Programs

College Counseling

Starting sophomore year, you will begin work on finding a college that is the right fit for YOU. Our college counselors have a proven track record of success and will help you gain a strong understanding of your strengths, interests and values so that you will find a school that is the right fit for YOU and where YOU will thrive.

It’s natural to start with college matriculation when considering a college preparatory school. And while we’re confident that you’ll like what you find on our list (see below), we challenge you to reflect on what you’re looking for. Are you looking for the names of a couple of top ranked schools and the college that you or someone close to you attended? Then ask what you actually know about any given school and the students who are most successful in that environment. If you come up blank, never fear—most people do.

Enter the FVS college counseling team...

Guided Discovery

With decades of combined experience—both as college counselors AND as college admissions officers, our counselors are experts at helping students and colleges make a match that fits and that lasts so that you can focus on learning and won’t be left asking whether or not you made the right choice. Our counselors know our kids, but just as importantly, they know the colleges and spend countless hours researching and visiting schools, meeting with college reps, and getting to know the culture of schools around the world. Guidance is highly personal and attentive. And as a boarding school where teachers are also coaches and residence hall staff, the connections they make run deep and thus their understanding does too. Their process is student-centered, focused on finding fit, and spans three years. Here’s an overview:

Sophomore Year

Sophomores kick off their college search by taking self-inventory and encouraging you to question your assumptions. Our counselors help you understand yourself better so that you may chart a course and choose classes that will empower you to develop your passions, and support you as you explore new interests. You will be prompted to answer questions like:

“What is the best academic experience you’ve ever had?” This will help you define what kinds of learning environments you might thrive in.

“Which are the colleges that you feel you know a lot about and what do you actually know about them?” There are more than 3000 schools in the U.S. alone, and this question sets the stage to keep an open mind. For many students, the school they choose is one that they may never have heard of.

“If you could build it, describe your ideal college.” Indulging a bit of design thinking, you’ll define the characteristics and create a profile. Where is it and what does it look like? Is it like FVS or different and how? 2000 students or 20,000? Is it coed? What programs are strongest and how do the facilities support them? These questions will lead to more, but a clear picture will soon begin to emerge that will serve as a guide when you begin research the following year.

Junior Year

Each year at FVS is defined by a signature experience. Freshmen have Chapter One; sophomores enjoy a Western Immersion, and seniors have their capstone experience. For juniors, it’s the college search. The year is a deep dive into this process and counselors guide students and their parents in navigating the complex landscape of college admissions. They provide valuable insight and moral support, but also facilitate the process and keep things on track and on time. Here’s how the year looks:

Juniors attend a college fair in the fall. Nearly 200 colleges and universities are represented and this is a great time to speak with college reps and see if you can find that ideal college that you designed sophomore year.
Workshops take place every other week throughout the spring. You’ll look at the college process timeline and dissect the SAT and ACT to develop a standardized testing plan. Discussions will include how colleges make admission decisions as well as how to research colleges and plan visits. You’ll also start working on the Common Application and begin to brainstorm ideas to answer the question that most vexes students: “What will I write about in my essay…”
Then it’s on to building lists. The goal is for each junior to identify a collection of schools for their initial list that fit their needs and represent a calculated range of likelihood and reach.
Throughout the school year, representatives from 75-100 colleges and universities visit the Fountain Valley campus. Students are encouraged to meet with representatives, learn about colleges and establish contact with an admission officer who may, one day, be reviewing that student’s application for admission.
In April, juniors enjoy an enlightening evening where they review and make admission decisions on mock college applications. Students are divided into small group “admission committees,” which are led by visiting admission officers from colleges and universities from around the country. There is spirited debate about which hypothetical candidate is admitted, giving juniors an idea of the nuanced factors that go into acceptance decisions.
During spring break and over the summer, juniors and their parents typically hit the road to see the schools on their list.

Senior Year

Throughout the fall semester of senior year, students meet with college counselors both individually and in small groups to finalize their college list, and to complete and submit their applications. Discussion topics include objective analysis and decision-making, as well as ways to maintain a healthy emotional balance. Counselors are also well-versed in the complexities of financial aid and help families explore different sources and options.

Technology and Test Prep

FVS students and their parents use the SCOIR College Network, which is an online, deep knowledge base that connects students, parents, counselors and colleges for a smooth admissions process. Twice each year, Fountain Valley offers optional six-week SAT and ACT test prep classes to assist students in maximizing their scores.

