College and Career Readiness

College & Career Counseling

Students must successfully complete a minimum number of course units to be promoted to the next grade level, earning a “C” or higher in a minimum of four “core classes” each year, earning at least 8 credits in courses required for graduation. Each successfully completed semester course earns 1.0 credit. Students who do not successfully earn this minimum number of credits may be retained in their current grade level and reclassified into a different Wave.

Our Philosophy

Two students holding Sacramento State and UC Davis pennants

Fit. We believe in working with our students and their families to select the post-secondary options that are the best fit for them. We understand that students are more likely to feel more comfortable, be persistent, be successful, and ultimately graduate if they pursue a pathway that makes sense to their life dream. To this end, we help students identify three forms of “fit”: Financial, Academic and Cultural.

Financial Fit. We encourage students and families to consider the “cost of attendance” for college and whether or not different college choices are fiscally viable and do not rely on the student or family to take on significant debt. Our goal is that students graduate from college with minimal debt.
Academic Fit. We help students consider and assess whether or not a college or university's academic profile might be a good match. We also ensure that we support students if they are interested in non-college options by determining their desires and academic interests beyond the traditional 2-year and 4-year options.
Cultural Fit. We encourage students to gather a variety of data points about colleges and universities to assess whether or not the schools they are considering are a good cultural fit for them through school visits, “fly-in” programs, summer programs, talking to college reps and current and former students, and research online.
Identity. We believe in meaningful engagement through the post-secondary selection process. We push students to grow their identities intentionally, discover their voices, and embrace old and new passions. The college admissions process is structured towards students owning the process while keeping parents informed.
Advocacy. We believe in teaching self-advocacy as essential to success throughout the post-secondary process. Similarly, we advocate actively on behalf of all of our students. We want the college admissions process to mirror some of the processes and challenges they will face once they are on college campuses where they will need to be able to advocate for themselves along with knowing when, where, and how to ask for help.
Life Dream. There is more than one way to achieve one's life dream. Whether students want to work in trades like construction or learn how to code in a certificate program we will support all options and provide access to judgment-free support.

College & Career Counseling Center

The MWA College and Career Counseling (CCC) office is located in the Upper School, Building 4. All students and families are welcome! At the CCC, students and families can get information about the following:

College and university admissions
Academic planning
Test preparation
Career exploration
Alternative post-secondary pathways
Financial aid and scholarships
Summer programs
Internships and community service
Enrichment opportunities

Note to College & University Admissions Representatives: MWA welcomes admissions representative visits throughout the school year; if you would like to schedule a visit, please send an email to ccc@mwacademy.org.

School hours:
Monday – Thursday 8:30am – 3:30pm
Friday 8:30am – 2:30pm

Fly-in Programs
Case Study and College Fair

Fly-in Programs

Fly-in programs are fully funded campus visit opportunities, run through the undergraduate admissions offices at selective, private four-year colleges and universities. These programs are typically for underserved student populations (first generation college-bound, low-income, and underrepresented minorities). Most are designed for students in the fall of 12th grade. Fly-in programs have rigorous application processes that mimic the official college application process; colleges and universities use these as early recruitment tools to identify students with high potential for admission and give them a more in-depth on-campus experience. Students have the opportunity to stay overnight in residence halls with current college students, meet extensively with admissions and financial aid officers, tour campus and the surrounding neighborhoods, and sit in on classes, panels, and presentations by faculty, students and other members of the school community.

Case Study and College Fair

Student and college rep talking at Case Study College Fair event

The annual Case Study & College Fair program brings a rotating group of approximately 50 selective four-year colleges and universities to campus each year. The program includes an intensive case study: students and families are split into small discussion groups with admissions officers, who take participants through three applications, coaching the group as if it were a real admissions committee. Students and families gain invaluable insight into the selective admissions process, how parts of the application are viewed and understood, and take away key pointers for putting together the most competitive application possible. Next is a college fair: all participating schools set up a table with information, and students and families have the opportunity to circulate and ask individual questions of specific admissions representatives.

Case studies have a long tradition of partnership between elite independent schools and selective private institutions of higher education. Nearly ten years ago, a passionate group of educators, led by former Making Waves Foundation Managing Director Sherry Smith, came together and founded the area’s first multicultural case study program, with a focus on access to selective institutions for students from underserved and underrepresented backgrounds. Today, under the leadership of our College and Career Counseling team, the annual Case Study & College Fair program retains its founding spirit. Opening our doors to all in need, we invite students, families, and counselors to join us from Bay Area public and charter schools and community-based organizations.