College Counselor Malkese Edwards speaks to Lowers at their first CCO meeting, a change to the previous curriculum for Andover students.
The College Counseling Office (CCO) met with Uppers for the first time last Thursday and with Lowers on Friday, marking a shift to pre-pandemic practices. Introducing students to the curriculum earlier than the classes of ’25 and ’24 were, the change aimed to reduce stress and give students more time to navigate the college process.
After receiving a significant number of questions from Lowers and Uppers, the CCO decided to meet with them earlier in an attempt to debunk myths about the college application process. Karina Hernandez-Guarniz, Associate Director of the CCO, explained the reasons behind this decision.
“This year we decided to go back to doing programming for the eleventh-grade families in the fall because it’s always nice to be able to connect in person. We wanted to provide an overview of what they can expect in January when we start working with them. The thought was to give them more time and get them a bit ahead of the normal timeline,” said Hernandez-Guarniz.
She continued, “For tenth graders, we also in the past had done big group meetings with the eleventh graders and the ninth graders. Since Covid[-19], we [haven’t done] that, and we thought that this year would be a good year to start meeting students as a big group. We get a lot of questions from Lowers about standardized testing and selection and how to use their summers, so we decided to be proactive and give them this information now.”
As college admission rates decrease each year, the presentation aimed to address the students’ worries surrounding the college process. Ashiq Kibria ’26 shared how this meeting allowed him to reflect on Andover’s college culture.
“It is the first time we are seeing Andover as a school directly addressing these issues. There is one thing talking with teachers about this process but another to [have] a whole class meeting about this. Andover, a college preparatory school, should prepare for the college experience. The idea and culture that no matter at what point you are in school your grades will affect college is perpetuated, and I’m grateful the College Counseling Office addressed that during the meeting,” said Kibria.
For Lowers, the meeting primarily involved simple questions and reminders. Thiago Jollon ’27 reflected on students’ enthusiasm, describing how they eagerly competed for the candy the counselors threw.
“It mostly said stuff such as, ‘True or false: you have to get a 6 to go to a good college.’ Pretty obvious questions, and then they’d give people candy… Across the meeting, the people who were fighting for candy proved that we as a society are 15 minutes from ‘Lord of the Flies,’” said Jollon.
According to Sean Logan, Dean of the CCO, the CCO’s curriculum aims to equip students with skills that extend beyond college. Logan encouraged students to use the college application process as an opportunity to reflect on their lives at Andover.
“We want you to develop your identity. Who are you? What are your strengths? What do you think about yourself? Again, that also goes right along with self-advocacy. If I know myself, then I can talk about what I think I really need to talk about with people. Ultimately, it’s decision-making, and we want to teach you how to make a good decision,” said Logan.
Ashley Choi ’26 emphasized the value of the CCO’s resources, noting how the presentation allowed her to see that it was a service that often went unnoticed.
“They introduced themselves individually, and we went over what we could ask them… They’re a resource that is not as well advertised as they could be, [and] they’re an amazing guide, especially for questions in the future. It would have been great to meet them earlier,” said Choi.