FVS School Profile 2021-22

College Acceptance 2017-21

American University

Arizona State University

Auburn University

Austin Community College District

Babson College

Bard College

Bard College Berlin

Barnard College

Bates College

Biola University

Boise State University

Boston College

Boston University

Bowdoin College

Bradley University

Brandeis University

Cal Poly Humboldt

Cal State University (San Bernardino)

Calvin University

Carleton College

Carnegie Mellon University

Carroll College

Case Western Reserve University

Castleton University

Chadron State College

Chapman University

Chatham University

Colby College

Colgate University

Colorado College

Colorado School of Mines

Colorado State University

Columbia College Hollywood

Connecticut College

Creighton University

Culinary Institute of America

Dartmouth College

Davidson College

DePaul University

Drexel University

Earlham College

Elon University

Emmanuel College

Emory University

Fort Lewis College

George Washington University

Georgia Institute of Technology

Gonzaga University

Hamilton College

Hofstra University

Lafayette College

Lake Forest College

Lake Superior State University

Laval University

Lehigh University

Lewis & Clark College

Linfield University

Long Island University

Macalester College

Marquette University

Maryland Institute College of Art

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Miami University (Oxford)

Missouri University of Science and Technology

Montana State University

Muhlenberg College

Naropa University

New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

New York University

North Park University

Northeastern University

Northern Vermont University

Northwestern University

Occidental College

Oxford College of Emory University

Parsons School of Design at The New School

Pennsylvania State University

Pitzer College

Princeton University

Purdue University

Quest University

Quinnipiac University

Reed College

Rhodes College

Rochester Institute of Technology

Ryerson University

Saint Edward's University

Saint John's University

Saint Mary's College of California

San Diego State University

Santa Clara University

Santa Monica College

Sarah Lawrence College

Savannah College of Art and Design

School of Visual Arts

Seton Hill University

Skidmore College

Smith College

South Dakota School of Mines and Technology

Southern Methodist University

Stanford University

SUNY Morrisville

Syracuse University

Texas Christian University

Texas Tech University

The New School

The University of Alabama

The University of Edinburgh

The University of Tampa

Tufts University

Tulane University of Louisiana

Universidad Pontifica Comillas

University of British Columbia

University of California (Berkeley)

University of California (Los Angeles)

University of California (San Diego)

University of California (Santa Barbara)

University of California (Santa Cruz)

University of Chicago

University of Colorado at Colorado Springs

University of Colorado Boulder

University of Denver

University of Hawaii at Manoa

University of Kansas

University of Maryland

University of Miami

University of Nevada Las Vegas

University of Notre Dame

University of Oklahoma

University of Oregon

University of Pennsylvania

University of Providence

University of Puget Sound

University of Rochester

University of San Francisco

University of Southern California

University of St Andrews

University of Toronto

University of Utah

University of Vermont

University of Washington

University of Wisconsin (Madison)

University of Wisconsin (Milwaukee)

University of Wyoming

Vassar College

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Wake Forest University

Waseda University

Washington University in St. Louis

Wellesley College

West Virginia University

Western Colorado University

Whitman College

Yale University

Yale-NUS College

Meet the College Office

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Doug Badger P ’17 - Director of College Counseling

Before coming to Fountain Valley in 2014, Mr. Badger spent more than 20 years working on college campuses, including 12 years in the Admissions Office at Middlebury College and five years as the Director of Admission at Grinnell College.
Lee Nuckolls — Associate Director of College Counseling

Ms. Nuckolls arrived at FVS in 2016. She served as a college counselor at independent schools in both Atlanta and Salt Lake City for many years, and spent 11 years in the Admission Office at Washington University in St. Louis.
Vicki Sandoval P ’06, ’11 – College Office Assistant/Testing Coordinator

For more than 20 years, Vicki has served the Fountain Valley College Office. In addition to sending and tracking applications, recommendations, and transcripts, Vicki coordinates all SAT, ACT, and AP testing on campus.

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FOR COLLEGE REPRESENTATIVES

We look forward to welcoming you to our stunning campus on 1,100 acres of prairie at the foot of Pikes Peak.

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Please contact Vicki Sandoval or use repvisits.com to schedule a visit. We typically host college representatives in space off of the dining room during the lunch period, 11:55 a.m.-12:35 p.m. Depending on the day, we do have some flexibility with alternate times.

Fountain Valley School is located at 6155 Fountain Valley School Road (see map). Your GPS should bring you to the main gate off of Grinnell Blvd. If the gate is closed and no FVS representative is available to greet you, there are directions posted so you may have the gate opened remotely. When you arrive on campus, make your way through the security front gate and park in the "Hacienda parking lot" to the left of the first roundabout. Doug Badger or Lee Nuckolls will be there to greet you.

The School Code for FVS is 060-275.