As another school year begins, Xavier College Preparatory continues to prepare students for college and the college application process.

Xavier and Brophy College Preparatory work together to hold a yearly college fair. This year, it was Xavier’s turn to host the fair on October 18 on its campus.

There were 74 colleges who had college representatives attend. Over 500 students and parents attended, as the college fair is open to students and parents from outside schools.

Typically, Xavier and Brophy alternate hosting the fair on their respective campuses each year. Last year, however, Xavier and Brophy successfully held the fair virtually. According to Xavier’s president, Sister Joan Fitzgerald, the Xavier/Brophy college fair has been held for over 35 years.

Guidance counselors play an important role in aiding students during the college application process.

Yonghee Grinstead, director of guidance resources, said that in order to determine which colleges attend the fair, the colleges’ information is collected from Naviance and an invitation is sent out with a Google Form to be filled out for registration. This information is used to compile a final list of attending colleges which is then shared with Brophy and other neighboring schools in order to invite students.

“We encourage our girls to go through and determine what colleges they want to apply to, and what colleges they feel have their majors and their activities that they want,” said Kathleen Gannon, director of counseling.

One tip that Gannon said for students when thinking about applying to colleges is to “start early!”

Xavier’s guidance counselors work with students throughout their high school careers to prepare them for the college application process. Some of the activities featured at Xavier include junior parent college night and mock application night.

Besides the college fair, Xavier allows for colleges to have their representatives visit and talk to students who are interested, which is another useful opportunity for students.

To help guide students through the college application process, the guidance department puts together the “College Counseling Handbook” to give to the juniors going into the summer of their senior years. This handbook contains timelines and important dates for the college process, as well as information about testing, admissions, financial aid and more.

Gannon describes the application process as “a unique experience that can be intimidating, so the sooner you start taking steps in completing it, you get more comfortable with the process.”