List of 9 items.

• Getting Started with Ravenna

  Most of the application process is conducted online through our admission portal. If your family has not yet created an account, please visit ravenna-hub.com to start the application process.

   

  Once you create your Student Profile, select the San Francisco Bay Area region and add The College Preparatory School to your list of schools.
  
  Our application, along with event registration, opens by September 1 each year. 

• Admission Events

  College Prep hosts a variety of admissions events for prospective students and parents to get to know our community. All events except for office hours require advance registration via the admission portal. We encourage you to attend any events that are of interest. We do not expect families to attend all events. 
  
  Once logged in, families with students in 8th grade and above should click the "Apply" button to register for events. Families with students in 7th grade should click "Inquire/Explore" from within the portal. If your student is in the 6th grade or below, please use our website to learn about College Prep and plan to join us for admission events in 7th or 8th grade. 
  
  

  Events open to families with students in 8th grade and above.

  • Campus Tour and Information Panel (in-person)
  • Arts and Athletics Showcase (in-person)

  Events open to families with students in 7th grade and above (all virtual except where noted):

  • Admission Staff Office Hours
  • Black Family Affinity Gathering
  • Equity and Belonging Evening (in-person)
  • Faculty and Administration Panel
  • Financial Aid Information and Workshop
  • Humanities Information and Class Demonstration
  • Latinx Family Affinity Gathering
  • Math & Science Information and Class Demonstration
  • Public and Parochial School Information and Panel
  • Student Panel

• Submit Family Forms (by Jan. 9, 2024)

  Applications for the 2024-2025 school year are live on our application portal and are due by January 9, 2024.

   

  From within the portal, the following family forms help us get to know your child and your family:

  • Student Activities and Interests Form (common Bay Area form)
  • Student Quick Takes & Reflections Form
  • Student Statement (common East Bay form)
  • Parent Statement

  
  Some notes about family forms:

  • We want to get to know you and your family through your responses. There are no right or wrong answers to these questions.
  • The content of your responses is much more important than the length of your writing. Though most questions have character/word limits, please do not feel the need to write more just to reach these limits.
  • All forms other than the Parent Statement should be completed by the applicant without help from adults.
  • The use of generative AI (such as ChatGPT, Bard, Bing, Claude2, etc.) is antithetical to the process of getting to authentically know our applicants and is not allowed in any part of the application.
  • Keep copies of your work separate from Ravenna in a program such as Google Docs or Microsoft Word. When pasting your responses from a word processing program into Ravenna, please read them carefully from start to finish to make sure all formatting and content appears as you wish.

• Optional: Financial Aid (by Jan. 9, 2024)

  The financial aid application is a two-step process that typically begins in early winter for families applying for admission as well as returning College Prep families currently receiving financial aid. Detailed information about the process is available on the financial aid pages of our website. 

• Teacher Recommendations (by Feb. 1, 2024)

  College Prep's application requires three recommendations from the applicant's current English teacher, math teacher, and principal/counselor. Recommendations are requested through the admission portal. Some notes about teacher recommendations:

  
  

  • Only the applicant's current teachers should submit these forms
  • We advise waiting until after November 1 to ask teachers to complete recommendation forms
  • The Principal/Counselor form may be submitted by a principal, counselor, advisor, division head, etc. as appropriate
  • Though the teacher recommendation forms have a due date of January 9 for some schools, we consider any recommendation submitted by February 1 to be on time

• Transcripts (by Feb. 1, 2024)

  9th grade applicants are required to submit complete 7th grade transcripts, as well as first-semester, second-quarter, or first-trimester 8th grade transcripts.

  
  Some notes about transcripts:

  • Transcripts should be uploaded to Ravenna (preferred) or mailed to College Prep directly from the applicant's school
  • Our preference is that the applicant's school send all transcripts (7th and 8th grade) together rather than separately
  • Transfer applicants should send their current transcript along with the prior two years of grades/transcripts

• Interview (by Feb. 1, 2024)

  Each applicant meets one-on-one with a College Prep faculty or staff member for an admission interview. Interviews at College Prep are casual conversations that last around half an hour (20 minutes with the student followed by 10 minutes with the family). Interviews are not intended to be stressful -- be yourself and have fun!

  
  Some notes about interviews:

  • All interviews are conducted via Zoom
  • Interviews are only scheduled for students who have submitted their preliminary application and paid the application fee
  • Interviews can be scheduled from the portal beginning in October and take place throughout the fall and winter
  • Every applicant is guaranteed an interview
  • Check out our tips for Interviews here

• Assessment Pathways (by Feb. 3, 2024)

  College Prep offers three pathways for our required admissions assessment. Each applicant should choose one option only. The Admission Committee has no preference between the different pathways; applicants will not be advantaged or disadvantaged based on their choice. Each applicant is encouraged to fulfill this requirement in the way that works best for them. Fee waivers are available from the admission office for all pathways. Accommodations for students with documented learning differences or physical challenges may be requested from the testing organizations.
  
  

  Pathway A: ISEE Exam
  Applicants can submit Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE) results to College Prep.

  
  The ISEE takes approximately three hours and includes a writing sample, as well as verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, reading comprehension, and math achievement sections. Learn more about what's on the ISEE here.
  
  

  The ISEE can be taken at home, at a school site, or at a Prometric test center. The cost ranges from $155 - $245 depending on the testing location.  There are additional late fees for those registering within three weeks of their testing date. 
  
  

  College Prep's ISEE code is 052192. The ISEE may be taken anytime between now and February 3, 2024. Register here. 
  
  

  Pathway B: SSAT Exam
  Alternatively, ninth grade applicants can submit Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT) results to College Prep.
  
  

  The SSAT takes approximately three hours and includes a writing sample, as well as math, verbal, and reading comprehension sections. Learn more about what's on the SSAT here.
  
  

  The SSAT can be taken at home, at a school site, or at a Prometric test center. The cost ranges from $169 - $255 depending on the testing location.  There are additional late fees for those registering within three weeks of their testing date. 
  
  

  College Prep's SSAT code is 2484. The SSAT may be taken anytime between now and February 3, 2024. Register here. 
  
  

  Pathway C: Online Writing Assessment
  Alternatively, submit a timed writing sample administered by Test Innovators. Sessions are offered on various dates in the fall and winter. The cost is $50. 
  
  On the day of the writing sample, students will join a Zoom room and receive an essay prompt from a live proctor. They will have 30 minutes to plan, write, and submit an essay on the topic. The writing sample can be shared with several other Bay Area independent high schools. A list of schools who accept the sample is available upon registration.
  
  

  Transfer Applicants
  Transfer applicants may submit PSAT, SAT, or ACT test scores in addition to or in lieu of the pathways outlined above.

• Guidance for International Students

  College Prep students come from a variety of backgrounds, including a very small number of international students (defined as those who do not hold U.S. citizenship or permanent residency status). International students and their families should keep in mind the following when considering College Prep:

  • College Prep does not partner with any international placement agencies and organizations. We invite international families to work directly with our Admission Office.
  • College Prep does not offer any English language learning courses such as ESL or ELL. All of our classes (except for world language courses) are conducted in English. Strong international applicants should be fluent or near-fluent in English prior to applying. 
  • College Prep is a day school. We do not offer a boarding program nor do we organize home-stays for international students. Most international students who have attended College Prep have relocated to the Bay Area with their immediate family.
  • Applicants who hold dual citizenship between the United States and another country are considered domestic applicants to College Prep. International students admitted to College Prep who require an I-20 sponsored by the school to study in the United States will be given further guidance at the time of admittance.