College Planning | Oakbrook Preparatory School

COLLEGE PLANNING

At Oakbrook, “preparatory” is not just a part of our name – it is an integral part of our mission. Our goal is to assist students in finding the college that is the best ‘fit’ for each student. Learn more about how Oakbrook does College Planning, one student at a time.

Our Goal...

Our goal is to assist students in finding the college that is the best ‘fit’ for each one. Preparation at Oakbrook begins in elementary school with an accelerated curriculum. Formal college preparation begins in 9th grade with a weekly class called College Connect where students prepare for the SAT/ACT, explore careers and interests, visit with college reps, and meet with a faculty adviser for individualized college planning.

Goals By Grade Level

Ninth Grade

Students are introduced to High School during the once weekly College Connect class facilitated by a faculty adviser. The focus of the class in 9thgrade is to prepare students for the expectations of high school and how to balance the increased academic demands with extracurricular activities. Additionally, students take advantage of a course in public speaking during the spring of the year.

Tenth Grade

The primary foci of the 10th grade College Connect class is the initial research for college, examination of career opportunities and preparation for college admission tests. The online tool Naviance is a primary resource used to accomplish these priorities. 

Eleventh Grade

The Junior Seminar which takes place during College Connect initiates the formal college application process including instruction on college admission tests and the college admission process. Each student and parent creates a college plan during an individual conference with the Director of College Guidance. During the fall students are exposed to a wide variety of College Representatives visiting Oakbrook. College and Career research and the utilization of Naviance continues.

Twelfth Grade

Senior Year College Boot Camp kicks off an intensive time of essay writing and application completion for college admission, scholarships, and financial aid. Each student works closely with the Director of College Guidance to create a detailed timeline for their personal college application process.

2024-2025 School Profile

Oakbrook is pleased to announce that we have implemented a new college guidance management system called SCOIR (pronounced "score"). This new, modern online system will streamline the process of requesting, processing, sending and tracking the electronic delivery of all application-related documents. More importantly, it's much more helpful for students and parents during the college search and selection process. On Scoir, colleges come to life through pictures, videos and links that highlight active student clubs and organizations. This better enables students to identify colleges that are a good fit with their personal and academic interests, which increases college retention. Scoir also provides parents with useful financial calculators so you can determine the likely cost of attendance at different colleges and consider the affordability when deciding where to apply. These features, along with more convenient scheduling and communication tools, will help keep everyone informed and engaged throughout the college application process. Scoir exists to help more students achieve more positive outcomes, and we're excited that our students have access to this system and the opportunities it provides.  

Connect Now

Attention College Reps!

Colleges and Universities,Oakbrook Prep is excited to welcome you back to campus this fall! We are open for in-person visits and our calendar can be accessed by clicking here.

If however, you prefer to remain virtual please consult our Scoir calendar and contact our College Guidance Director Cathy Zion as we are happy to accommodate this type visit as well. Thank you for planning your visit to our campus!