College Counseling

Male and female students in a group at career fair holding orange bags

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10

GUIDED BY PURPOSE

Personalized counsel for the next step in God's plan

College counseling at Weatherford Christian School is personal — never one-size-fits-all. We walk alongside each student to help them recognize the passions and God-given gifts already at work in their lives, then guide them, one conversation at a time, toward their next step after high school.

This is more than admissions advice. It's an extension of our school's mission: to provide a Christ-centered educational environment where students are equipped for lives of Christian leadership and service.

Every student's path looks different. Ours is to help them see it clearly — and walk it with confidence in who God made them to be.

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MRS. TINA HARPER, Dean of Academics

EMAIL: tina.harper@wcslions.org

OVERVIEW OF COLLEGE COUNSELING

We proudly offer a semester-long College and Career Prep course for all juniors. The goal of this course is to ensure students are equipped to transition successfully from high school to college, and in doing so, are provided with hands-on experiences such as career guest speakers, college visits and PSAT/SAT tutoring services to name a few. In addition, we recognize the importance of not only providing thorough academic support, but also the significance of equipping students with meaningful spiritual guidance throughout the college planning process.

Parental involvement in College and Career Prep is encouraged at Weatherford Christian School. The planning process begins in early spring of freshman year and progresses throughout high school. A four year-plan is developed for each student and a training session is held to introduce families to our comprehensive and valuable college and career readiness planning program. Additionally, informational sessions with the College Advisor, Mrs. Tina Harper, are offered throughout the school year to reduce any confusion regarding the planning process, to discuss student goals, dual-credit options, PSAT/SAT/ACT, college visits, internship opportunities, FASFA information and much more!

If you would like to schedule an appointment for academic advising, please contact Mrs. Tina Harper.

Contact Information
Tina Harper
817-341-0000
tina.harper@wcslions.org

HIGH SCHOOL JOURNEY

FRESHMAN YEAR

Meet with College Advisor to plan high school course selections. Establish a Scoir account.
Enroll in academic classes and make studying a priority. Participate in extracurricular activities. Begin building a resume.
Become involved in activities at school, in the community and at church. Begin networking with members of the community. Participate in volunteer opportunities. College admissions will look at how involved you are in these different areas.
Plan, stay organized, and study to maintain a solid grade point average (GPA). Double check your transcript to make sure you are on track to fulfill all credits and there are no mistakes in your grade record.
Do something meaningful over the summer such as volunteering, accepting a part-time job, studying abroad, or considering a collegiate summer program. While traveling, visit local colleges. This will help determine what size college you may like to attend.
Complete 10-20 community service hours in addition to the hours you will earn during school allotted service opportunities.
Begin building and drafting your resume.

SOPHMORE YEAR

Keep enrolling in academically strong courses and work hard. Maintain study habits.
Take responsibility for your coursework and grades. Meet with teachers, attend tutorials or plan a study group with peers to improve and/or stay on track.
Double check your transcript to make sure you are on track to fulfill all credits and there are no mistakes in your grade record.
Begin to consider the various types of colleges available and the types of programs they offer.
Take the PSAT (spring) and use results to determine strengths and weaknesses in writing, verbal, and math skills.
Register to take the SAT in the summer before your junior year
Continue visiting colleges informally whenever you are near one during a family trip or vacation.
Enroll in College and Career Prep course for Junior Year.
Complete 10-20 community service hours in addition to the hours you will earn during school allotted service opportunities.
Continue building and drafting your resume.

JUNIOR YEAR

Focus strongly on academic performance. Increase GPA for use on college admissions applications.
Double check your transcript to make sure you are on track to fulfill all credits and there are no mistakes in your grade record.
Visit with college representatives at college fairs and when college representatives visit WCS. Forming a relationship with these representatives is beneficial when applying to colleges.
Participate meaningfully in the PSAT/SAT tutorials offered once a week during College Prep the six weeks prior to the PSAT/NMSQT in October. A valuable resource.
Take the PSAT in October. National Merit Scholarship Competition is determined from the junior-year PSAT.
Complete all tasks assigned by the College Advisor in Scoir.
Take a practice pre-ACT to compare performance on both college entrance exams.
Register for senior classes. Do not treat this as an “easy” year. Challenge yourself. It will show on your college application.
Attend the College Admissions Case Studies workshop offered in April.
Take the SAT and/or the ACT in the spring.
Use results from spring SAT to determine future tests in the summer and early fall of senior year
Attend the College Counselor, parents, and student conference in March- May. Create a “to do list” and schedule out tasks for the college admissions process for the top 5-10 schools from this meeting.
Continue to develop your resume. Consider running for leadership positions during your senior year.
Ask teachers for recommendation letters before the end of the school year.
Complete 10-20 community service hours in addition to the hours you will earn during school allotted service opportunities.
Revise your resume.
SUMMER- complete the main section of the common application.
Revise your personal statement developed in College and Career Prep your junior year.

SENIOR YEAR

Begin applying online or obtaining paper applications.
Use Scoir and College Board to save a list of test registration deadlines, fees, test dates, and college application deadlines.
Prepare college application, essays, and personal statements.
Ask teachers for recommendation letters and/or scholarship letters if you did not do so at the end of junior year.
Complete 10-20 community service hours in addition to the hours you will earn during school allotted service opportunities.
Finalize your resume.
Complete the self-reported academic record for all schools that require it.
Have all requirements for applications turned in TWO weeks prior to the deadline.
Continue to maintain strong grades. Colleges will view fall grades and they are used in the admissions and scholarships process.

IMPORTANT RESOURCES

Seniors and juniors use Scoir to research colleges, track WCS admission statistics, and sign up for individual college visits.

The Common Application is used by almost all WCS students to apply to college. It is accepted at more than 1,000 colleges and universities.

ACT: A standardized college admission exam that includes four curriculum-based tests in English, math, reading and science. Each test is scored on a scale of 1 (low) to 36 (high), and the four tests are averaged to provide a composite score.

The College Board website is an excellent college search tool. It is the oversight agency for many tests and services connected with the college admission process, including the PSAT/NMSQT, SAT, CSS Financial Aid Profile and AP Exams.

Online form that determines eligibility for Federal Student aid-grants, college work study jobs and loans. The FAFSA should be completed in October of the senior year. There is no fee to submit this form.

The National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) is the association dedicated to ethical treatment of students in the college admission process.

Registering online with the NCAA Eligibility Center is the avenue in which eligibility for participation in collegiate athletics is determined. Student athletes are encouraged to register at the end of the junior year. All prospective student-athletes intending to enroll in an NCAA Division I or II institution must complete the NCAA Amateurism Certification questionnaire.

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