Monthly College Counseling Update: May 2026

So while Archmere is a little quieter when the weather gets warmer and many of our families migrate toward the sand and water, our office is present Monday through Thursday if anyone has a question or wishes to discuss the college search, selection, and application process. 

 

Class of 2026: Final transcripts should be sent out by mid-June to matriculating schools and uploaded to the NCAA Eligibility Center for members of the Class of 2026 & 2027. 

 

As decision days approached in the College Counseling Office we asked seniors to list the mascot and nicknames of the college they were attending on our office graffiti board. Many Auks have decided to flock together, we have a trio of new Panthers, Crusaders, Phoenix, Demon Deacons, Greyhounds, Spartans, Rams and Rebels. There’s also a quartet of Volunteers and Wildcats, and a horde of Cardinals, Hawks, Blue Hens, and Nittany Lions. 

 

The Class of 2026 is full of explorers with many confident to set their own course. This year’s graduates will be attending colleges in 26 different states, and the District of Columbia. Twenty-nine are enrolling at schools no other Archmere graduate presently attends. And at a time when the average undergraduate student in the United States travels just over 100 miles from home to attend college, these Auks, traveling everywhere from Providence to Peoria, Boca Raton to Baton Rouge, Scranton to San Diego, and South Bend, South Orange, and West Lafayette, will enroll at universities an average of 358 miles from Archmere.  

 

The 143 members of the Class of 2026 will matriculate at 75 different colleges and universities. Rewards and recognitions have come their way as well, as a group they have been rightfully and collectively recognized by colleges, universities and outside groups with over $36 million in Scholarships and Grants, by far the largest amount in Archmere history. 

 

 

Class of 2027: Over 50 rising seniors attended Wednesday's inaugural Application Kick-Off. Students worked on making progress on their Common Application, completed their STARS (self-report transcript system) up to the end of junior fall semester, reviewed the totality of the writing samples they will have to complete with their present list, reviewed their summer ‘to-do’ list, listened to an essay pep-talk from Lance Dronkers of Bucknell University, and received feedback on their Common Application/Personal Statement essay written in English class. Congratulations to all that attended on getting started on a productive summer! Big thank you to Mrs. Maher for birthing the program and seeing it through to fruition. 

 

As promised, we will reframe from class communication for a few weeks to allow for some well deserved R&R. A communication will be coming out next week about moving schools from your long-list to short-list in CIALFO. We also recommend that you take time to review your Rising Senior Summer Checklist to stay on task. We’ll begin providing essay feedback to all initial essay submitters next week, please feel free to use the Essay Feedback Request Form to have a member of our team provide guidance on your work throughout the summer and into the fall. We hope you are making progress on your Common Application, essay(s), and also plan to visit colleges over the summer to advance your thought process. Please reach out if you have any questions. 

 

Parents of the Class of 2027, this is a calmer time, but please reach out if you have questions about the process and also about how to support your child. As a reminder, you also have a to-do list - Rising Senior Parent Summer Checklist. 

 

Class of 2028: Summer before junior year is a wonderful time to start or continue to explore college campuses and gather early information about preferences and requirements for your upcoming search. We’ve also previously shared a summer checklist for rising juniors and their families. We’re hoping that the entire class will have visited three or four campuses before initial required meetings in November and December. 

 

Class of 2028 & 2029: We recently emailed out initiations to schedule an optional summer college counseling conversation. Please use Pick-A-Time to schedule your appointment. In these meetings, we can discuss whatever your family is most curious about--college visits, career exploration, extracurricular activities, testing, timeline, financial aid, etc. The registration form will ask you to share what you would like to discuss. 

 

Class of 2030: It’s a pleasure to welcome you to the Archmere community. We welcome your questions if you have them. During your first-year we will occasionally send out messages and newsletters about your future college search -- encouraging you to focus on what is important in year one: a successful transition to a new community both academically and socially. We will also have a few opportunities to share in-person messages and invite you to optional programming during the school year. We’re excited to have you on campus and eager to see how you will shape Archmere’s future.