Get Prepared For College
There's more than one pathway to college. It's not just about getting into the best school — it's about figuring out what's the best school for you. The College Project is designed to help you search for that school.
College Trips
Explo at Yale offers day-long college trips to nearby colleges and universities. Among the schools you can visit:
- Boston College
- Boston University
- Brown University
- Columbia University
- Fairfield University
- Fordham University
- Harvard University
- MIT
- New York University (NYU)
- Princeton University
- Providence College
- Rutgers
- University of Connecticut
- Wesleyan University
College Counseling Advisory Committee
Explo has assembled an impressive team of experts to oversee our college preparatory offerings. Through optional courses and seminars, these experts advise and guide our students in various aspects of the college search and application processes:
Dr. Sarah Myers McGinty is the founder of McGinty Consulting Group. She is an acknowledged expert in the writing of application essays and has appeared multiple times in the Wall Street Journal, U. S. News and World Report, the Chronicle of Higher Education, and on NPR.
Dr. Carlene Riccelli is an independent educational consultant known for her expertise in college counseling and teaching.
Logan Powell is Director of Undergraduate Admission at Princeton University.
College Matriculation
The colleges/universities where the largest number of Explo graduates matriculated in 2007 to 2009:
- Amherst College
- Barnard College
- Boston College
- Boston University
- Brown University
- Columbia University
- Connecticut College
- Cornell University
- Duke University
- George Washington University
- Harvard University
- New York University
- Northwestern University
- Princeton University
- Purdue University
- Smith College
- Syracuse University
- Tufts University
- University of Maryland
- University of Michigan
- Vassar College
- Yale University
The College Project
Over the summer, Explo at Yale offers you an unmatched collection of college workshops, seminars, presentations, fairs, and trips to university campuses — giving you access to admissions representatives, essay writing experts, Princeton Review teachers, and college placement advisers — not to mention the experience of living on the campus of Yale University. Here's some of what The College Project has to offer you:
A Taste of College Life
While you're at Explo, you'll see what college life is like firsthand. You'll be living in the dorms, balancing your classes and extracurriculars, making friends from around the world, and taking on increased independence and responsibility. Your teachers and RAs will be a great resource as well. They are college and graduate students from universities all across the country and world, and will share with you a number of insights into the nuances of their schools.
College Search Concentration
Led by Sarah Hoffman, a highly experienced college advisor, the College Search Concentration (CSC) takes the place of a regular morning course and is designed to help you navigate the complicated college admissions maze. You'll meet with admissions professionals, learn how to evaluate college websites and tours, prepare for interviews and admissions essays, and identify colleges and universities that could be a good match for your unique interests and skills. In addition, all students in the concentration receive one-on-one college admissions counseling.
The College Seach Concentration is only offered during Session One of Explo at Yale.
HS2C: The College Writing Concentration
Our High School to College Writing Program (HS2C) teaches you the techniques and skills to take your writing to the next level. In college, knowledge of the topic will be assumed; your writing will be evaluated on the originality and cogency of your thinking, as well as by the strength of support you can provide for your points. In this morning course alternative, you will begin to think like a college writer — learning how to organize your writing and how to structure your argument.
The College Writing Concentration is only offered during Session One of Explo at Yale.
The College Search Weekend Seminar
Logan Powell, Director of Admissions at Princeton University, leads The College Search Weekend Seminar — a day-long weekend seminar that gives you insider access into the ins and outs of the college admissions process.
College Application Symposium
College Essay Writing Workshop +
The College Matchmaker Seminar
On the second Wednesday of each session, EXPLO at Yale hosts an afternoon College Application Symposium. For the first half of the symposium, renowned Dr. Sarah McGinty shows you how to approach writing your college essay. (Attendees also receive a copy of Dr. McGinty's book, The College Essay, one of the best college essay writing guides available.
For the second half of the symposium, join educational consultant Carlene Riccelli, Ed. D., as she helps you answer important questions about colleges, as well as important questions about yourself. Questions like: "What kind of learner am I?"; "What schools fit my interests?"; "What are my 'reaches' and what are my 'safeties?'"; "Should I apply early decision?"; and "What should I be looking for when I visit a college?"
College Fair
Gather materials and talk to admissions reps from a variety of colleges and universities at our fair. Schools from all across the country attend, giving you a chance to explore a range of opportunities and speak directly with representatives from big state schools, top tier universities, small liberal arts colleges, and other schools with focuses in the arts and in engineering. In addition, we run a workshop beforehand on how to talk to school representatives, what questions to ask, and how to get the most out of any college fair.
Princeton Review
You want your standardized test scores to show your potential as a student — and nothing is more frustrating than an SAT score that doesn't reflect the kind of student you know you are. That's why it's important to practice and to familiarize yourself with the tests beforehand. Princeton Review courses demystify the SAT, ACT, and PSAT, breaking them down section by section and providing insight into how the test is designed... so you'll feel confident when it's finally time to sharpen those No. 2 pencils.
National Association for College Admission Counseling
EXPLO is a proud member of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC). Founded in 1937, the NACAC is a worldwide organization of more than 11,000 counseling professionals dedicated to serving students as they make choices about pursuing postsecondary education. NACAC is committed to helping students realize their full educational potential, while promoting high professional standards that foster ethical and social responsibility.
