College Counseling

List of 3 items.

• College Counseling at DSHA is available to all students and families through multiple means.

  Giving students access to college-related information early, often, and through multiple sources provides students with greater confidence and comfort in communicating with colleges and also provides additional resources for questions, answers, and peace of mind. Our college counseling team meets with students individually and in large group settings, as well as provides classroom guidance, hosts multiple learning nights for students and their families, and maintains a high online presence as to be accessible where students are.

   

  While the College Center serves as the “clearinghouse” for all college-related information at DSHA, students also discuss and plan for college with their school counselors. Accessibility and an open door policy for students and parents promote conversations from casual to formal as early as freshman year.

  
  Ongoing discussions between students and counselors also promote individual reflection on the part of a student. These discussions aid counselors in understanding a student’s aspirations, and provide counselors the ability to suggest post-secondary options that families can investigate.

• Finding the right fit for students is our ultimate goal.

  We use our relationships with college admission counselors and our existing resources to make sure that DSHA students have access to the most up-to-date, objective, and unbiased information available to aid them with their college searches. We shepherd, challenge, suggest, and inform students and families while also serving as strong advocates for them.

   

  DSHA has a belief that there is a good “fit” for every student. To aid in finding that “fit,” we work with students to look at colleges through three lenses: academic fit, financial fit, and personal fit. One lens is not more important than another. Our team helps students find a college that has all three “fits.”

• Throughout this process, we promise to care.

  As children of God made in His image, every student at DSHA and every member of her family has the right to be treated in a respectful, caring, and considerate manner. Information can be dispensed in many ways, but advice can only be given through an interactive process in which the goals, abilities, successes, and shortcomings of the students are known and respected. We promise to be active listeners who take the time to get to know both our students and the members of their families, as well as their specific ambitions, strengths, and concerns about college.