College Advising

The primary goal of our College Advising program is to assist you in finding “the right fit” in a college or university. We believe in nurturing the self-awareness necessary to choose not just the best school, but the best school for you.

SALISBURY SCHOOL is pleased to host the following colleges and Universities
at our College Fair on Tuesday, October 4
7:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Catholic University of America
Clarkson University
Colby College
College of the Holy Cross
Curry College
Denison University
Endicott College
Franklin and Marshall College
Furman University
George Washington University
Gettysburg College
High Point University
Manhattan College
Marist College
Merrimack College
Miami University OH
Nichols College
Post University
Saint Anselm College
Salve Regina University
Southern Connecticut University
Tulane University
University of New Haven
University of Pittsburgh
Ursinus College
Wake Forest University
Western Connecticut State University
Worcester Polytechnic Institute

The College Process

Your choice of college is one that will have a critical impact on the path your life takes. At Salisbury School, our goal is to position you for success and help you maximize all available opportunities.

Admission to top-tier schools is becoming more competitive every year. Applicants require both strong grades from a respected institution as well as leadership skills that set them apart from their peers.

As a prominent boys’ college prep school in Connecticut, Salisbury School plays a key role in the educational journey of its students. Our reputation as an institution committed to academic rigor and interpersonal development gives graduates an important advantage when applying to colleges.

By working closely with you and your family, we strive to provide attractive college options and choices at the end of the process. With a staff that includes six faculty advisors and an administrative assistant, the office is equipped to give you significant personal attention and flexibility in helping tailor certain aspects of the process to you as an individual (ie: athletic recruiting, art/music portfolios, and other special talents or circumstances).

While the program begins in earnest during the fifth form year, we also offer year by year expectations and plans for students. You can find information for your year from the College Process Timeline located at the bottom of the page.

College Acceptances

At Salisbury School, our role as a leading Connecticut college preparatory boys’ school is to give you the skills and advantages you need to make one of the most important decisions of your young lives.

We understand that remaining competitive in a sea of college applicants requires well-rounded individuals who demonstrate not only academic strength but also stellar interpersonal and leadership qualities, as well as a keen interest in the world beyond the classroom.

Our students are scholars first, but also athletes, artists, community activists and more. Our success as a boys’ prep school is evident in the long list of colleges our matriculating students have gone on to.

Where Are They Now?

2022-2023 School Profile

Building Stronger Leaders
and Well-Rounded Young Men

We create an environment where you are free to take risks and learn, both inside and out of the classroom. Of course, our students benefit from a rigorous academic curriculum, with programs in Mandarin Chinese, Entrepreneurial Studies, and Robotics, among other in-demand topics. More critically, we give you an opportunity to learn about yourself, to discover who you are and what you want out of life and how to take the next steps.

We offer a proactive college advising program that makes use of both the experience and expertise of our staff, as well as sophisticated tools such as the web-based Family Connection system, to identify the school that’s the best fit for you. Following that, we provide individual attention and assistance in putting together an application package that will highlight your unique talents and maximize your chance of admission.

A Connecticut College Prep School
With a Record of Success

Connecticut’s Salisbury School was founded in 1901 and has more than a 100-year history of preparing high school boys to meet the challenges of college and beyond. Choosing and getting accepted to the right school is the first step in this. The sliding list above represents a sample of colleges to which Salisbury Knights have recently been accepted. Congratulations, boys!

Naviance; your digital tool

Programs such as Naviance give you tools to explore your options and engage your parents in the decision-making process along with you. In addition, the wide range of athletic, artistic and community service opportunities we offer, helps mold well-rounded individuals who are more attractive candidates for leading schools. Naviance is a comprehensive website that you can use to help in making decisions about courses, colleges, and careers. It is linked with Counselor's Office, a service that we use in our office to track and analyze data about college and career plans, so it provides up-to-date information that's specific to our School.

