College Counseling

The Class of 2018 throwing their caps after graduation. — The Class of 2018 throwing their caps after graduation

The Rolling Hills Prep and Renaissance college counseling office guides and supports students through identifying and selecting a college or university that best fits their unique talents and interests. The college selection process is student-focused and we encourage each of our students to select a path that best suits him or her.

The College Process By Year

9th Grade

Our goal for every entering freshman is for him or her to become fully engaged in the life of Rolling Hills Prep and Renaissance. Students take full advantage of all that the school has to offer. Freshman year is the time for students to discover talents, develop interests, and to sample a variety of activities. It is also the time to refine study habits and skills to form a foundation for future academic success. The college counselor is available to consult with students and parents on academic and extracurricular choices.

10th Grade

Having completed their transition to the Upper School, sophomores focus on developing their academic and extra-curricular profiles and are encouraged to involve themselves in the school community. This is the year that students should begin to focus a bit more on the activities and classes that have become most meaningful to them. This year, standardized testing begins with the PSAT in October. The college counselor is available to meet with students and parents to discuss how academic and extracurricular choices will affect college opportunities.

11th Grade

The junior year presents students with the challenge of finding a balance between handling a rigorous academic course load, researching colleges, and taking on positions of leadership in their activities. Grades earned in the junior year often serve as the primary evidence of academic preparation and level of engagement. The college counselor meets individually with juniors during the second trimester when fall PSAT scores and first trimester grades become available. Juniors are encouraged to visit colleges during vacations, particularly during spring break, to get a sense of the different types of post-secondary education that are available to them. Most juniors will take the SAT, SAT IIs and/or ACT for the first time in May and/or June.

12th Grade

During their last year at Rolling Hills Prep and Renaissance, seniors enroll in advanced classes and lead the student body to shape the culture of the school year. They also choose the colleges to which they will apply. Admissions representatives from various colleges and universities are invited to Rolling Hills Prep and Renaissance to meet prospective students. Seniors will take any additional standardized tests they need, ask teachers and counselors for recommendations, work on applications and write essays. The college counselor supports the students and their parents throughout this very busy year. Rolling Hills Prep and Renaissance students benefit from a low student to counselor ratio and have unlimited access to their college counselor.

The Success of Rolling Hills Prep and Renaissance's Graduates

Our graduates come back to visit us from college and let us know how well-prepared they are for the experience. Rolling Hills Prep and Renaissance graduates report that they are among the strongest writers in their freshman classes and that they feel more prepared than many of their peers for the time-management challenges of living away from home and juggling academic and extracurricular activities. Rolling Hills Prep and Renaissance alumni graduate from their four-year colleges within four years at a rate of over 85% (compared to 22% of those attending four-year colleges nationally).

College Acceptance List - Classes of 2017 to 2020

University of Alabama
University of Alabama, Huntsville

Amherst College
American University
University of Arizona
Arizona State University
Art Center College of Design
Augustana College
Austin College
Azusa Pacific University
Baylor University

Belmont University
Beloit College
Bennington College
Berklee College of Music
Binghamton University
Biola University
Birmingham-Southern College
Boston College
Boston University
Brandeis University
Bringham Young University
Brooks Institute of Photography
Cal Poly Pomona
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
California Baptist University
California Lutheran University

California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo
California State University, Channel Islands
California State University, Chico
California State University, Dominguez Hills
California State University, Fresno
California State University, Fullerton
California State University, Long Beach
California State University, Los Angeles
California State University, Monterey Bay
California State University, Northridge

California State University, Sacramento
California State University, San Bernardino

California State University, San Marcos
California State University, Stanislaus
University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Davis
University of California, Irvine
University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Merced
University of California, Riverside
University of California, San Diego
University of California, Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Cruz
Calvin College
Carleton College

