College Prep Admissions Blog

College Prep Receives Access Award from A Better Chance

Jonathan Zucker — Fri, 03 May 2013 21:27:08 +0000

Awards and recognition for College Prep are often met with equal parts pride and indifference within our community. Just this week, we were named the sixth best private school in the country, following similar accolades from Forbes and The Wall Street Journal in recent years. Though the news was greeted mostly with shoulder shrugs, it is always nice to be recognized for the fine work we are doing.

Earlier this week, we received an award that I am unabashedly proud of. A Better Chance honored College Prep with its Access Award. ABC is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Its mission is to “increase the number of well-educated young people of color who are capable of assuming positions of responsibility and leadership in American society.” One of the main ways this mission is realized is through placing students at independent schools like College Prep. We have graduated more than 70 ABC Scholars since we began our partnership many years ago, and have 20 more in our current student body.

Not only do ABC and College Prep provide a great opportunity for the amazingly talented students in the program, but our work with ABC has been instrumental in the larger success of our school. We are grateful to ABC not only for their stellar recruitment efforts, but for the on-going support they provide to their scholars and families through career workshops, retreats, college counseling, and more.

It is the best kind of partnership, one that benefits students, our school, and ABC, and we are very proud to be a leader in these efforts in the Bay Area.

Edutopia Explores Collaboartive Learning at College Prep

Jonathan Zucker — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 18:32:59 +0000

Edutopia is a fantastic resource for educators. It is supported by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, whose mission is:

To improve the K-12 learning process by documenting, disseminating, and advocating innovative, replicable, and evidence-based strategies that prepare students to thrive in their future education, careers, and adult lives.

College Prep was extremely honored when Edutopia approached us to help explore the topic of collaborative learning. Group work and collaboration have always been a big part of College Prep’s success. It’s not the only way we teach, but it is a core philosophy that teachers across all disciplines use. Among other benefits, collaborative learning focuses on process, builds accountability, and allows students to teach and be more in tune with one another. It leads to high levels of student engagement and creates the often-times electric atmosphere College Prep classes are known for.

For an in-depth examination of collaborative learning, I recommend you spend some time looking at the resources that Edutopia put together. To see College Prep’s unique brand of collaboration in action, please view the stunning video below!

Halloween at Prep

Jonathan Zucker — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 20:49:43 +0000

We’ve got spirit, yes we do, we’ve got spirit, how bout you?

Click to view slideshow.

Hooray for the Class of 2016

Jonathan Zucker — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 04:58:13 +0000

“How is the freshman class?” is a question I’m never sure how to respond to. Sometimes I answer with numbers, because I’m something of a data geek. In that case, I might say that this year’s ninth graders include 46 girls and 41 boys. They come from 38 different middle schools, including 20 students who are the only representatives from their middle schools. Sometimes I might describe the class by their shared passions. Before this school year began, I noted that the Class of 2016 had many very talented athletes, was super smart and curious (even by our standards), and was filled with kind, good-hearted young people. But the person behind the question “How is the freshman class?” is usually asking about their well-being. Now that they are here, I can say that this is a happy, joyous bunch. While it’s true that the novelty of starting high school hasn’t worn off, and there is much hard work yet to be done, I can practically feel the positive energy and excitement from this group. It all started off at the ninth-grade retreat in August. You can see for yourself what a good time they had!

Admission Season Begins!

Jonathan Zucker — Sun, 23 Sep 2012 03:58:22 +0000

Well, it certainly felt like admission season began in earnest last week, as I visited five middle schools over the course of four days. I spoke with eighth graders at Crowden, Julia Morgan, Pacific Boychoir Academy, Prospect Sierra, and St. Paul’s. I’ll be visiting many more schools in the coming weeks (and am always happy to add more!). These visits were energizing and inspiring. It is wonderful to see the eighth graders at their respective schools, on their own, comfortable turf. The students asked great questions about College Prep and the application process. They were so genuinely appreciative of my time, and the feeling was mutual.

What a delight to see the cyclical process of enrolling a quarter of our school begin anew. It marks a transition of sorts in the focus of my time, from our new ninth graders (Class of 2016) to all the students and families that might join the as-yet undetermined Class of 2017. Given the inspiration that the eighth graders provided me this last week, I thought I would share a video I made to help inspire our own new ninth graders. This was shown at New Student Orientation in August and much of it pertains to current eighth graders, whether they end up at College Prep or elsewhere. Enjoy.

