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...
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:
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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.
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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…”
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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FVS School Profile for Colleges
2022-2023 Profile for Colleges includes School Code
College Acceptance 2017-22
| 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 |
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FOR COLLEGE REPRESENTATIVES
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FVS is a private, college-preparatory, co-ed, day and boarding school for grades 9-12 in Colorado Springs.
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