Carnegie Mellon University
Central Michigan University
Chapman University
University of Chicago
Christopher Newport University
Clark University
Clarkson University
Clemson University
Colby College
Colgate University
College of Charleston
College of Saint Benedict
College of the Atlantic
University of Colorado, Boulder
Colorado College
Colorado School of Mines
Colorado State University
Columbia College Chicago
Concordia University, Irvine

Concordia University, Chicago

University of Connecticut

Creighton University

Curry College

Dean College
Denison University
University of Denver
DePaul University
Dickinson College
Dominican University of California
Drew University
Drexel University
Duquesne University
Eckerd College
El Camino College
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University – Prescott
Emerson College
Emory University
Fairfield University

University of Florida
George Mason University
George Washington University
Georgia Institute of Technology
Georgia State University

University of Georgia
Goucher College
Grand Canyon University
Grinnell College
Hamilton College - NY
University of Hawaii, Manoa

High Point University
Hofstra University
Hope College
Howard Payne University
Humboldt State University
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Irvine Valley College
Ithaca College

John Hopkins University
Kalamazoo College
University of Kansas
Kenyon College
Knox College
La Sierra University
Lafayette College
LaGrange College

Laguna College of Art and Design
University of La Verne

Lawrence University

Lehigh University
Lewis & Clark College
Linfield College
Louisiana College
Los Angeles Harbor College
Loyola Marymount University
Loyola University Chicago
Lynn University

Marist College

Marlboro College
University of Maryland, College Park

Univeristy of Mary Hardin - Baylor

Marymount California University
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth
University of Massachusetts, Lowell
McDaniel College

McGill University

Merrimack College

Mercyhurst University
Miami University, Oxford
University of Miami
University of Michigan
Michigan State University
Mills College
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
University of Mississippi

Mitchell College
Montana State University, Bozeman
Mount Holyoke College
Mount Saint Mary’s University, Chalon

Mount Saint Mary’s University, Los Angeles
Musicians’ Institute

Muskingum University
University of Nevada, Reno
University of New Hampshire at Durham
University of New Mexico
New York University
Northeastern University
Northern Arizona University
University of North Texas

University of Notre Dame
Oberlin College of Arts and Sciences
Occidental College
Oglethorpe University

Ohio State University
University of Oregon
Oregon State University
Otis College of Art and Design

Pacific Lutheran University
University of the Pacific
Pacific University

Penn State
Pennsylvania State University
Pepperdine University
Point Loma Nazarene University
University of Portland
Pratt Institute

Prescott College
Providence College
University of Puget Sound
Purdue University
Quinnipiac University
Randolph-Macon College
University of Redlands
Reed College
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
University of Rhode Island

Rhodes College
University of Rochester

Rochester Institute of Technology
Roger Williams University
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Rutgers University - New Brunswick
Sacred Heart University
University of Saint Katherine

Saint Mary's College
Saint Mary’s College of California
Salve Regina University
San Diego State University
University of San Diego
University of San Francisco
San Francisco State University
San Jose State University
Santa Clara University
Savannah College of Art and Design
Scripps College
Seattle University

Seattle Pacific University
Seton Hall University
Skidmore College
Sonoma State University
Sophia University
University of South Florida, St. Petersburg
University of South Florida, Tampa
University of Southern California
Southern Methodist University
Southern Oregon University
St. Johns University
St. Lawrence University
St. Olaf College
State University of New York, Albany
State University of New York, Oswego
Syracuse University
University of Tampa
Temple University
Texas Christian University
The College of Wooster
The New School - All Divisions
Trinity College

United States Military Academy, West Point
University of Utah
Utah State University
University of British Columbia

Ursuline College
Vanguard University of Southern California
Vassar College
Villanova University
University of Washington
University of Washington, Bothell
Washington and Jefferson College
Washington State University
University of Waterloo (Faculty of Mathematics)
Weber State University

Wesleyan University
Western Washington University
Westminster College
Westmont College

West Virginia Wesleyan College
Wheaton College MA
Whitman College
Whittier College
Whitworth University
Willamette University
University of Wisconsin, Madison
University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point
Woodbury University
Xavier University