5 Years of College Matriculations

Jonathan Zucker — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 20:50:18 +0000

One year of college data is interesting, but five years tells a deeper story. The College Prep graduating classes of 2008-2012 included 430 students (an average of 86 per year). 309 of those students (72%), matriculated to the following 34 schools. These schools had no fewer than 5 Prep students enroll (an average of one per year) and no more than 22 (Stanford, with an average of 4.4 per year). It speaks to both the incredible success Prep students have at earning admission to the nation’s finest colleges and universities as well as where Prep students feel comfortable continuing their education.

Stanford (22 Prep students enrolled)
Wesleyan (17)
University of Pennsylvania (16)
Harvard (15)
Swarthmore (15)
UC Berkeley (15)
UC Davis (12)
Columbia (11)
Cornell (11)
Occidental (11)
University of Chicago (11)
Dartmouth (9)
Tufts (9)
Brown (8)
Carleton (8)
Oberlin (8)
UC San Diego (8)
Washington U – St. Louis (8)
Georgetown (7)
Macalester (7)
NYU (7)
Pomona (7)
UC Santa Barbara (7)
UC Santa Cruz (7)
Middlebury (6)
Wellesley (6)
Williams (6)
Barnard (5)
Lewis & Clark (5)
MIT (5)
Northwestern (5)
Princeton (5)
Scripps (5)
Yale (5)

Class of 2012 College Matriculations

Jonathan Zucker — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 20:31:20 +0000

Oh the places they’ll go! We will dearly miss the wonderful Class of 2012 as they head off to the following colleges (the number of students matriculating is in parentheses):

Swarthmore (5)
Brown (4)
Wesleyan (4)
University of Chicago (3)
Oberlin (3)
Stanford (3)
Tufts (3)
Washington University – St. Louis (3)
UC Berkeley (2)
Boston University (2)
Brandeis (2)
Caltech (2)
Carleton (2)
Emory (2)
Georgetown (2)
Hamilton (2)
Harvard (2)
Lewis and Clark (2)
New York University (2)
Occidental (2)
University of Pennsylvania (2)
Rice (2)
UC San Diego (2)
Wellesley (2)
Amherst (1)
Barnard (1)
Bennington (1)
Brigham Young (1)
Case Western (1)
Claremont McKenna (1)
Clark (1)
Columbia (1)
Cornell (1)
Duke (1)
Expression College for Digital Arts (1)
George Washington (1)
Holy Names (1)
UC Irvine (1)
Macalester (1)
MIT (1)
Mount Holyoke (1)
Pitzer (1)
Princeton (1)
University of Puget Sound (1)
Rochester Institute of Tech. (1)
Scripps (1)
Seattle University (1)
University of Southern California (1)
Saint Andrews (1)
UC Santa Cruz (1)
Tulane (1)
US Military Academy West Point (1)
Willamette (1)
Williams (1)
Yale (1)

College Prep’s Got Talent!

Jonathan Zucker — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 18:53:58 +0000

College Prep is known as a school with a lot of intellectual firepower. It is true that our students and teachers possess some of the sharpest, most creative minds around. Yet, there is so much more than intellectual talent at College Prep. From athletes, photographers, musicians, poets, debaters, and more, College Prep students practically ooze talent.

Take for example seniors Leo. G (headed to Wesleyan) and Abby S. (headed to Brown). Leo and Abby designed their own independent songwriting study for the second semester of their senior year, and created the fantastic new band, Chambray & Chambray. Abby writes:

This semester Leo and I worked with music teacher Tina Harrington in an independent study in song writing. Throughout the semester, we met on Thursdays to share and workshop our music from the week. I have been writing music for a few years on my own, but it was a really amazing experience to work with both Tina and Leo and I loved having their input. Leo helped me add percussion and Tina helped with song structure and harmony. At the end of the year we also made recordings of some of the songs and had a concert during lunch. The class was one of my favorite things I have done at College Prep. It was fun and relaxed but we accomplished a lot and I had a great time performing the finished pieces.

You can download five of their songs for free! Below is a video of their end-of-year performance. Great stuff!

