawaii, Manoa
University of Illinois
University of La Verne
University of Mary
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
University of Minnesota
University of Nevada, Reno
University of New Haven
University of Northern Colorado
University of Puget Sound
University of Redlands
University of Rochester
University of San Diego
University of Southern California
University of the Pacific
University of Washington, Seattle
University of Wisconsin, Madison
Ventura College
Wagner College
Whittier College
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
A Message from the Director of College Counseling
At Besant Hill School, the College Counseling Office works closely with all students and their families from the moment they arrive on campus. As a College Preparatory school, BHS provides students with guidance about the journey toward Higher Education including aspects such as Course Selection and Strength, Co-curricular Activities, Community Service, Leadership, Test Preparation, College Search, College Application, and Financial Aid. Students are informed of their many college options and are supported as they develop the tools necessary to research, apply, and effectively transition to college. As more and more colleges move toward test optional policies and a holistic admissions review process, we encourage well roundedness and personal development in our students, in addition to academic excellence and successful standardized testing.
BHS does not view college admission as "a prize to be won". It is the result of thoughtful research, preparation and planning. Hence, the college counseling process is an individualized one, the goal of which is the best possible match between each of our unique students and the college or university which best meets that student's needs. Our students matriculate to a wide range of institutions, from public universities to small art colleges. Approximately 90% of seniors choose to enroll at four-year institutions, while the remaining 10% may opt to defer admission while taking a gap year, or to enroll in a two-year school with the plan to transfer to a four-year degree program in the near future.
Beginning in their freshman year, BHS students are immersed in a college going culture. They are offered counsel on curricular and co-curricular choices that will strengthen their overall portfolio and keep the maximum number of options available to them. They are encouraged to develop and explore their passions and interests, while keeping in mind their responsibility toward their overall health, success, and personal fulfillment. In their first semester, freshmen are introduced to Family Connection from Naviance, a Web-based service designed especially for students and families. Family Connection is a comprehensive website used to help in making decisions about courses, colleges, and careers. Family Connection is linked with College Planner, a service that we use in our office to track and analyze data about college and career plans, so it provides up-to-date information that's specific to our school.
In sophomore year, students begin standardized testing practice with the PSAT/NMSQT testing in mid October. By second semester, sophomores are given several surveys through Family Connection from Naviance, which help them to recognize emerging patterns, interests and skills. They are offered counsel about productive and enriching ways to spend their vacations, and are encouraged to begin exploring their many college choices.
Juniors take the PSAT/NMSQT once more in October and are eligible to be entered in scholarship searches. Formal advising begins second semester of junior year, as students begin their college searches in earnest. In one-on-one meetings with their dedicated counselor, students and families are guided as they investigate and identify potential higher education options. Typically, juniors will take the SAT or ACT, or sometimes both, beginning in the spring of junior year.
By senior year, students are meeting regularly with their counselor. They receive direct assistance with all steps of the college admission process from the timely completion and submission of applications and financial aid forms, to interviews, to ensuring the fulfillment of required testing. It is a time of great self-discovery and anticipation. It is our hope that students and families find that the individualized support BHS provides helps to alleviate much of the stress that seniors can experience.
Individual meetings with the Director of College Counseling are available upon request at any time, regardless of the student's grade level. Additionally, several opportunities are available to all students and families such as BHS College Counseling Seminars, Naviance Tutorials, and Financial Aid Seminars.
Brook Masters
Director of College Counseling
For more information contact Brook Masters at bmasters@besanthill.org or (805) 646-4343, extension 121.
Click below to log on to your
Naviance Family Connection account
Click below to download the latest issue of the BHS College Counseling Newsletter:
November/December 2010
October 2010
September 2010