Form of 2026 starts its college application journey with Kickoff to College Counseling event

Fifth Form families gathered on the Circle January 31 to February 1 to mark the informal start of their students’ college application process with Groton School’s annual Kickoff to College Counseling event. 

More than seventy families joined College Counseling Office staff for the event, which included panel discussions and workshops, a keynote speaker, one-on-one meetings with counselors, and lunch with Headmaster Temba Maqubela.

Groton students meet with the College Counseling Office in the spring of their Fourth Form year to look ahead at courses they might want to take, but the college application process begins in earnest with the Fifth Form. After the Kickoff event, counselors will have regular meetings throughout the rest of the year to get to know students better, learn what they’re looking for in a college, and start building an initial list of potential targets. 

The support follows through to Sixth Form, as students complete their applications and start thinking about things like early decision and financial aid. 

Kickoff workshop topics included “Making the Most of the College Visit,” “Putting Together an Application,” “Engineering/Computer Science,” “The Essay,” and “Financial Aid.” In addition, a “Lessons Learned” session featured a group of current Groton Sixth Formers sharing their experiences with the college admissions process, things they would do differently, and advice they would give to parents and students beginning the process now.  

Friday night’s keynote speaker was Kelly A. Walter, associate vice president for Enrollment and dean of Admissions at Boston University. With forty-four years of experience in enrollment and admissions, Ms. Walter is responsible for the strategic planning, management, marketing, and administration of BU’s undergraduate admissions. 

“The admissions process has changed pretty dramatically in the past twenty or twenty-five years, from when they [parents] were applying to college,” Ms. Walter said Friday evening before her address. “So, in part, I want to give them a reality check about what the process looks like today.”

Ms. Walter said she hoped to give families insight into the college application process by talking about five primary trends that she’s seeing in admissions: 

Ms. Walter said it was important for families to give their children the space to make their own decisions when it comes to college.

“I want to make sure parents hear that they should allow their children to take the lead in the college search. This is their college experience, it’s not the parents’, but parents can play a very important role,” she explained. “I think of them as being the chief cheerleader. They certainly can provide guidance but the student has to decide what are those qualities and characteristics that they’re looking for in a college, and what was right for their parents or an aunt or uncle or the next-door neighbor doesn’t mean it’s right for them. They’ve really got to have an honest conversation about the search being for the son or daughter and not them. Let them take the lead.”

Ms. Walter credited Groton with providing parents and students with the resources they need to make the most out of their college search.

“There is so much bad information out there—on the web, on social media—on the college admissions process that isn’t accurate,” she said. “What I appreciate about these evenings is that it demonstrates very clearly the importance Groton places on the college search and application process, that they want to be supportive of their students and families. They want to be a resource and, by inviting someone like me in, we can speak from our experience about what the process looks like and the choices that lie ahead for the families. I wish all schools did it.”