Philosophy

At Gravitas, we encourage each student to develop his or her unique interests and skill sets and apply to fitting colleges and universities. Recognition of each student’s individuality and focus on college fit are central to the Gravitas college counseling philosophy. The motto of Gravitas, “Character Before Career” is at the core of our work with our students in the college process. We not only want students to enroll at great institutions of higher education; we want them to thrive with excellence and integrity in college and beyond. Achieving this important and complex goal begins many years before our students’ college matriculation.

Process

In 9th grade, students focus on acclimating to and excelling in their rigorous courses as well as exploring and getting involved in extracurricular activities. In 10th grade, Gravitas students continue their quest to do well academically while also taking on projects, activities, and assessments that help them to better understand their interests, passions, and strengths. The 11th grade year is considered the most important year for college preparation. In addition to continuing to employ their strong work ethic and perform well academically, students attend one-on-one college counseling sessions and group and family meetings to learn about the college search and begin strategically developing their college lists. Each Gravitas 12th grader works with his or her college counselor on the multi-faceted process of applying to the colleges and universities of their choice as well as applying for financial aid if needed.

Resources

At Gravitas we use a platform called SCOIR, which our students use to take strengths assessments, track their activities and achievements over time, search for and compare colleges and universities, and log their applications and admissions outcomes. There are many other websites that students and their families can use to learn about higher ed institutions that may be a good fit, including The College Board’s Big Future, The Education Trust’s College Results Online, and the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard. However, we believe that SCOIR is the most comprehensive, intuitive, and useful platform for our work with our students.

Outcomes

Gravitas graduates attend the world’s most renowned colleges and universities. In fact, over 40% matriculate at the 30 highest-ranked universities in the United States. We prepare our students for admission to and success at elite higher ed institutions. However, once again, helping students find schools that are the best fit for their unique interests, strengths, and needs is always core to our college counseling work. We want Gravitas students to be happy and flourish at their chosen college or university and go on to thrive in their professional careers and lives overall.