Counseling Department
Academic Counseling
OHS counselors are central in supporting and individualizing the educational experience of our students. Counselors work with students immediately upon admission to ensure appropriate class placement and to plan a program of study. Our counselors have experience working with students with varied academic goals and objectives, be they earning an OHS diploma or supplementing studies elsewhere. Counselors also work collaboratively with families to help students from different educational backgrounds adjust to the rigorous academic demands of OHS, and continually monitor student progress to ensure academic success.
College Counseling
OHS counselors are a central resource at every stage of the college planning and preparation process, and bring to their work experience with college admissions. They organize and facilitate a wealth of resources, including informational panels, workshops, and lectures on various aspects of the college process, such as essay writing or mock interviews. OHS alumni contribute a valuable asset to college counseling at OHS. At a regularly-held panel, OHS Alumni share their experiences with the college application process and the transition from high school to college. During the OHS residential summer program at Stanford, students have additional opportunities to learn about the college process from their counselors, who are Stanford undergraduates or alumni. For families, the counseling office organizes a financial aid overview session with a representative from the Stanford Financial Aid office.
When they are ready to undertake the college application process, OHS seniors are given individual accounts in Naviance, the most well-known college counseling software, which facilitates research of colleges, management of applications, coordination of common applications, scheduling of college visits, and communication of important announcements and information.
The counseling office annually hosts school visits by college admissions representatives from colleges around the country in the online classroom, either remotely or from Stanford. School visits have included representatives from Brandeis University, Dartmouth College, the California Institute of Technology, Harvey Mudd College, MIT, Princeton University, Reed College, Stanford University, Swarthmore College, the University of California system, and the University of Southern California. During the OHS residential summer program, students have the opportunity to meet with a representative from the Stanford Office of Undergraduate Admission.
OHS counselors remain current on trends in high school and college education by actively participating in the events and activities of national, regional, and local professional counseling associations, including the National Association for College Admission Counseling and the Western Association for College Admission Counseling. In addition to their own experience in college admissions offices, they maintain relationships with college admissions officers nationwide through annual visits.