Throughout a student's time at Waterford School, many opportunities are available to discover and ignite their passions as they grow as learners and people. The Class of 2019 achieved success in the classroom, on the athletic fields, in the art studio, and on the stage; now they prepare to pursue lives of meaning and purpose in college and beyond. Congratulations to our senior class who are all committed to attend colleges and universities which will continue their growth and education! It has been an honor guiding students through the process of finding, applying and selecting universities and colleges, where they will not only thrive, but add to another community. This is an achievement for these students that represents years of dedication and hard work alongside their teachers and their families, and we are so proud that this list and these students.

Please congratulate our seniors, and hear from a group of students below about their college search and application process. 

Bard College Berklee College of Music Boise State University Boston College Boston University Brandeis University Brigham Young University (8) Brigham Young University-Hawaii Brigham Young University, Idaho (2) Colorado College Colorado State University Columbia College Dartmouth College (2) Dickinson College Dixie State University Duke University Fordham University (2)

Goucher College Harvard College Kenyon College Marquette University New York University (Tisch School of the Arts) Occidental College Rochester Institute of Technology Salt Lake Community College Scripps College Stanford University Suffolk University Trinity University University of California, Irvine University of California, San Diego University of Michigan

University of Pennsylvania (The Wharton School of Business) University of Puget Sound (3) University of San Diego University of Southern California (2) University of Utah (14) University of Warsaw University of Washington Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (School of Engineering) (2) Vassar College Wake Forest University Washington State University Wellesley College

 

"I received an exceptional level of support from the College Counseling office at Waterford. From our very first meeting, I felt that Mr. Grenoble wanted me to achieve my goal as much as I did. He believed in me and didn't focus on the statistics that were playing against me.  I'm so grateful for the countless hours we worked together brainstorming ideas and refining my essays! Without Mr. Grenoble's help and confidence in my writing, I know that I would not be attending my dream school."   – Sophie T. ’19

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"Being at Waterford has been an eye-opening experience for me: no one in my family has had the opportunity to learn in a private school environment, so being at Waterford truly is a gift. College Counseling provided an unprecedented amount of assistance in helping me navigate the unfamiliar realm of college admissions and advising me in my options for continuing my education. Mrs. Rauscher assisted me in selecting colleges, adequately preparing essays for my application, and answering questions regarding my long-term goals and expectations for higher education. Because of her support, I can proudly say that I'll be the first in my family to attend college directly following achievement of a high school diploma and look forward to advancing my studies at Duke University."   – Alex L. ’19

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"Even though I knew where I wanted to go early in the college process, Mr. Grenoble helped me to ensure that I had the strongest application possible. He looked over every essay that I wrote and suggested small changes that would improve my application. Mr. Grenoble spoke about me to my admissions counselor at the University of Puget Sound about my various activities and accomplishments. Throughout the entire process, I could tell that he truly cared about me and my dream school. Waterford played a massive role in helping me choose the University of Puget Sound because like Waterford, UPS is a liberal arts school that gives their students a variety of options in classes in order to find what you are truly passionate about. Overall, I feel scared but very prepared for my new life in Washington because of the lessons and knowledge that Waterford has offered me."   – Emma S. ’19

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"My Waterford experience helped me in my college search because it has taught me how to be a strong writer. Being able to write an essay that sounds academic, with correct grammar, that was also written smoothly, was extremely helpful in writing powerful college essays. The English faculty were also happy to help in editing and making my college essays perfect. My Waterford experience also helped by giving me the knowledge to do well on standardized testing. Without the knowledge Waterford gave me and colleges knowing the rigor of my curriculum, I doubt I would've been accepted into ten out of the eleven schools I applied to.

The college counseling office was amazing because they helped me through the whole process. In the beginning, they helped me figure out what I wanted in a school and helped me pick schools to apply to that fit my interests and personality. The school I'm going to attend, Boise State University, wasn't a school I was considering until my college counselor suggested it. After we narrowed down the schools I wanted to apply to, they were on top of sending in my transcripts and letters of recommendations. They also helped me through any problems with applications and helped me pick the essay topic which would best represent me and my interests within the word limit. After my applications were in, they helped me find scholarship opportunities that I had a high chance of getting.  Once I received the decisions and scholarship offers, they helped me talk with my parents through the pros and cons of each school, and their feedback was extremely helpful in committing to a school. The help I received from the college counseling office took all of the stress out of the application process and for that, I'm extremely grateful. I don't know how I would've gotten through it without it."   – Taylor S. ’19

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"I feel like in the best of situations, the college application process is a confusing and grueling process, but the college counselors helped me sort all of my stress into a productive plan of attack. They listened to what I wanted to achieve and gave me every possible resource to accomplish my goals."   – River K. ’19

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"The most important way the Waterford experience supported my college search is that I already knew what I valued in an education. For me, Waterford’s liberal arts ideals and encouraging teachers are essential, so those were the primary things that I focused on when looking at colleges. Then, in the application process, I spent countless hours going over my essays with Ms. Rauscher and the writing center and I certainly became a much better writer in the process. The thing that I love most about the Waterford college counseling is that the focus wasn’t just on how to get in, but how to represent your true self, and in doing so, to find the place that is perfect for you."   – Mia G. ’19

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We are so fortunate to be able to work closely with students out of our College Counseling. A huge thanks to Nick Grenoble, Associate Director of College Counseling and Kimi Miyashima, College Counseling Associate, both who have worked to develop the College Counseling program that focuses on guiding students to reflect on their abilities, passions, ambitions, and character. The partnership we have with students, parents, teachers, and colleges is crucial as students discover the best fit. Know that we celebrate this success and milestone alongside the Class of 2019 and with all of our Waterford families. If you are interesting in learning more about  Waterford's college counseling program, you can find it here.