Counseling Services

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We're With You At Every Turn

Each step of the school journey brings obstacles and challenges.

The MPCS guidance and college counselors are committed to students' social-emotional and learning success through the years. Offering a Christ-centered, comprehensive counseling program, MPCS fosters a high-level partnership between the school and home.

Counselors know, love, and support each student in a respectful, constructive, and safe setting in which to grow up. As they move up in grades, parents and students work together to develop a best-fit academic plan as they set their sights on college.

If I could describe MPCS in one word, it would be 'home.' During my time here, I have formed deep relationships with faculty, administrators, coaches, and classmates. This school has been a safe place where I constantly feel loved, valued, and important. I not only gained a great education, but was also poured into spiritually.

C. Meyer

Class of 2018

What Counseling Offers

The MPCS Counseling program works with students, parents, faculty, and community members to provide individualized, comprehensive, and Christ-centered services. Our goal is to help students identify their “mountains” that impede success and to promote the necessary skills, attitudes, and beliefs for all students to move that mountain and graduate prepared to effectively manage future challenges in the 21st century.

MPCS Guidance Counseling

High School College Counseling

Our college counseling program facilitates course paths and guides students through academic pathways to prepare them as they apply to college. College counselors work with students and parents in 1-on-1 meetings starting freshmen year to help them chart the course academically for their college application goals.

Each year, counselors reconnect to monitor progress and set expectations for the subsequent years. Counselors advise and oversee PSAT testing, ACT and SAT testing interpretation, as well as ACT and SAT test preparation options for our students. Junior year, counselors equip students with college application access and guide students in essay-writing, resume preparation, and how to track and monitor college deadlines.

Additional information concerning the college planning process further down on this page.

The Social Institute

MPCS partners with The Social Institute (TSI) to launch #WinAtSocial. TSI is a national leader in curriculum designed to equip middle and high school students to navigate the complex intersection of well-being, social media, and technology. The #WinAtSocial comprehensive program promotes character, empathy, teamwork, and other important life skills. Many of the #WinAtSocial lessons include biblical principles, and instruction takes place through a biblical worldview lens.

At a time when students spend many hours a day on digital devices, and cyberbullying and reputation-damaging posts run rampant, TSI equips students to make positive, healthy, and biblically-based choices.

Parenting Resources

Our purpose is to assist you in raising your children in their Christian faith and moral foundation, in addition to their academic progress. MPCS is committed to providing families with great parenting resources and tips to help overcome obstacles as children grow through different stages. We also explore many trends and topics that are influencing young children and teens in today's culture. You may also contact counselors with questions or recommendations for tutoring.

In addition to our ParentEd. seminars and "Ted"-style talks, counselors and early-childhood educators at MPCS offer parenting guidance and content to guide you in the parenting journey. Be sure to check out the resources below.

"WingTips" Blog

"From The Mount" Podcast

ParentEd.

Milestone Transitions

Transitions can be scary! MPCS counselors partner with admissions and academic teams to provide students and parents with a glimpse into milestone grade-level transitions, such as moving up from preschool to Kindergarten, transitioning from lower school to middle school, and moving into the high school from eighth grade. Our goal is to help students make a seamless transition, always focused on our students' success, not just academically, but also socially, emotionally, and spiritually.

Partnering with Home

Raising kids of great character who are academically prepared for college and with a solid biblical foundation takes intentionality and focus. As an important part of our school mission, MPCS partners with parents in the total education of your children. Through ParentEd., our counselors and experts in early-childhood education and college placement offer insight on an array of topics relevant to you.

ParentEd.

100%

College Acceptance

All graduating seniors are accepted to one or more colleges or universities of their choice. While an average of 99.5% of graduates choose to attend college, some pursue military, gap year, or vocational training routes to meet their personal goals.

55%

UGA and/or Georgia Tech Acceptance

Of students that applied to the University of Georgia and/or Georgia Institute of Technology, more than half gained acceptance through early action or regular decision. Representatives from both of our state's flagship schools have acknowledged that MPCS graduates have challenged themselves with the required rigor to be well-prepared for these elite schools.

$9M+

Scholarships

MPCS graduates from the past five years have been accepted into some of the most prestigious colleges and universities. Seniors are offered various academic, athletic, arts, and special achievement scholarships. The class of 2023 was offered more than $9,000,000 in scholarship opportunities, an average of $89,000 per student. MPC athletics signs an average of 16% of student-athletes to play in collegiate sports programs.