The Spirit is Alive!

Jonathan Zucker — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:31:27 +0000

Working in admissions, I hear and read all sorts of things about our school. Inevitably, the world outside our wood-shingled ravine has formed some stereotypes about College Prep. The one that is least true and probably bothers me the most is that College Prep lacks spirit and fun. College Prep is full of happy, vibrant young people. Some might go so far as to call this the happiest place on earth!

Every October we celebrate Spirit Week with dress-up days, competitions among the classes, and general goofiness. Witness the two videos below. The first one is a slideshow of all the zany outfits during Spirit week, from dead people, to toga-wearing Romans, to plants, dinosaurs, and more. The second one features a handful of sophomores showing that the Class of 2014 is not to be messed with on the dance floor!

Oh The Things One Sees Wandering Around College Prep

Jonathan Zucker — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:11:20 +0000

Last month, I stepped out of my office and saw a group of sophomores assembling a large structure near the top of campus. As I got closer, it appeared to be a very cool art project, which it was. Yet, it wasn’t for an art class. Sophomore Nick B. explains that his ode to Da Vinci’s bridge was actually made for Dr. Wilson’s Western Civilization class.

English at College Prep

Jonathan Zucker — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 03:01:54 +0000

English classes at College Prep have something for everyone. Whether it is the endless fascinating discussions had around the Harkness table or Nancy Steele’s poetry seminar, the English Department at College Prep is simply superb. Listen to Department Head Kate Kordich talk about the progression through the program.

Join us at the East Bay High School Fair!

Jonathan Zucker — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 17:10:12 +0000

The East Bay High School fair is an annual event put on by more than a dozen high schools. It is a great opportunity to gather materials and spend time with representatives from multiple schools all gathered in one place. This year, thirteen schools will attend, along with our friends from A Better Chance. We hope to see you on October 12, from 7-9 pm! Please click the fair flyer for more information.

Admissions Season Is Here!

Jonathan Zucker — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 19:06:55 +0000

Admissions is cyclical work. Today — September 20 — marks the first day that interested families can schedule a shadow visit at College Prep. Internally, it marks the transition from many months of hard work over the summer preparing for the upcoming admission season to a more outward facing time of interaction with prospective College Prep parents and students. In honor of the official beginning of the admission season, who better to give advice to high-school applicants than other students who have recently been through the process?

Class of 2011 College Matriculations

Jonathan Zucker — Wed, 18 May 2011 17:38:25 +0000

It is difficult to look at the following list without being awed by the continued success of College Prep’s students. During a recent faculty meeting where he shared this data, Director of College Counseling Martin Bonilla began by thanking Head of School Murray Cohen for never putting “prestige” ahead of “fit” during Martin’s five years at Prep. For more context, please see last year’s blog post, Rankings and Perspective.

The Class of 2011 is truly remarkable, and here is where they will be attending college:

Stanford (7 students)
UC Berkeley (6 students)
Carleton (4 students)
Columbia (4)
Penn (4)
Harvard (3 students)
Pomona (3)
UC Santa Cruz (3)
Washington U. – St. Louis (3)
Wesleyan (3)
Brown (2 students)
University of Chicago (2)
Cornell (2)
Dartmouth (2)
Emory (2)
Occidental (2)
Reed (2)
Swarthmore (2)
Tufts (2)
UC Davis (2)
UCLA (2)
Williams (2)
Bates (1 student)
Bennington (1)
Bowdoin (1)
Carnegie Mellon (1)
Chapman (1)
Colgate (1)
Colorado-Boulder (1)
Duke (1)
Goucher (1)
Loyola – New Orleans (1)
Macalester (1)
MIT (1)
Mount Holyoke (1)
New York University (1)
Oberlin (1)
Pitzer (1)
Sarah Lawrence (1)
Smith (1)
St. Andrews – UK (1)
UC Riverside (1)
UC San Diego (1)
Whitman (1)
Yale (1)

More Intraterm 2011

Jonathan Zucker — Tue, 17 May 2011 18:35:03 +0000

We covered Intraterm in a recent blog post, but these new videos are too awesome not to share. First up is Hoopla. I dare you not to smile while watching how much fun everyone is having! Next is “Folks and Spokes” about a 170 mile bike trip in California with an unexpected pit stop!