College Counseling FAQ

Catlin Gabel has two full-time college counselors who work closely with students, families and college admission representatives. They lead a department that includes a registrar who handles student record submission to colleges, a member of the English faculty who works with students as they write application essays, and an administrative assistant who makes everything run smoothly.

The heart of the program, following the philosophy of the school, is student empowerment through individual counseling and guidance. Most individual meetings begin in the junior year, though college counselors are available to meet with students and parents at any point. Students are encouraged to reflect on their values, strengths and goals throughout the process. In addition to individual meetings, the college counseling curriculum and support system include group programming, academic advising and course selection guidance, small group college counseling classes, parent meetings, and opportunities for writing and reflection. A timeline for the process and calendar of events are available on the college counseling landing page.

Our students seek colleges that will challenge them, suit their interests, and sustain the life-long learning process that was nurtured at Catlin Gabel. Destinations for each class vary, of course, and individual considerations including unique academic programs, family priorities, and finances influence students’ choices.

There were 81 students in the class of 2025. Class members will attend 56 different colleges. Twenty-two states and three countries are represented: Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Two students will take a gap year or semester. Of those entering college in the fall of 2025, 47% will head to the East Coast, 25% to the West Coast, 11% to Midwest, 9% to the South, 6% to the Mountain States, and 2% will study internationally. Here is a full list of colleges that students from the last four graduating classes chose to attend.

Our college counselors work closely with colleagues in college admission offices to give background and context to Catlin Gabel students’ experiences. In addition to meeting and speaking regularly with college admission representatives, the school publishes a School Profile that is included with each transcript. This document gives context for each student’s record. College application readers evaluate applicants from hundreds of different schools from across the globe, and understand the unique education that schools like Catlin Gabel offer students. They also judge applicants based on the opportunities available to them, so they do not expect our students to be part of a curriculum that is not offered here. In addition, students have the opportunity to take Advanced Placement (AP) exams at Catlin Gabel if they wish, and to report their scores to colleges. In spring 2025, 95 students took 160 exams. 74% earned a score of 4 or 5.

A transcript including course titles and traditional letter grades (A-F) that college admission committees are familiar with is translated from the narrative reports and submitted to colleges. While we do not report weighted or unweighted grade point average (GPA) to colleges, college application readers are familiar with this practice and it encourages them to read our transcripts deeply; in fact, many colleges recalculate grade point average even if it is reported. We believe, and our students’ college admission results support, that our grade reporting practice is given full consideration in the application process.

In the class of 2025, 100% of graduating seniors reported that, at the end of the application process, they had college options that suited their goals and abilities, and felt satisfied with their post-graduation plans. To achieve this level of satisfaction, our college counseling program encourages our students to prioritize and narrow their searches based on criteria that work for them; these might include academic offerings, culture and atmosphere, academic mentorship, cost and value, employment and graduate school admission prospects, faculty teaching style, or location. We are confident that each student who commits to the process will come up with a group of colleges that they are excited about attending, since (as parents of adolescents we know) a favorite in any category changes over time. Our college counselors work to give students the freedom to explore many options and move forward toward attending a college that is right for them.

We encourage every student to consider value and cost as part of their search; these are deciding factors for a significant number of Catlin Gabel families. Our college counselors are well-informed about the process of applying for need-based aid, and stay up-to-date on colleges’ and independent organizations’ merit scholarship awarding policies. The school partners with local college financial aid officers to present annual information nights for all Upper School families, including a FAFSA/CSS Profile workshop for seniors. At the end of the process, 97% of the Class of 2025 surveyed felt that they had financially viable options for college.

We hear over and over from colleges that our graduates attending their institutions are our best ambassadors. The academic transition into the freshman year of college is typically a smooth one for our students, and the faculty and admission staff at colleges make note of the skills and leadership that Catlin Gabel graduates bring to their classrooms and campus life. This gives a lens through which application readers can view our current students. In addition, college representatives who visit the school each year meet with students and our college counselors to get a personal sense of the school.

Representatives from approximately 120 colleges visit Catlin Gabel each year to recruit our students. This group includes colleges from Switzerland to Shanghai, and from Manhattan to Eugene. The school’s reputation in college admission offices is excellent, thanks to the vibrant conversations that visiting college reps have with our juniors and seniors when they visit, the performance of our alumni at their institutions, and the work of the college counselors and school administrators to build relationships and work together as educators. Our college counselors visit college campuses each year to gain personal impressions of different colleges and universities, connect with alumni, and meet with admission officers.

About 96% of our most recent graduating class applied to an early application plan (Early Decision, Early Action, or Restrictive Early Action). Approximately 75% of the class applied under a binding Early Decision agreement. Our counseling process promotes a thorough college search and a thoughtful evaluation before submitting any application, especially one that is binding. Our timeline and support system are flexible and fully support early applicants as well as those who go through Regular Decision and Rolling application processes.

Catlin Gabel Athletics’ unique no-cut policy, coupled with broad offerings and competitive programming, foster a number of our students advancing to play sports at the college level. Over the past four years, more than 10% of Catlin Gabel graduates have gone on to compete as varsity athletes at 27 colleges in 11 different sports at NCAA Divisions I, II, and III. Many more have continued their athletic contributions and leadership on club and intramural teams.

The college athletic recruitment process often begins early in a student’s high school career. Students who hope to play a sport in college are invited to register with the NCAA Eligibility Center and meet and work with college counselors whenever they are ready; the timeline is typically sport- and student-dependent. Counselors assist students in navigating their correspondence with coaches, admission pre-reads, and commitments as desired by the student and family, who may work closely with their club coaches as well. We regularly host a college athletics information night with presentations from college coaches and NCAA compliance officers to share advice on the timing and logistics of the recruitment process as well as proactive steps that aspiring student athletes can take.

Catlin Gabel has a long history of students who wish to extend their experiential education outside the classroom after graduation and before enrolling in college. Recent graduates have spent gap years pursuing service, work, athletics, travel, professional dance, and more. We normally have 1-5 students in each class who choose a gap year. From our most recent class, 2 students chose a gap year or semester. All seniors are encouraged to strongly consider applying to college in order to have the option of attending college immediately after graduation; most colleges will then allow an admitted student to defer enrollment for a year or more if they wish. Students who choose a different path or timeline after graduation have access to school resources as they make their plans and, like all alumni, may utilize the support of the college counselors after they leave Catlin Gabel.