College Counseling

Roeper’s College Counseling Department guides Upper School students on their journey to finding a college that best suits them academically, socially and financially—a place that challenges them and nurtures their love of learning and commitment to creating a better world.

Embedded in the Roeper education is a love of learning, of challenging oneself and of developing passions, building meaningful relationships with faculty, taking “safe risks” through participation in sports and the arts, and giving back to the community. Well on the way towards self-actualization, Roeper students are not only competitive in the college admissions process, they are sought after and, moreover, prove to be highly successful students and leaders on college campuses.

"College Counseling at Roeper is not about winning a prize. While a large proportion of our students are invited to attend highly selective colleges and universities—not just Ivy League schools, but top colleges across the nation—the priority is for them to find the best fit for their next phase of life." -Patricia Bostwick, Director of College Counseling

Roeper provides an environment in which students are given the encouragement and space to get to know themselves. This serves them well as they navigate the process of deciding their next step. They also understand that college, a gap year, an overseas program, or whatever fits are just the next steps in their journey toward fulfilling their life potential. They are provided excellent guidance in their search from our College Counseling Department.
School Profile and College Acceptances List, 2023–24

Decision-Making Process

College is not an end goal, but part of the process that culminates in adults that live up to their potential and the Roeper philosophy. Students at Roeper and the college choices they make are as unique as Roeper itself. This uniqueness is communicated specifically to colleges through the school profile and in every letter of recommendation, as well as in casual conversation with the many college representatives who are familiar with our school. Sometimes I’ll simply say, “Roeper kids are really smart and really kind.” Who wouldn’t want smart and kind students on their campus? Our record shows that a lot of them do. In addition to demonstrating their love of learning through their course choices and generally excellent grades, Roeper students care about making a positive impact and are proactive in innovating and taking action to this end, actively demonstrating the Roeper philosophy. It is no wonder that they are highly sought after. A good decision-making process includes

Self-Awareness
Subject (in this case “College”) Awareness
Planning
Action

Roeper teachers support students in their journey to becoming the best version of themselves. Having this self-awareness helps students find the place that works best for them and where they can make a positive impact.

College awareness begins with exploring college campuses virtually and locally and ramps up during junior year. During the planning phase, colleges encourage formal visits and students, together with the college counselor, explore programs of interest, plan out potential essay topics, create résumés, and seek out recommenders. Our focus on community and relationships shines through in the highly personal letters of recommendation students receive.

Action steps take place during senior year. Students submit applications and work to meet all deadlines. Financial aid and scholarship applications are also submitted during this step.

While Roeper graduates excel at selective colleges and universities throughout the country, that is only part of our story. With Roeper, gifted children flourish and become compelling thinkers, compassionate agents of change, and fulfilled adults throughout their lives.

“Let us talk about our tasks. We prepare our youngsters for college. This is a matter of course. But I consider preparation for college as half of our job. We also want to help our students to be amply prepared for this world in a social and human sense. We want our youth to have values, to understand their values, and to help them uphold their values…Regardless which way the country is going politically, to the right or to the left, youth will challenge the older generation and our institutions. We should not delude ourselves. Our youth will not become less verbal and less articulate, nor will they become less informed. The trend is inevitable, and I would say we would not even want it any other way.”

-George Roeper to the PTA, 1968

Patricia Bostwick, Director of College Counseling, has over thirty–seven years of experience, a Masters in Counseling, and is a Licensed Professional Counselor in the State of Michigan. Before coming to Roeper, she worked with gifted students as the Director of Guidance at Dondero High School for over twenty years, as the Director of College Counseling at the Frankel Jewish Academy for four years, has been an Adjunct Counselor at Oakland Community College for over thirty years, and is an Independent College Consultant. She serves on the Advisory Council of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. She is a past officer of the Michigan Association for College Admissions Counseling (MACAC), the Michigan Counseling Association (MCA), and the Michigan School Counseling Association (MSCA). She is a founding member of the NACAC Metro Detroit College Fair Committee. Other memberships include the National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC), the Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA), and and she is a faculty member of the William Glasser Institute.

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College Counseling

Bloomfield Campus

Birmingham Campus