College Counseling

The College Counseling Office at Berkshire has tremendous success finding colleges and universities that best match each student’s talents, interests, and aspirations. College counselors are intently focused on knowing their students well and placing them in a position of strength to choose the school that is the best fit for them.

College counseling at Berkshire is rooted in an effective partnership between each student, his or her parents, and the college counselor. Berkshire provides a level of expertise and service in the college process far surpassing schools of similar and larger size. Each college counselor works with a small group of seniors, giving Berkshire’s students a distinct competitive edge in the college process. This effective ratio allows our students to spend more time with their college counselors providing them with greater guidance and resources to prepare them for their college application and selection process.

Berkshire graduates have matriculated at the following colleges and universities over 2021-2024:

Amherst College
Babson College
Barnard College
Bates College
Berklee College of Music
Boston College
Boston University
Bowdoin College
Brown University
Bucknell University
University of California Berkeley
California Polytechnic University
University of California San Diego
University of California Los Angeles
Carnegie Mellon University
Chapman University
Colby College
Colgate University
Colorado College
Columbia University
Connecticut College
University of Chicago
College of Charleston
University of Colorado Boulder
Cornell University
Dartmouth College
Davidson College
University of Delaware
Denison College
University of Denver
Dickinson College
Duke University
Elon University
Emory University
Endicott College
Fairfield University
Franklin and Marshall College
Gettysburg College
University of Georgia
George Washington University
Georgetown University
Grinnell College
Hamilton College

Harvard University
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Johns Hopkins University
Indiana University
Kenyon College
Lafayette College
Lehigh University
University of Miami
University of Michigan
Middlebury College
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mount Holyoke College
New York University
University of North Carolina
Northeastern University
Northwestern University
University of Notre Dame
University of Pennsylvania
Pitzer College
Pomona College
University of Richmond
University of Rochester
Skidmore College
University of Southern California
University of South Carolina
Southern Methodist University
University of St Andrews - Scotland
St. Lawrence University
Syracuse University
University of Texas - Austin Texas Christian University
Trinity College
Tufts University
Tulane University
Villanova University
Union College
University of Vermont
University of Virginia
Wake Forest University
Wesleyan University
Williams College
University of Wisconsin - Madison
Yale University

College Timeline

PARENT GUIDE TO NAVIANCE STUDENT

All Fifth Formers and their parents are auto-registered for Naviance Student the summer before the student’s Fifth Form year. Parents receive an email which includes your username and initial password.

To access Naviance Student, click Naviance Student and follow these steps:

On the home page, enter your email (username) and password and click “Log In”

Select the child (if more than one at Berkshire), and click “Go”

Select one of the two tabs, “About Me” or “Colleges”

ABOUT ME

These are sections you will find most useful on the About Me Home page:

*Portfolio*	Biographical and contact information for each parent.
*Account*	If you would like to change your password, you can do so here.
*My Journal*	An archive of all “Journal Entries” emailed from college counselor to student and parents as updates throughout each stage of the college process.

COLLEGES

Search for colleges
Enter the name of any college or university. This will direct you to a list of schools under “college lookup” with each school linked to admissions information and an application history from previous Berkshire candidates. We encourage students and parents to visit a college’s individual website via the link next to the school’s name. The top ten overlaps for previous Berkshire applicants are available via “College Overlaps” which can help to expand a college list by considering similar schools.

Colleges I’m thinking about
To add a college to your list: Click the heart icon next to the school’s name. Students, parents, and counselors can build a list of colleges and universities to explore and research. Each school is linked to the same information as outlined above, and the application type and deadlines are easily organized and accessed here.

SUMMER COLLEGE ESSAY REQUIREMENT

In addition to the required summer reading for all Sixth-Formers, the Class of 2025 is required to return to campus in September with a completed draft of their Common Application college essay. Many students have already begun working on this in their English classes this past spring. The pace and expectations at the beginning of the sixth-form year can make it challenging for Sixth Formers to find the time to write their most thoughtful and effective college essay.

This essay should not be an initial draft, but rather a polished draft that reflects significant effort and considerable revision. The relative quiet of summer provides time to consider and determine the essay topic and to begin the essential process of drafting and revision. While each Sixth Former will work with their college counselor (and other trusted readers) to revise and finalize the essay before including it with his or her applications, the essay submitted in September should be close to a final draft.

With most colleges and universities accepting the Common Application, Sixth Formers can usually submit one essay with all their college applications. Most colleges, however, will also require additional school-specific short essays or responses (supplements), making it even more important for students to devote time over the summer to completing their primary essay. The college essay is a central component of each student's application, and it remains the one place in an application for a student to truly highlight his or her unique and distinctive personal qualities.

We encourage Sixth Formers to follow up with their college counselors with any questions or for advice at any step in this process. Good luck!

2024-2025 COMMON APPLICATION PERSONAL ESSAY PROMPTS

Please write an essay on a topic of your choice or on one of the options listed on the Common App website, click here. This personal essay helps us to become acquainted with you as a person and student, apart from courses, grades, test scores, and other objective data. It will also demonstrate your ability to organize your thoughts and express yourself. The final version of your college essay should be between one to two pages (250-650 words) in length and is typically formatted in 12-point font with 1" margins.

2024-2025 Common Application Essay Prompts

Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.
The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?
Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?
Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?
Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?
Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.

KEYS TO AN EFFECTIVE COLLEGE ESSAY

Less is more. Write with a clear, concise, and easy-to-follow style. Use specific and vivid examples. Always remember that the best writers spend most of their time editing the words they can do without.

Be true to yourself. A personal essay is a window into your unique qualities. Be authentic. Write with your true self in mind, not an idealized version of whom you'd like to be.

Don't make a big deal out of nothing. Choose a significant experience and talk persuasively but appropriately about its impact on you.

Tell a story. The most successful college essays are simply stories well told. Write with a voice that's conversational and welcoming.

Set the hook. Your first sentence and first paragraph need to sing. Remember that your essay is sitting in a stack of a hundred others. Make the admission officer "sit up" at the start of reading yours.

The brutally honest question: Could anyone else have written this essay? If the answer is yes, start over.

SUMMER & FALL COLLEGE CHECKLIST

COLLEGE COUNSELING OFFICE

COLLEGE COUNSELING BLOG

IMPORTANT DATES

College Rep Visits

FIFTH FORM COLLEGE PROGRAM

FAQs & ADDITIONAL RESoURCES

STANDARDIZED TESTING & TEST PREP

COLLEGE ADMISSION OFFICERS

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