College Guidance

Our goal is to help a student locate the most appropriate college setting: match matters most. We believe there are numerous colleges that can meet a boy’s needs and tastes, and we counsel boys to adhere to the Delphic admonition: know thyself.

The Directors of College Guidance begin the formal college-admission process in mid-January of the junior year. Juniors complete a self-reflective survey and a writing sample during winter break. Meetings are scheduled with each boy, and a parents’ evening is held in late February. In the spring, the office generates a list of colleges in response to the boy’s expressed desires regarding size, location, religious affiliation, and specific degree programs. Fall of senior year, the office shares information, posts deadlines, and debriefs boys regarding their summer college visits. The staff also confers with parents and conducts informal coffees to share updates, field questions, dispel myths, and lessen angst.

Our goal is to help a student locate the most appropriate college setting: match matters most.

Throughout the process, the office sends out memos and articles on admission trends, financial aid workshops, and merit scholarships, and several fall Mondays are set aside for seniors to visit (or re-visit) campuses.

Faculty Profile

Name: Thomas E. Walsh Jr. '79

  • Director of College Guidance
  • Classics
  • Lacrosse Coach

'Match matters most' is my motto when it comes to selecting a college. We start the process in the fall of junior year to discover what each boy is thinking. Some know where they want to apply, and others are undecided, and we work with them to expand their horizons. By the spring, we’re talking to parents as well. It’s a partnership.