College Counseling
Professional college counseling supports each Kirby student and family in the college selection and application process. Counseling begins in the sophomore year and involves the student, his or her parents, and their academic advisor. It is launched each year through meetings with each class, followed by individual meetings with parents and student, and subsequent meetings with the student.
Sophomore Year
A workshop called “The College Going Process — an Overview” is followed by personal meetings with each family to lay the foundation for the college preparation and application process. The college counselor provides assistance to students who have learning disabilities to ensure that necessary paperwork is completed to ensure that they receive accommodations on National tests (SAT I, SAT II, ACT, and AP exams.)
Junior Year
PSAT’s are administered at Kirby. Fee waivers and testing accommodations are provided to those who are eligible. A workshop entitled “The College-Going Process, in Excruciating Detail,” is again followed by meetings with parents and the student and then the student alone. Based on exercises he or she completes, the student and counselor develop a College List, and then, based on the research that the student then does, that College List is refined with the counselor.
Senior Year
The college counselor works with those seniors who are semi-finalists in the National Merit Scholarship Competition (historically about 20% of the class) and assists them in completing final paperwork and writes their Letter of Recommendation. The senior fall workshop, “Where you should be at this time in the Application Process” ensures that students and families are aware of, and on track to, meet deadlines. The college counselor writes the Counselor Letters of Recommendation for those applying to private institutions and assembles and mails all paperwork involved, following up with the second semester transcript and appropriate forms as necessary. After high school graduation, the final transcript is sent to the college the student has chosen.
Financing College
Each fall a workshop called “Financing and Financial Aid” is provided to parents (only) of Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors. If parents need assistance with financial aid applications, names of bonded consultants are provided to assist them in that process.
Olga Euben, College Counselor
Although she taught invertebrate embryology, biology, and physical and cultural anthropology in various community colleges and at the University of California for a number of years, college advising for high school students is where Ms. Euben’s career has focused most recently. She has been at Kirby for five years, and has been an independent counselor serving students and their families from Santa Cruz, San Jose and Monterey Counties for the past 13 years. Her previous experience includes being a founder and advisor of the Women’s Re-entry Program at UCSC, Academic Preceptor at College 8 at UCSC, Director of Admissions and Academics at UCSC, Director of Admissions at Hampshire College (Amherst, MA), and College Counselor at York School (Monterey, CA).