Counselors Guide Students Through College Process
The Upper School college counseling team was hard at work this past year guiding seniors and underclassmen through the college process. Twenty-five percent of the senior class committed to play college athletics. Five students from the Class of 2018 are now attending Ivy League universities. This fall, our newest alumni stepped foot onto the campuses of Amherst, Duke, Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, Stanford, UCLA, UNC Chapel Hill, and a variety of prestigious colleges and universities across the country.
But according to Associate Director of College Counseling Bekka Goldberg, the college process isn’t just about the bumper sticker, or where a student attends school, but about matching them with the choice that’s right for them and giving them the life skills necessary to be successful once they get there.
“Some students have always known where they want to go and others don’t really have a concrete idea. We’re here to guide them and give them the tools to be successful and help them through the process,” said Goldberg.
Goldberg said the college counseling process is fundamentally about leading students on a journey of self-discovery in which they can better understand what they want out of their college experience.
Valedictorian Roberto Lama, who now attends Stanford University, said the entire college counseling process was extremely helpful. He said his counselor Bekka Goldberg kept him up-to-date with news or deadlines he needed to know.
“Mrs. Goldberg really helped personalize my selection. She didn’t push me to apply anywhere I didn’t want and encouraged me to go wherever I wanted,” said Lama. Lama said even after his applications were submitted, he would still go to Goldberg’s office to chat.
“Her positive attitude really kept me believing in myself. She is one of the nicest people ever, and I’ll miss her contagious smile and positive/supportive attitude tremendously,” said Lama.
Director of College Counseling Anna Wright said her team begins working with students their freshman year and introduces them to Naviance, a college counseling management tool that provides dynamic and searchable information about colleges, scholarships and the application process.
“We take a team approach with the freshmen, because we want the chance to get to know the students before making an assignment. We work with them in group settings and welcome any student who wants to meet with us individually to come in,” said Wright.
Wright explained that freshmen are offered academic planning and by sophomore year have all been assigned an individual college counseling advisor.
“They are welcome to come meet with us and discuss whatever’s on their mind. We talked to a variety of students about their junior and senior year courses, their high school plans and aspirations, as well as what their academic strengths are,” said Wright.
Jennifer Barre, who worked with Wright and now attends Georgetown University, said she felt the counselors truly listened to her and tried to get to know her as a person.
“She [Wright] believed in me and encouraged me throughout the entire process. I knew that I could always go see her with any questions, which was very comforting since the college process can be quite stressful,” said Barre.
“They [college counselors] helped me stay organized, perfect my essays and make connections with the schools I was applying to. Having good relationships with the representatives is very important, and the college counselors helped me create those,” said Barre.
Barre said although she was nervous to have a brand new college counseling team, her fears were quickly put at ease.
“I can now say that I had nothing to worry about. The three of them not only work very well with each other, but also with the students. Also, I love how they are all so different and have such different personalities, yet still work as a team. I am delighted to have been a part of the first class they got to work with and feel extremely lucky. I could not be happier with where I am going to college and how I got there, with the help of these three college counselors,” said Barre.
Assistant Director of College Counseling Alain Darang, a former admissions officer at the University of Miami, said his experience at Benjamin has been one of more personal relationships than his time on the other side of the admissions desk. He said Benjamin students, above anything else, have demonstrated that they’re prepared for what’s next. He said students have access to the college counselors in a way that students at public schools, or larger schools, don’t.
Jessica Drettman, who worked with Darang and is attending University of South Carolina, said the counselors tailored potential college options around her personal interests, grades, tests scores and desired location.
“The counselors were very helpful to me because I was so new to the college process being the firstborn in my family. Since I did not know where I wanted to go to school, they helped me find schools based on location preference, hobbies and activities, campus size and the major I am interested in. I was constantly visiting my college counselor Mr. Darang to go over the essays and short responses needed for each school. The counselors always made time to see me; and if I could not meet with my specific counselor, I would be able to go visit the other counselors for assistance,” said Drettman.
Administrative Assistant for College Counseling Linda Twitchell, who worked at Benjamin for 28 years, said it was a pleasure working with the new college counseling team.
“Each one brings a different kind of experience with them. They all have very different and unique strengths while being a cohesive team at the same time.”
Main Address & Lower/Middle School
11000 Ellison Wilson RoadNorth Palm Beach, FL 33408
Ph: 561.626.3747
A premier PK3 - Grade 12 independent, coeducational day school with campuses in North Palm Beach and Palm Beach Gardens. Since 1960, The Benjamin School has provided a challenging college preparatory education to a diverse student body in a structured, nurturing community environment.