Guiding Students Through a Catholic College Admissions Process
Martin Saints Classical High School will be hosting a college night series, consisting of two nights full of information about discerning and applying for college. The plan for each evening is different, and they will complement each other. The series is designed with our MSC families in mind, so it is very important in particular that our 10th graders and their families attend. But the event is also open to the community - all are welcome! Anyone interested in the practicalities of the college admissions process, and how to do it in a Catholic way, will find it helpful.
The first part in the series is on Monday, October 22 at 7pm. Mrs. Carol Sargeant, our college counselor, will give a talk entitled "Fortitude not Frenzy: Demystifying the College Admissions Process." Her talk will:
Outline the general sequence and steps of the college admissions process
Explain what admissions offices look for
Explain where to find information about financial aid
Explain her long term plan to work individually with students to help them think through their interests and what they want to get out of college
On November 5, we will conclude the two-part series with a panel discussion with representatives from a spectrum of campuses. The focus here is how to find faithful Catholic community at different types of colleges, so that our students can begin to discern what their lives might look like after they graduate from MSC and how they can find Catholic support as they step out into the wider world.
The panelists are Fr Shaun Mahoney from the Temple Newman Center, Dr. Daniel Cheely from the history department and the Collegium Institute at Penn, Dr. Thomas Smith from the Honors Program at Villanova, and Miss Monica Clarke, a Regina Coeli teacher and recent graduate of Christendom College. Each will describe what Catholic life is like on their campus. They will take questions, and discussion will be encouraged.
Martin Saints is not a "feeder" for just one type of university. From the very beginning of the college application process, we want to establish a culture of discernment and openness. Whether a family discerns that their child's best fit is a public university, a private one, a Catholic university, or a Catholic liberal arts college, we want to hold open the possibility if you're wise and astute about it, faithful and fruitful Catholic life is possible at all of these places. Each place has its own potential and its own pitfall, its own strengths and challenges.
Both evenings together are the foundation of the Martin Saints plan for college counseling. However, any Catholic family thinking about college, from any school, or anyone from the general public, is welcome to attend. We are eager to share what we know. Planning for college is a moment that requires both practical and spiritual skills. It's a moment to be in the world, but not of it. You are warmly invited to come see how we do this at Martin Saints!
