Michael Quinlan ’14: Beginning in the 2013-2014 school year, Episcopal will change its college guidance program by assigning students to their college counselors during the sophomore year. The current college process begins during the second semester of the junior year, when students are paired with one of the five members of the college guidance office, whom they will work with for the duration of the college process.
Matt Essman, who has served as Director of College Guidance at Episcopal since 2010, explains that the change was made by “myself and [Head of Upper School Geoffrey Wagg] a couple months ago.”
According to college guidance counselor Celia Creskoff, the college guidance department voted unanimously for Essman to solely represent the department in discussions regarding changes to the college guidance process.
After observing that both academic and athletic deadlines “seem to move earlier and earlier” each year, Essman decided it would be in the students’ best interests to start Episcopal’s college process earlier as well.
A number of schools in the Inter-Ac, such as Germantown Academy, the Haverford School and the Baldwin School, already started the official college guidance process in the sophomore years.
Reports provided by the College Board show a majority of students who had taken the PSAT during their junior year had already taken the PSAT beforehand; in 2012, more than 37,000 Pennsylvania students reported that they had taken the PSAT as least once during their sophomore year.
“Students are taking the SAT and ACT earlier than they have in the past … [athletic] recruiting has begun earlier [as well],” noted Essman.
With the implementation of these changes, the college guidance counselors plan on “working in conjunction with advisors and form deans” to help produce students that are “the best candidates…for college,” according to Essman. The college guidance office also plans to focus more on the importance of course selection, particularly in the core subject areas.
However, the main goal of this earlier transition to the college guidance process will be to develop stronger relationships between students and their counselors. With this change, the college guidance department also hopes that their office will serve as a place where more students can come and ask any questions they might have related to the college process.
According to Essman, the sophomore year has been designated as a time to provide “programming and education” about topics which may be of interest to students.
The stress of college admissions affects most students, but it is also a source of stress for the college guidance office. Essman noted that the change may “present a little more work [for counselors]. However, he stated, “[the college guidance office] feel[s] the benefits so outweigh any extra work that we’re going to have to take on.”

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