Dear Rising Juniors and Parents & Guardians,

As we look ahead to 2026-27, I’m writing with important updates and information.

Mark Your Calendar for Next Year

Each junior and at least one parent/guardian must attend the events below:

Introduction to the College Process (Part 1): Dec. 8, 7-8:30 pm in-person or Dec. 15, 7-8:30 pm virtually.
Introduction to the College Process (Part 2): January 7, 7-8:30 pm virtually.
College Admissions Deans & Directors Panel for Parents/Guardians: May 6, 6:30-9 pm, in-person.
College Admissions Deans & Directors Panel for 11th Grade Students: May 7 during school hours.

Visit our Calendar of Events for a full-listing of programs. Later this summer, our calendar will also be updated on our Resources page under the “Calendar” tab.

Standardized Testing

Lakeside will offer a suite of exams, mock tests, and opportunities to learn about the PSAT and SAT. (Any Lakeside junior wishing to test is guaranteed a space at the School Day SAT and/or ACT second semester.) Important dates include:

PSAT: The school will offer the PSAT on October 16. All classes are canceled on the test day.
Mock ACT (virtual & remote): November 14
School Day ACT Exam: March 9
School Day SAT Exam: March 29

The college counseling office continues to monitor the testing landscape. While most colleges remain test optional, numerous schools, especially those popular among Lakesiders, have reinstated their testing requirements. The college counseling office recommends that all students take the ACT or SAT at least once.

Resources at your Fingertips

We encourage you to watch the videos and read the frequently asked questions (FAQs) on our Resources page about activities, course selection, and more. Because the college counselors are unable to offer one-on-one meetings until winter of junior year, our hope is that our Resources page and school year programming offer helpful information and guidance. If you haven’t visited our Resources page before, watch this eight-minute video highlighting its many resources.

Preparing to Fund a College Education

Planning in advance is an important step for all families in funding a college education. If cost, especially that of private education (annual costs at private institutions range from $70,000 to $100,000), is concerning or out-of-reach, families should watch the webinar series on our Resources page (go to the “Financial Aid Resources tab”) by College Money Method (see password “lscmm”). There might be steps families can take now to increase their financial aid eligibility. I’d encourage you to watch the following three webinars:

College Visits

The college counselors discourage college visits prior to winter of junior year when students possess the readiness and maturity to start imagining their futures. For families who choose to begin visiting, it’s important that they visit a variety of schools and not only those with “brand names.” Make an effort to visit colleges that offer a variety of settings and academic and extracurricular opportunities to expose your student to their breadth of choices. For more, read this blog post.

Independent College Consultants

A common question is whether families should invest in an outside counselor (or independent college consultant) to support their student’s college process. This is a piece I recently wrote responding to that inquiry.

Athletic Recruiting

In some sports, especially baseball, lacrosse, soccer, tennis, and volleyball, the Division 1 (D1) recruiting timeline begins early, often the summer before 11th grade. Students considering playing a collegiate sport should watch our video and read the FAQs on the Resources page. If students are already being contacted by D1 coaches, they might need to meet with a college counselor sooner. The video explains this in more detail.

Studying Away

If you’re studying away (e.g., SEGL, SYA, HMI, Chewonki, Alzar, etc.), read this communication with important details.

Best wishes for a relaxing and healthy summer. The college counseling team looks forward to seeing you next year.

Ari B. Worthman

Director of College Counseling