Students enter Forman to learn how they learn and build a toolkit to succeed with a learning difference. As they prepare to graduate from Forman, each student has their own interests, dreams, and criteria for their future. What remains consistent is the support students receive as they prepare to decide what their next step looks like. That support ensures every student earns the opportunity to attend a four-year college or university and feel confident in their ability to succeed.
The College Counseling Office is one of the most important lifelines a student has as they determine their future after Forman. Recognizing each student is unique, the office takes an individualized approach to help students determine what their goals are and their right fit post-Forman.
An integral part of the process is building a trusting relationship with both the student and their families, allowing students to be open and honest.
“We want them to understand and be aware of their options after Forman,” says Meredith Davis, Director of College Counseling. “We do this through helping them be honest with themselves and gain insight into who they are not only as learners but also as humans.”
The office often collaborates closely with parents, keeping them informed along the way. For many parents, it is reassuring to know that their student is being supported in the college application process.
“We provide [the students] tools to be independent in the process, while behind the scenes, we’re the safety nets,” Davis says.
From day one at Forman, students are empowered with new skills, tools, and resources to learn effectively. Students learn independence, self-advocacy, and academic strategies to apply at Forman, in college, and in their careers.
An important step in a student’s preparation for education after Forman is the post-secondary planning course, which is split between the second semester of junior year and the first semester of senior year.
“I think that class makes us different than a lot of the other schools,” says Davis. “That [class] is the support, the bread and butter of our office.”
The junior year course helps students make informed and knowledgeable decisions regarding their future educational and career choices so they are better able to identify and articulate their personal needs and desires for their life after Forman.
“They take assessments, career inventories, and personality inventories,” Davis adds. “We go through all of that with them and use that to guide our process in what the next steps might be.”
By the end of a student’s junior year, they complete a draft of their college essay with the support from the College Counseling Office and other faculty members; start the Common App, a single online college application form used by over 1,000 colleges and universities; and request teachers to write their college recommendations.
The senior year course provides students with support and guidance in all aspects of the college application process. Students individualize their curriculum based on their specific application needs. Incorporated into the unique course is the implementation of time management, self-advocacy, and organizational strategies that can be used at the post-secondary level.
“Especially with our students’ schedules, it’s hard for them to fit [in time dedicated to the college application process,] so it is nice to have this time where there is an adult who understands the college counseling process there that helps them through [it],” Jennifer Garton, Assistant Director of College Counseling, says.
Click to read the second and third blogs in the “From Forman to Their Futures” series.