College Counseling
Preparing Students for College and Beyond
One hundred percent of Sandia Prep graduates are accepted to four-year colleges and universities.
Our counselors work diligently one-on-one, beginning in ninth grade, to help students and their families understand the complex process of planning for and applying to college.
Freshmen learn to understand the importance of their early academic work and select the appropriate courses. Sophomores explore their aptitudes and abilities as they relate to career options and future college choices. Juniors and seniors hold individual meetings with our college counselors to help them select and apply to the schools that best fit their needs.
The college counseling office also assists with financial aid applications and scholarship information. The Class of 2024 (56 students) received more than $8 million in scholarships.
College Counseling Timeline
From portfolio-building to PSATs and from college visits to college acceptances, Sandia Prep students are equipped with comprehensive college counseling information and skills beginning in ninth grade.
Grade 9
Fall - Ninth Grade College Night: general introduction to the importance of courses and a strong academic record; discussion about transcripts and building a personal portfolio
Spring - Personality and career-planning activities to better understand how students learn best
Grade 10
Spring - PSAT 10 and Pre-ACT administration; continuation of personality- and career-planning activities
Grade 11
October - PSAT administration; New Mexico College Fair; financial aid presentation
December - Eleventh Grade College Night: specific information on the college admissions process
December through May - Individual college counseling meetings with students and families; researching scholarship opportunities; admissions testing planning
January through April - College workshops
April - Case studies – how college admission decisions are made; mini college fair
May - AP exams available
Grade 12
August - Senior College Night: specifics on the college application and financial aid schedule; teacher recommendation requests begin
September - Individual meetings to refine a college list; college essay writing workshop
October - Finalizing college list; New Mexico College Fair; financial aid presentation
November - Most Early Decision/Early Action applications due
December through February - Regular Decision applications due
December through March - Admissions decisions made
May 1 - Deadline for college matriculation decision for most colleges
Our New Alumni
We have more than 2,100 alum working around the globe. Whether they are navigating college, earning their degrees, or launching into their careers, we love hearing our alum success stories and welcoming them back onto our campus. Hear how Sandia Prep prepared our alumni for success in college and beyond.
Click here or the map below to see where the Class of 2024 is headed!
Colleges Visiting Sandia Prep
Each year more than 60 colleges and universities send recruiters to Sandia Prep to visit with students.
Below is a sample of schools that visit Sandia Prep every year:
American University
Arizona State University
Babson College
Baylor University
Boston College
Bowdoin College
Brandeis University
Bucknell University
California College of the Arts (San Francisco)
Chapman University
Claremont McKenna College
Coe College
Colby College
Dartmouth College
Duke University
Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Emory University
Hamilton College-NY
Harvey Mudd College
Hofstra University
Kalamazoo College
Knox College
Lawrence University
Lewis and Clark College
Linfield College
Maryland Institute College of Art
Middlebury College
New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
New Mexico State University
Northeastern University
Occidental College
Pacific Northwest College of Art
Prescott College
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Salve Regina University
Sarah Lawrence College
Scripps College
Seattle University
Southwestern University
St. Edward’s University
St. John’s College
Texas Christian University
Trinity College
Trinity University
Union College (New York)
University of Arizona
University of British Columbia
University of Chicago
University of Colorado at Boulder
University of New Mexico
University of Portland
University of Richmond
University of Rochester
University of San Diego
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Vanderbilt University
Watkins College of Art
Whitman College
Willamette University
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Yale University
College representatives - sign up here for a visit day
University Admissions Representatives: we invite you to schedule your visit to Sandia Prep in SCOIR.
Pablo Torres
Director of College Counseling
ptorres@sandiaprep.org
Danielle Yepa-Gunderson
Associate Director of College Counseling
dgunderson@sandiaprep.org
Laurie Magee
Lmagee@sandiaprep.org