87%

AP Scholars

The College Board's Advanced Placement Program provides motivated and academically-prepared students with the opportunity to take rigorous college-level courses while still in high school and to earn college credit, advanced placement, or both, for successful performance on the AP Exams. Last year, 18% of MPCS students earned "AP Scholar with Distinction" status for scoring at least a 3.5 on all AP exams taken and scores of 3 or higher on five or more exams.

MPCS chooses to offer a full array of up to 23 AP courses because they are universally accepted at all universities for college course credit (depending on exam score), whereas dual enrollment credit transfers are not always guaranteed. Currently, 35 honors courses are offered in all subject areas, offering additional rigor and demonstrating to colleges a student's willingness to be challenged.

88%

Qualify for HOPE/Zell

The in-state Hope Grant or Zell Miller Scholarship is awarded to students who've earned a 3.0 or 4.0 or greater, respectively. Graduates must choose a Georgia public college or university to take advantage of this tuition credit.

35

Top ACT Score

Additionally from the recent graduating class, the top SAT score was a 1540.

On average, ACT scores range from 23-26 and SAT ranges from 1130-1230. Ranges are well above the national average of 20.5 and 1050, respectively.

Your Personal Guides on the Pathway to College

Our goal at Mount Paran Christian School is to find colleges offering the best possible fit for each of our graduating seniors. We help students cultivate their talents and interests to find their academic and extracurricular strengths and passions to zero in on those colleges that will serve them best. College selection can often be confusing and even intimidating for families, but our college counseling department helps make the process manageable and exciting.

The MPCS College Planner

High school counseling services provides students and their parents a copy of our comprehensive MPCS College Planner. This notebook is a complete guide for all freshmen containing tips and schedules to aid students and parents in the college-planning process. The planner contains action steps for each year of high school and outlines resources as students prepare to apply to college.

Freshman Flight

Sophomore College Take-Off

In the spring of sophomore year, students and parents are invited to a college-planning kick-start night to learn about the college admission process. They then will attend an individual college conference with our counselors, where the college admissions process is formally launched.

Throughout the year, the college counselors host a number of special sessions for families, communicate information about college fairs in our area, and assist in narrowing choices and setting specific college goals with each student. In addition to college tours, admission events, and one-on-one counseling, MPCS brings college representatives on campus throughout the fall to meet with interested students.

Launch Into Junior Year

In their junior year, students continue college visits and determine which university might be their best college fit. Parent-student meetings with counselors continue to monitor progress in the classroom, as well as ACT/SAT testing achievements. Students are asked to complete their YouScience profile to give them direction on courses of study, which also guides their search for college programs to fit their interests. Together, they determine a plan of action for preparation in applying to college.

Counseling services offers a Camp College App two-day seminar in the summer to help rising seniors write essays and prep the Common App resume.

Soar Into Senior Year

Seniors have opportunities every week in the fall and early winter to speak with college representatives visiting our campus. Students work closely with the college counseling department to meet their chosen college application deadlines. MPCS seniors apply to multiple colleges, some deemed to be "reach" schools and some "safety" schools. Our goal is for every senior to have more than one exciting acceptance. MPCS is proud of the 100-percent college acceptance rate of our students. Read more about the "8 Tips for Choosing Your Ideal College" in the WingTips college blog series.

Senior year culminates with Senior College Day, a celebration of the senior class' commitment to each graduate's university of choice. The day is complete with college spirit shirts, food trucks, yearbook signings, and receiving of their cap-and-gown and regalia.

College Admission Representatives on Campus

College representatives schedule visits to Mount Paran Christian School to meet with high school students to promote their colleges or universities. These visits are an excellent opportunity for our students to ask questions about the different colleges and get to know the college admission representatives, who often have input into the admission process at their college.

Visits are typically held during student lunch and will be posted for students on the Dozier Hall bulletin board, digital signage, Google classroom, daily email announcements, and through text reminders.

Are you a College Representative? If you are a college rep and interested in visiting MPCS, please schedule your visit here.

