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College Counseling

College Counseling Overview

The mission of Cannon School’s College Counseling Program is to build personal relationships with Upper School students that encourage their exploration, develop their decision-making skills, and assist them in moving confidently from the Cannon community to the next stage of life and beyond.

Program Highlights by Grade Level

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Freshman Year

The focus of 9th grade is to orient students to high school and to build the foundation for a successful academic experience. We encourage students to engage fully in their learning and to explore the variety of extracurricular opportunities available in the Upper School. Every freshman will have small group and individual time with their college counselor.

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The College Counseling team takes a relational approach to teach freshmen:
- How to understand their individual learning styles
- Strategic ways to use their school and free time intentionally
- How to determine myths from facts in the college admission process
- About the variety of opportunities available after high school (college, military, Gap Year)
- What to expect in the standardized testing process used for college admission
- Goal setting skills through the creation of a four-year academic plan
- The importance of using summer for exploring community service, hobbies, career interests, work opportunities and leisure activities
Sophomore Year

The focus of 10th grade is helping students to stay focused on their four-year plan. Deep engagement in learning and leadership is reinforced. Every sophomore will have small group and individual time with their college counselor.

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The College Counseling team takes a relational approach to teach sophomores:
- What to expect in the standardized testing process used for college admission
- The attributes college admission offices seek when creating a class for their institution
- An understanding of the college scholarship selection process
- How to get the most from college tours and visits with college admission representatives
- Techniques to research majors and careers related to their interests
- Ways to explore their interests on a deeper level through opportunities provided at Cannon, in the community and at the national level
- Analytical skills to determine curriculum choices for junior and senior year course schedules
Junior Year

The focus of 11^th grade is research and exploration of post-secondary opportunities. Multiple contacts points throughout the year with students and families encourage self-assessment, reflection and decision making as students analyze the academic, social and financial attributes desired in their next step.

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The College Counseling team takes a relational approach to teach juniors:
- The importance of college campus tours and conversations with college admission representatives
- What to expect in the administering and timing of the general standardized and subject test process used for college admission
- Research strategies for exploring post-secondary opportunities
- Synthesis of their personality and interests with major and career choice
- Effective resume writing techniques
- Career exploration through research, interviews and shadowing experiences
- The selection process for highly competitive college scholarships
- How to share their individual stories with others through writing and public speaking
- Ways college admission offices analyze applications to determine admission decisions
- The steps necessary to secure impactful teacher recommendation letters
- The writing process for creating an authentic college essay
- How to determine appropriate course selection for senior year
- Intentional use of summer as preparation for college admission, career/major exploration or exploring individual interests
Senior Year

The focus of 12^th grade is preparing for the college application process. Extensive individual, group and workshop time is spent finalizing the college list, completing applications, writing personal statements and supplemental essays, and preparing for interviews.

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The College Counseling team takes a relational approach to teach seniors:
- The nuts and bolt of the college application process including types of decisions, application options, essay prompts, standardized testing, interviews, etc.
- How to determine fit by analyzing financial, academic and social attributes of a college
- A working knowledge of the financial aid and scholarship process
- The importance of mental health to students in the college admission process and in the transition to college living
- To blend the self-awareness developed through high school experiences with goals for the future, and to be able to share this synthesis in both verbal and written formats
- Their rights and responsibilities in the college admission process
- Effective decision-making techniques
- Successful transition strategies for moving beyond Cannon School
- How to appropriately support and celebrate each other throughout the year
Parents

The College Counseling team believes creating relationships with families is a priority. Targeted programs are hosted for parents in each grade level as well as presentations related to the college admission and financial aid process. Parents are also invited to attend family sessions with their college counselor.

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Parent programming hosted by the College Counseling team:
- Parent Night - all grade levels
- Financial Aid Workshop – all grade levels
- Coffee with College Counseling Q&A session – freshman and junior parents
- ACT/PSAT Interpretations – freshmen and sophomore parents
- College Admission Case Studies Event – junior parents
- College Admission Deans Panel – all grade levels
- College Kick-Off – senior parents
- Transitioning your child beyond Cannon – senior parents
- Individual appointments with college counselor – open to all parents; scheduled by Cannon for junior and senior parents

College Counseling Twitter

Suggested College Blogs and Twitter Feeds to Follow

Meet the College Counseling Team

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Beth Wilner

bwilner@cannonschool.org
Director of College Counseling
Stanford University - B.A.
Washington University - M.A. and Ph.D.
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Beth joined Cannon School in summer of 2017. Previously, she served as the Assistant Director of College Counseling at Whitfield School in St. Louis, Missouri from 2014-2017. Prior to her work at Whitfield, Beth has directed a non-profit supporting critically-injured veterans, advised graduate students at Washington University in St. Louis, and worked in the admission offices of the law schools at the University of Michigan and Washington University.

Beth earned her B.A. in International Relations from Stanford University and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Political Science from Washington University.

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Kristin McClanahan

kmcclanahan@cannonschool.org
Associate Director of College Counseling
Miami University - B.S.
Miami University - M.S.
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Kristin joined Cannon in 2012, returning to counseling after staying at home with her three children. Prior to that she worked as a Career Counselor with Baldwin Wallace College, Miami University, Ohio and Ferrum College.

Her favorite things about her role at Cannon are getting to know the students and their families - spending time with them over a four year process really enables relationships to build. She is a self-described "geek about colleges" and loves touring colleges, exploring college towns and learning about college traditions.

Kristin's education includes a Masters of Science in College Student Personnel with a counseling emphasis and a Bachelor of Science in Business, both from Miami University, Ohio.

All three of Kristin's children are Cannon Cougars - Mason '12, Katie '16 and Meghan '19. She enjoys being outdoors - kayaking, poolside, or hiking - or inside cooking or reading.

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Alex Segura

asegura@cannonschool.org
Associate Director of College Counseling
Carson Newman College - B.A.
Troy University - M.A.
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Alex joined Cannon in August 2006. Prior to Cannon he served as Associate Director of College Counseling for seven years at Lake Highland Preparatory School in Orlando, Florida. Alex also brings college admission experience to Cannon having worked in the undergraduate admission offices at Tusculum College (TN) and the University of Miami (FL).

Alex’s education includes a M.A. in Counseling and Psychology from Troy University (AL) and a B.A. in Human Services from Carson-Newman College (TN).

When not guiding students, reviewing college essays, or coaching middle school softball, you can find usually find him enjoying the outdoors in some way, but most likely cycling, hiking, and backpacking. Alex has one daughter, Sophia ’23, who is a proud “lifer” at Cannon.

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Brook Wolcott

bwolcott@cannonschool.org
Associate Director of College Counseling
Hamilton College - B.S.

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Brook has spent the last eight years working to support access to higher education. From 2013 through 2017 Brook owned and operated the Los Angeles-based independent college counseling firm, Decoding Admissions, LLC. During that time, Brook and his team worked with students from across the country and around the world to help them gain admission to some of the most selective colleges and universities in the country. Most recently, Brook served as the Director of College Counseling and the Director of Scholar Success at Oliver Scholars, a New York City based non-profit organization that provides educational support to high-achieving black and Latino students. Brook has prior experience as both a financial advisor and an educational fundraiser.

Brook received his bachelor's degree from Hamilton College and is currently working toward his Masters of Education at Northeastern University. Outside of work, Brook enjoys endurance sports such as triathlon and trail running, playing golf poorly, and spending time with his wife Renee, his daughter Reilly, and their rescue dog and cat, all of whom are excited to join the Cannon community.