College Advising

Culver's College Advising Office guides students and families through the college admissions process, helping students select and gain admission to colleges and universities appropriate to their interests and demonstrated abilities. The more obvious and natural aim is for Culver to find the right collegiate home for our graduates and to make college exploration another powerful learning experience, developing in our graduates lasting and transferrable skills. We work to help students identify and discern opportunities, while cultivating self-presentation skills that may help advance the college admission process and, ultimately, careers.

Building upon Culver’s leadership programming, advisors engage students frequently in scheduled, unscheduled, formal, and informal group and individual conversations designed to help students reach a greater awareness of who they are and to help them focus on ideal learning environments. Parents have multiple opportunities to engage in group programs and in individual and family meetings with advisors throughout the Culver experience.

It is critically important that we work as partners to the benefit of our students. In the spirit of Culver’s student-centered approach to learning, we begin below with an articulation of student responsibilities, followed by counselor and parent commitments in this process.

Students are responsible for…

• Adhering to Culver’s core values of honesty, respect, responsibility, fairness, and compassion.
• Engaging in serious self-reflection to identify personal and educational goals.
• Being honest, and aspiring to authenticity in all communications with the college advisors, colleges, and in applications.
• Communicating regularly and often with their college advisors and their families.
• Meeting all deadlines established by the College Advising Office and those set by colleges and universities.
• Researching and adhering to specific admission requirements and deadlines (standardized testing, academics, interviews etc.) of each institution to which they apply.
• Submitting all application materials and standardized testing (where appropriate) to colleges to which they ultimately apply.
• Maintaining an accurate college application list on Naviance/Family Connection.
• Maintaining a healthy approach to grades, commitments, and responsibilities throughout the senior year both application-related and beyond.
• Considering the possibility of experiential learning opportunities, including a gap year, that could complement their college education.
• Protecting the privacy and confidentiality of their classmates.

Counselors are responsible for…

• Advising with the highest ethical and professional standards consistent with Culver’s core values of honesty, respect, responsibility, fairness, and compassion.
• Being supportive of the school, the class, and each student.
• Staying abreast of current trends within college admission.
• Providing access to information, scholarships, financial aid, and educational opportunities to all students.
• Encouraging and challenging both students and families to explore the broad range of educational opportunities.
• Working closely with students and families to critically examine the “why” of colleges they consider, including programs and their own learning styles.
• Encouraging students to be thoughtful and careful in their research of admission requirements, policies, and procedures of individual colleges and universities.
• Providing appropriate support of applications and essays while encouraging students to build upon their core competencies of critical and creative thinking, and writing.
• To appropriately advocate for students to colleges throughout the admission process.
• Submitting transcripts, Culver recommendations, and secondary school materials to each college or university reflected on a student’s final list on Naviance/Family Connection.
• Communicating with and being accessible to students and parents throughout the college search and application process.

Parents are responsible for…

• Upholding Culver’s core values of honesty, respect, responsibility, fairness, and compassion throughout the college process.
• Exploring and recognizing the value of the broad educational opportunities.
• Acknowledging that students are still developing into young adults and that they will continue to evolve as they learn more about themselves, including through the college exploration process.
• Encouraging independence, personal responsibility and individual growth in their child toward the goal of preparation for independent life in college.
• Allowing and urging students to take the lead and own the college process while providing appropriate support.
• Being aware of deadlines for students established by colleges and universities, standardized testing organizations, and the Office of College Counseling. Be aware of financial aid form deadlines.
• Providing the Office of College Counseling with relevant information, context, and insights about their children and remaining engaged in communications from college counselors through the process.
• Helping students accept outcomes by modeling and encouraging resilience.
• Respecting the privacy of their child as well as those of other students and their families.

• 9th and 10th graders take the PSAT in October of each year.
• Students are encouraged to take the most challenging classes they can handle and earn the best grades possible each year since both grades and strength of schedule have the greatest influence in the college admissions process.
• Students and parents are encouraged to meet and speak with college advisors in their first year if they have questions.
• Students are encouraged to visit local colleges and universities to understand what schools are looking for in the college admissions process. This is best done over a school break.
• Freshmen and sophomores are encouraged to meet with college and university representatives who visit the Culver campus. A list of all visiting admissions representatives can be found on the calendar in the student and parent portals.
• Students in appropriate courses should consider SAT Subject Tests after speaking with their teacher and meeting with a college advisor.
• Parents and students are strongly encouraged to attend College Advising Presentations, which are held during Parent’s Weekend. These sessions are extremely helpful in understanding the college admissions process.
• Parents can make an appointment with a college advisor by contacting Chrystal Dyess at 574-842-7700 or via email.

Current families will find the most up to date Timelines for 11th and 12th Grades on the Parent Portal and/or in the College Advising Guide (Resource Guide) also available on the Parent Portal.

• 11th graders will take the PSAT in October to be considered for the National Merit Scholarship Program and a variety of National Achievement Programs.
• Students are encouraged to take the most challenging classes they can handle and earn the best grades possible since grades and strength of schedule have the greatest influence in the college admissions process.
• Parents and students are encouraged to visit colleges and universities during Spring Break and summer vacation of their junior year.
• Students are encouraged to seek letters of recommendation from their teacher in the spring of their junior year.
• Students will be enrolled in mandatory College Advising classes during the Term 3 of their junior year and Term 1 of their senior year.
• Students in appropriate courses should consider SAT Subject Tests after speaking with their teacher and meeting with a college advisor.
• Students will begin taking ACT and SAT beginning in January of the junior year.  Students are encouraged to take the ACT twice, the SAT twice and one set of SAT Subject Tests before the end of the junior year.  For more information on standardized testing, please see the Testing for College Admission page.
• International Students who are non-native English language speakers are advised to take the TOEFL prior to the end of Grade 11.  For more information on the TOEFL, please see the Testing for College Admission page.
• Juniors and seniors are encouraged to meet with college and university representatives who visit the Culver campus in the fall and spring of each school year. A list of all visiting admissions representatives can be found on the calendar in the student and parent portal.
• Students and parents are encouraged to meet individually with their college advisors during college admissions process.
• Parents are encouraged to discuss the financial aid and scholarship process with the college advising office.
• For a more details Junior and Senior Timeline please see the College Application Process page. Current families will find the most up to date timelines on the parent portal and in the College Advising Guide (Resource Guide), also available on the Parent Portal.
• Parents can make an appointment by contacting their college advisor directly or via email.

• About the PSAT
• College Board Big Future
• College Scholarship Service (CSS)/ Financial Aid Profile
• Fair Test
• Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
• NCAA Eligibility Center
• New York Times Education
• Register for the ACT
• Register for the SAT
• Register for the SAT Subject Tests

Register for TOEFL