Preparing for life beyond Peak
The Peak School, college preparatory school in Colorado, has a strong focus on preparing students for life beyond Peak. The college-counseling program is unique in its intensity, comprehensiveness, and personal approach. Beginning in 9th grade, you complete periodic workshops focusing on future goals and careers. Resume building, preliminary interest assessments, engagement in ongoing service projects, and visits to college campuses are also a focus of these counseling workshops.
Beginning in 11th grade, students have bi-weekly meetings with our in-house college counselor with the purpose of determining post-secondary priorities, scheduling standardized testing, and generating detailed lists and spreadsheets comparing colleges.
In the 12th grade, you matriculate into the college counselor’s Base Camp—The Peak School version of homeroom—which allows for more one-on-one time with the college counselor during the final stretch of your college prep and application process.
The College Prep Process by Grade
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Fall: College Night
Winter: Myers-Briggs Assessment
Spring: PSAT 8/9 Testing
How you can prepare on your own:
Concentrate on academics
If you don’t already pursue any, consider a long-term extracurricular commitment
Begin visiting colleges when traveling
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Fall: College Night & Aspen College Fair
Winter: Diagnostic testing • Option to go on a school-organized week-long college trip beyond Colorado
Spring: PSAT 10 • PSAT Subject Tests • Initial Family Meeting with Macy College Consulting
How you can prepare on your own:
Concentrate on academics
Visit college campuses with your family
Begin independent SAT/ACT prep
Continue pursuing goals outside of the classroom, such as athletics, arts, community service, clubs, or other extracurriculuar commitments
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Fall: Test to determine whether you should take the ACT or the SAT • Peak college campus trips to in-state colleges and universities
Winter: Mandatory SAT/ACT Prep elective
SAT (1st /2nd Sitting) in December or January
Spring: A week-long trip with your entire 11th grade class to visit out-of-state colleges & universities • Ask teachers for college recommendation letters
SAT (2nd /3rd Sitting) in March or April
How you can prepare on your own:
Concentrate on academics
Visit college campuses with your family over school breaks and into the summer
Continue studying for the ACT/SAT & register for at least two test dates
Continue pursuing goals outside of the classroom, such as athletics, arts, community service, clubs, or other extracurricular commitments
Begin working on college applications & essays over the summer before senior year
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Fall: College Essay Boot Camp • Complete college applications
Winter: Recommendation Thank-You notes to teachers
Spring: Decide among the colleges you have been admitted to!
June: Graduation!
How you can prepare on your own:
Stay on track to finish you college essays before the end of the fall bootcamp by working on them over the summer
Don't let your academics slip! Avoid the senior slump
Line-up an internship for your third-quarter senior project
Continue pursuing goals outside of the classroom, such as athletics, arts, community service, clubs, or other extracurricular commitments
Take a deep breath, have a cup of tea, and celebrate finishing the college application process!
Annual College Trip
Why are college campus visits so important? For all the online research and virtual tours you do, there is no better way to become acquainted with a college and its offerings than to step foot on the school grounds. A campus tour is an invaluable opportunity to get a sense of what life will be like as a student there. Our annual college trip allows The Peak School students to get a first-hand look and feel of several campuses over the course of the trip.
Where do Peak Students go to College?
There is no one kind of school that Peak students prefer. We take pride in the fact that Peak’s matriculation list reflects the unique mix of personalities, interests, and goals of our senior class. Explore the map below.
American University of Technology
Arizona State University
Bennington College
Bowdoin College
Brigham Young University, Idaho
California College of the Arts
California Polytechnic State University
Chapman University
College of Charleston
Colorado College
Colorado Mountain College
Colorado School of Mines
Colorado State University
Connecticut College
Eckerd College
Evergreen State College
Flagler College
Ft. Lewis College
Grand Canyon University
Hamilton College
Hofstra University
James Madison University
Johnson and Wales
Kansas State University
Landmark College
Lewis & Clark
Lynn University
Meredith Manor
Metropolitan State University
Montana State University
New Mexico State University
New York University
Northeastern University
Oklahoma State University
Oregon State University
Otterbein University
Quest University
Regis University
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
San Francisco State
Santa Clara University
Savannah College of Art and Design
Seattle Pacific University
Seattle University
Seminole State College of Florida
Skidmore College
St. Johns University
SUNY Fashion Inst.
Texas A&M
Texas Tech
The New School
UMASS Amherst
UNC Wilmington
University of British Columbia
University of California Santa Cruz
University of Colorado Boulder
University of Colorado, Colorado Springs
University of Colorado, Denver
University of Denver
University of Guelph
University of Montana
University of Missouri Kansas City
University of Northern Colorado
University of Oregon
University of Portland
University of Puget Sound
University of San Diego
University of Utah
University of Vermont
University of Victoria
University of Wyoming
Utah State University
Western Colorado University
Western Washington University
Westminster College
Whitman College
Whitworth University
William and Mary
Woodbury University