At Craig, our College Counseling Program is built on personalized support to help students confidently navigate high school and prepare for life after graduation. Throughout all four years, students receive continuous guidance through annual seminar classes and one-on-one support with essays and applications.
By actively engaging with counselors and teachers, Craig students learn to identify their strengths, set goals, and take ownership of their future.
Starting in 9th and 10th grade, our Director of College Counseling & Transitions begins guiding students to understand their needs as learners. All students are invited to attend our College Admissions Counselor Guest Speaker Series and college tour field trips, gaining early exposure to various postsecondary options.
With this dynamic framework of support, our graduates leave Craig confident in who they are and prepared for whichever postsecondary path they pursue. Each student is enrolled in the following seminars:
Led by our School Psychologist, Tiffany Brown, students take a series of self-assessments on learning styles and multiple intelligence inventories. Each 9th grader gains a better understanding of their strengths and aptitudes, along with areas for continued growth. The seminar teaches students about self-advocacy skills and culminates in the LD Wall of Fame project, where students research notable people with various learning differences/learning disabilities. They create poster presentations and share what they’ve learned with the community.
Our Director of College Counseling & Transitions works with sophomore students to begin thinking about their futures. The process begins with a focus on career awareness and workplace skills. A core element of our seminar includes taking career interest inventory assessments to gain a better understanding of how one’s strengths and passions may translate into a future career path. Students create resumes while learning about the job application process. For those looking to secure a summer job or work on the weekends, this class helps connect our students to their first job experiences. Throughout the year, speakers join to share their experiences from the working world. We’ve heard from professionals who work in fields such as education, sports, business, marketing, hospitality, and film/media.
Our 11th Graders dive into the postsecondary planning process when they begin to brainstorm and draft their college application personal statement essays. They edit their essays throughout the spring and begin their Common Application accounts, so that they leave for Summer Break with as much of the college process completed ahead of time as possible. Throughout the seminar, our students learn about various postsecondary pathways such as community college, trade and technical schools, and gap year programs. Families meet with the Director of College Counseling & Transitions to develop an individualized plan culminating in a personalized list of college and postsecondary recommendations.
Our senior seminar provides students with tools for a smooth college transition by covering all aspects of college and campus life. Students learn about the differences between high school and college academics, IDEA vs. ADA, and independent living. During senior year, the Director of College Counseling & Transitions continues working with students and their families as they navigate college tours, application deadlines, and scholarships. The year culminates with each student deciding on their official next step, and throughout the spring, the director continues to help students with college transitions, like assisting with freshman course registration and onboarding students to their college’s various learning management systems and email platforms.
The Craig School is an official ACT and SAT Testing Center exclusively available to our students. Our Director of College Counseling & Transitions works with the ACT and College Board testing organizations to ensure students receive proper accommodations, like extended time and access to assistive technology features such as text-to-speech. Although most colleges are now test-optional in the college admissions process, some of our students may take the ACT or SAT to increase their potential to earn scholarships. We also offer the PSAT to our 10th and 11th-grade students as a practice assessment.
At Craig High School, we reinforce the importance of “beginning with the end in mind”. Unlike students at other high schools, who do not receive college & career counseling services until Junior or Senior year, our underclassmen have direct access to the Director of College Counseling & Transitions. The director begins working with students during their middle school years and continues to develop individualized plans throughout 7th - 12th grade. All Craig students have access to SCOIR, a College & Career management platform. Students begin to learn the platform in 7th and 8th grade, and their accounts continue with them throughout their high school years. Students create profiles on SCOIR and complete self-discovery assessments to begin researching various college and career paths based on their unique interests and strengths.
Each year, we plan college tour field trips for our entire student body. Most recently, we’ve taken our students to Fairleigh Dickinson University, Centenary University, Caldwell University, Montclair State University, and St. Thomas Aquinas College. We also had a few students join our “fly-in” trip to visit Beacon College in Florida.
Additionally, we work with our students on applications for pre-college summer programs. Attending a pre-college experience is a great way for our students to learn about the expectations of collegiate life as young adults. Students live in the dorms for a few weeks during summer break and take college-level courses while learning how to navigate campus and live with roommates. We’ve recently had students participate in summer pre-college programs at Fairleigh Dickinson University, Marist University, Dean College, William Patterson University, Syracuse University, Adelphi University, Landmark College, Beacon College, Pennsylvania College of Technology (Penn State affiliated), and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
During lunchtime throughout the year, College Admissions Counselors come to Craig to meet with our students, and all are invited to attend the informational sessions. Some of our recent visitors have included admissions counselors from Mitchell College, Landmark College, Lynn University, Pennsylvania College of Technology, Champlain College, Montserrat College of the Arts, Johnson College, Georgian Court University, Dean College, St. Thomas Aquinas College, and various trade and technical schools and community colleges in the area.
We understand the importance of small touchpoints along the way and maintaining communication with students, families, and stakeholders to ease the transition to postsecondary life. With individualized planning for each family and ongoing support through transition counseling sessions, we help each student confidently navigate this important next step in their academic journey. Dr. Lindsey Skerker, our Director of College Counseling & Transitions, is available throughout the year to meet with students and families. Feel free to reach out to her at 973-334-1234 ext. 302 or email her at LSkerker@craigschool.org.
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