Case Study and College Fair

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.