College Guidance

At Hewitt, we put vital questions about what each student values and hopes to accomplish at the center of our conversations with young women preparing for college and beyond. We center the college selection process around who our young women are, who they are becoming, and how their college choice is but one of many life choices that reflect their values. From start to finish, our approach to college guidance draws upon our deep understanding of each individual student and our college guidance team’s time tested networks and expertise.

9th grade

As our students grow in independence and self-awareness, they take an important step toward the independence of adulthood and college. A team of educators, from advisors to the upper school student support team, monitors the intellectual and emotional growth and maturity of Hewitt’s freshmen. Students engage in goal setting, selecting enriching and challenging activities beyond the classroom, and honing such key skills as time management, self-advocacy, and autonomy. Through Hewitt’s experiential learning program, our freshmen begin to explore areas of study and interest that may become life-long, meaningful pursuits.

10th grade

Students continue to refine their sense of self in relation to their school and broader community. On top of our rigorous curriculum, our honors designations offer students extended challenges within a number of disciplines; Hewitt purposely makes these available in the second quarter so that students can make informed choices in pursuing their emerging academic interests, strengths, and areas of focus. Similarly, students experience practice versions of the requisite standardized tests (SAT and ACT) in tenth grade, and the school works with each student to review her results in the context of her own learning, thereby equipping her to make an informed decision about testing as she moves on to junior year.

11th grade
12th grade

11th grade

The junior year offers students and their families numerous opportunities to engage with the college selection process from the perspective of the student’s own narrative and purpose. The college process is a personal journey that is unique to each student and her family. Our junior year programming allows students and their families to explore the college search and admissions process and college affordability, and to learn about current trends and policy changes. We place emphasis on demystifying and humanizing the reality of college admissions, often with the expertise of admissions professionals who anchor our programs.

In the second semester, individual family meetings with the college guidance team take place. We also offer in-school ACT and SAT prep courses that honor our financial aid award. In addition, weekly seminars are led by our college counselors to support students as they develop a balanced college list, plan campus visits, organize requests for letters of recommendation, complete a strong draft of their application essay, and prepare for interviews.

Hewitt alumnae conduct mock interviews for each of our juniors, and our deans and school counselors provide additional partnership to support student wellbeing and success in the college process. Hewitt’s tight-knit community and carefully structured college process ensure that our college guidance team knows each young woman and tailors the college search process to fit her individual preferences, family needs, areas of interest, and goals for the next phase of her education.

12th grade

By the fall of senior year, Hewitt students are fully prepared to submit their college applications. Our dedicated college counselors work closely with each student to develop a solid application strategy, help manage expectations, and ensure students have an organized approach to staying on schedule and on target. The young women of Hewitt’s upper school bring qualities of active engagement and a sense of plenitude and optimism to the process of choosing the colleges and universities they wish to attend. As she graduates, each senior looks ahead to her development as a scholar, active community member, and friend—journeys of identity and purpose that began at Hewitt and continue far beyond.

American University
Amherst College*
Bard College
Barnard College
Boston College
Boston University*
Bowdoin College
Brown University
Bucknell University*
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo*
University of California, Berkeley*
University of California, Los Angeles
Carleton College
Carnegie Mellon University
Chapman University
Colgate University*

Columbia College Chicago
Columbia University
Cornell University*
CUNY Hunter College
Dalhousie University
Davidson College*
Duke University
Emory University*
Georgetown University
Georgia Tech
Hamilton College*
Hampton University
Harvard College
Indiana University, Bloomington*
Johns Hopkins University*
Lehigh University
University of Maryland

McGill University*
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Middlebury College*
New York University*
Northeastern University*
Northwestern University
Occidental College
Providence College
Purdue University
University of St. Andrews
Santa Clara University
Scripps College
Skidmore College
University of Southern California*
Southern Methodist University
Stanford University
Syracuse University*

The George Washington University
The University of Texas at Austin*
The University of Texas at Dallas
Trinity College
Tufts University*
Tulane University*
Universiteit Utrecht
Vassar College
Wake Forest University*
Washington University in St. Louis*
University of Washington
Wellesley College
Wesleyan University*
Wheaton College
Williams College*
University of Wisconsin, Madison*
Yale University*

*Multiple Hewitt students matriculated at these colleges and universities

College reps, please click here to schedule your visit to The Hewitt School.

Download the 2022-2023 Hewitt School College Profile