Naviance will help you:

Build a resume, complete on-line surveys and manage timelines and deadlines for making decisions about colleges and careers.
Research colleges - Compare GPAs, standardized test scores and other statistics to actual historical data from our school for students who have applied and been admitted in the past.
Sign up for college visits - Find out which colleges are visiting our school and sign up to attend those sessions.

This tool also lets us share information with you about up-coming meetings and events, local scholarship opportunities, and other resources for college and career information. It also links directly to other web-based tools such as College Board, College Majors 101, Simple Tuition, FinAid.com, Collegeview, and more! Contact our College Advising Team to gain access to this tool, email us at tgomez@salisburyschool.org or call 860-435-5716.

YOUR TIMELINE TO THE COLLEGE PROCESS

Sixth Form Year

September:

Return to campus with final list of colleges.
Final draft of college essay
Complete the Common Application and Supplements
Complete the Coalition Application/college-specific applications (if applicable)
Meet with college admissions representatives visiting Salisbury (about 40-50 college representatives will visit during the fall)
Schedule virtual interviews (if offered by college)
Check college websites for important information
Complete financial aid documents with parents: FAFSA and CSS Profile (if applicable
If colleges require SAT/ACT scores, send them through the CollegeBoard/ACT website.
Sign up for Oct /Nov SAT/ACT.

October:

Attend 3 college fairs at Hotchkiss School
Finish filling out applications, finalizing college essays
Many state university applications due. Submit applications!
October All Sixth Form students take the SAT/ACT.

November:

Early Action or Early Decision application deadlines are generally between Nov. 1 and December 15
Submit applications!

December:

Early Decision (round one) notifications

January:

Application deadlines for Regular Decision (and Early Decision II) are generally between January 1 and February 15.
Submit applications.

February:

Early Decision II notifications

April:

Notifications from colleges for regular decisions.
Go back to colleges to visit classes.
Make decision and send deposit by May 1st
Decide whether to remain on a waitlist & write letter of intention.

June:

The College Advising Office mails final transcripts to colleges (and NCAA)

Fifth Form Year

SAVE THE DATE: Fifth Form College Symposium February 2 - 3, click here

January - August:

Assigned a college advisor
Attend College Symposium
Build/edit college list on Naviance
Write a resume
Teacher recommendations (2) 1 English/History; 1 Math/Science:
Complete the Common Application
Write college essay in English classes
Visit colleges, if possible
Attend Spring College Fair at Hotchkiss School
Sign up for and take SAT/ACT, and TOEFL

Third & Fourth Form Year

Take the PSAT in October (The School will register all fourth formers).
Take tougher classes and earn good grades. Strength of curriculum is very important, especially if selective colleges are going to be considered.
Stay involved in your activities and sports and look for leadership opportunities; or get involved by trying something new in your Third Form year. Do your best to remain consistent in your participation - don’t jump around too much between sports and activities.
If there is a potential interest in a U.S. military academy, request a pre-candidate questionnaire and fill it out.
If you have an interest in pursuing a sport in college, attend camps and showcases during the summer.
If you plan on submitting a portfolio of art or music, begin to collect your work.
Update your resume and keep track of activities and accomplishments. Make the effort to get to know your advisor, teachers, dorm parents and coaches well then begin to collect letters of recommendation, if appropriate.
Do something with your summer! Get a job, volunteer, train for your sport, pursue your interests and passions. Tour college campuses.

Important Testing Dates

Testing Schedule

Downloadable Resources:

Teacher Recommendation Request Form
(This form is necessary to document which teachers will be writing a students’ recommendations. Forms need to be signed by a teacher and submitted to Mrs. Gomez.)
Teacher Recommendation Class Worksheet
Resume Sample
(Sample resume that should be created by the student with their personal and applicable information. All resumes should be completed and e-mailed to their College Advisor.
Essay Writing PPT
(Ideas and suggestions for writing the college essay.)