College Advising

““Education is not a subject, and it does not deal in subjects. It is instead the transfer of a way of life.””

— – G.K. Chesterton

Preparing Students for College and Beyond

Our mission for college advising at Paideia is to partner with families to explore post-secondary educational options in which their students can continue to grow in their faith, develop their love for learning, and meet their academic and career goals. Students at Paideia have a variety of interests and aptitudes, and we encourage families to pray and seek God’s guidance together for how He wants to develop these interests at Paideia and beyond.

To that end, we offer a variety of services to shepherd families through the college admissions process from start to finish. As a result of this investment, which starts in 9th grade, many of our students complete their college applications before the beginning of their senior year and have more time to fully engage in the capstone of classical education—their Senior Thesis.

Here are some of the services that we provide in the college advising program at Paideia during the Rhetoric School years

Grade 9

Freshmen will learn how and why to build a strong GPA, what details to record about their extracurricular activities, why service activities are important, and what to know about college admissions tests. They will also take the Strong’s Interest Inventory. This will be administered again in their Senior Year.

Grade 10

Sophomores receive guidance and encouragement to begin compiling a list of colleges to research or visit based on their personal interests. They will also take the CLT-10, the ACT, and the PSAT.

Grade 11

Juniors prepare for and take the PSAT, ACT, and CLT in anticipation of the college admissions process. They will be given guidance on college applications and encouraged to research colleges of interest to them. Students are also encouraged to begin taking college campus tours.

Grade 12

Seniors will complete the Strong’s Interest Inventory again and compare their results to their 9th-grade responses and they will re-take the ACT and CLT if they prefer. Seniors work one-on-one with our college advisor to submit college and scholarship applications, review financial aid offers, and decide what to do following graduation.

College Representative Visits

We work with colleges and universities from all over the country to bring representatives to our campus to meet with students, to provide an overview of their institutions, and to answer questions. For many of our students, this is their first exposure to schools outside of Florida and majors they may not even know exist. It is also an excellent “warm up” for students and families as they prepare to visit college campuses.