As the academic year draws to a close, Saint Mary's School prepares to send its Class of 2017 out into the world. For 175 years, Saint Mary's has remained true to its mission to prepare young women for the challenges and opportunities of their day. As Saint Mary's founder the Rev. Aldert Smedes believed in 1842, we believe today – "an educated woman can make a difference."
This year's graduating class reflects these beliefs. They are a group of young women who have found their voices, become leaders in their lives, and are poised to serve and shape their world with purpose. They have been accepted at leading colleges and universities around the state, the country and the world, including Boston College, Clemson, William and Mary, Cornell, Dartmouth, Davidson, Duke, Elon, George Washington, Georgetown, NYU, NC State, Northeastern, Princeton, Rhodes College, Sewanee, Syracuse, St. Andrews in Scotland, U.N.C. campuses at Chapel Hill, Greensboro, Charlotte and Wilmington, Villanova, Wake Forest, Wellesley and Wofford, to name a few. Click here for a complete list of the schools admitting members of Saint Mary's Class of 2017.
The range of schools offering a place to Saint Mary's seniors for next year reflects the diversity of the students, their interests, talents, and aspirations. It also reflects a college counseling process that is highly personalized and allows each young woman to discover the best fit college or university for her – one that aligns with her interests, aspirations, and personal goals. This process begins in the ninth grade and continues throughout a student's Saint Mary's career. Dedicated college counselors work closely with each girl and her family to help them navigate the college selection process.
The college counseling program also provides many opportunities for students to get exposure to and learn more about a variety of institutions. This process helps students to think more creatively about their college choices and clarify their own priorities when it comes to selecting a college.During this academic year, more than 111 colleges and universities visited Saint Mary's School. In addition, each spring, the college counseling office organizes a week-long college visit trip for students in 11th grade.
In the words of Sophia Abatangelo '17, "One of the greatest gifts we are given at Saint Mary's is our college counselors... My college search experience was extremely gratifying at times and humbling during others. I discovered that what you think you want isn't always synonymous with what you need....the college search process can change you, if you let it. By nature, trying to figure out where and how you will spend the next four years of your life requires asking yourself a lot of questions, some obvious and some more difficult. While it is impossible to know who you will be in the next four years, it is important that you find somewhere that is supportive and nurturing of the person you are and aim to be. In trying to discover an ideal fit of a school, you can discover a lot about what you value and believe. With the guidance and help of my college counselor, I was able to find, apply, and get into my top choice school, but along the way, I discovered my passions, convictions, and truths about myself that I know will serve me far beyond college."
Visit our Where Are Saint Mary's Graduates page for more information and click here for more about Saint Mary's college counseling program.