PSAT / SAT / ACT

Freshman and juniors take the PSAT (practice SAT) in the fall and receive feedback on their performance. Juniors who take the PSAT also compete for the prestigious designation of Commended Scholar or National Merit Scholar. Designations are awarded to top performers on the PSAT each year by the College Board.

Sophomores take the Pre-ACT (practice ACT) in the fall and receive feedback on their performance.

Juniors and seniors take the SAT and/or the ACT.

YouScience

In spring of sophomore year, students are introduced to an online assessment called YouScience. This is a scientific program taking students through a series of assessments designed to determine where they fall within the 14 key aptitudes utilized in the working world. Results include a review of the student’s strengths, suggested environments where they can succeed, detailed information on possible careers that match those skills and interests, majors that map to those careers, and much more. It is a great tool for students to begin identifying what college and career path is best for them.

College Financial and Scholarship Guidance

Paying for college is not easy, but it can be accomplished by exploring all of the resources available, such as scholarships, grants, and student loans. The best strategy is to apply early for financial aid from a college, as many awards are given on a first come, first-served basis. Read the WingTips blog for tips and recommended resources to start your college scholarship search.

College Scholarships Cheat Sheet

Below is a quick list of scholarship links:

College Planning Resources

The MPCS blog, WingTips, provides parents and students a series of posts to simplify the college process and guide you with tips and advice. Counseling services has posted many content series on college planning to aid in your search with sound advice and preparation.

Class of 2023 Statistics and Matriculations

The MPCS class of 2023, comprised of 101 seniors, have been accepted into some of the nation's most prestigious colleges and universities, as listed below. Approximately half of this year's graduates were offered various academic, athletic, arts, and special achievement scholarships totaling more than $9 million.

The class of 2023 final choice college submissions indicate that 52 students have chosen in-state schools, and 49 students have chosen out-of-state schools. Of the university acceptances, 42 are public schools and 29 are private schools, 7 of which are Christian colleges.

*Denotes Academic Scholarship
^Denotes College Athletes
~Denotes Fine and Performing Arts Scholarship

_{Appalachian State University

Auburn University*^

Ball State University

Baylor University*

Belmont University*~

Berry College*

Bryan College

Carson-Newman University

Catawba College^

Clemson University*

Coastal Carolina University*

Colorado State University

Duke University

Eckerd College

Elon University*^

Emory University^*

Flagler College

Florida Atlantic University

Florida International University

Florida State University*

Furman University*

George Washington University

Georgia College and State University

Georgia Institute of Technology^

Georgia Southern University

Georgia State University

High Point University*

Jacksonville University*

Kennesaw State University

Lee University*

Louisiana State University*

Loyola University

Mercer University*

Michigan State University

Mississippi State University*^

Oglethorpe University*}

_{Roanoke College*

Samford University*~

Syracuse University*

The Citadel

Towson University*

Truett McConnell University*

University of Alabama*

University of Alabama-Birmingham*

University of Alabama-Huntsville*

University of Arkansas

University of Colorado-Boulder*

University of Florida*

University of Georgia^

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

University of Kentucky*

University of Louisville

University of Miami*

University of Mississippi*

University of North Carolina-Charlotte

University of North Georgia

University of Notre Dame

University of South Carolina*

University of Tampa

University of Tennessee*

University of Tennessee-Chattanooga

University of Virginia

University of Washington^

University of West Georgia^

Valdosta State University

Wake Forest University

Washington University in St. Louis

Western Carolina University^

Young Harris College*^}

MPCS has challenged me to take control of my learning – to be responsible for my outcomes. It has also challenged me to take ownership of my relationship with Christ not only in school, but in every aspect of my life.

A. Brague

Class of 2018

Upcoming College Rep Visits

Students should mark their calendars to meet each school of interest. Be sure to check out the blog to help guide questions as you meet university representatives.

November 27 - SCAD

8 Tips for choosing your ideal college

Counseling Staff

MPCS counselors are here to serve you. Meet our staff:

Viola Lussier - Director of Counseling Services
Dr. Trici Holmes - Director of College Counseling
Amy Schwan - College Counselor
Melissa Troskie - Middle School Counselor
Dana Gray - Lower School Counselor

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Counseling Services

Partnering with Home

Upcoming College Rep Visits

Students should mark their calendars to meet each school of interest. Be sure to check out the blog to help guide questions as you meet university representatives.

Counseling Staff