College Counseling

Visit the St. Vincent de Paul College Prep College Corner website!

At St. Vincent de Paul College Prep, we provide comprehensive academic, college and wellness counseling services to meet the needs of our students.  Over the last five years, St. Vincent De Paul College Prep seniors have been admitted to over 150 different colleges and universities including MIT, Duke, Johns Hopkins, Yale and Notre Dame.

From the moment an incoming 9th graders arrives to campus through the entire college application and decision-process, we are working individually with each student.  Our offering is designed to be comprehensive, constant, in-depth and personalized — and we believe the most robust in the North Bay.  For many of our families, independent college counselors will not be necessary.  And for those who seek outside help, their advisors will find a helpful partner in our school.

9th and 10th Grade

St. Vincent De Paul students prepare for college counseling as early as 9th grade as they adjust to the expectations of a rigorous academic program. Relationships with academic advisors and faculty help to enhance independent learning. Curriculum choices ensure a solid foundation with ample opportunity for exploration into areas of interest.

11th and 12th Grade

We believe that the second semester of the junior year is the best time for families to begin focusing on the college process. At that point, students have the maturity needed to begin making decisions that will shape their application list. Students are more able to complete an honest self-assessment and perform thoughtful college research to find potential college “matches.” Students also have sufficient practice testing and academic grade reports to allow for a more accurate assessment of which colleges and universities would be the most reasonable to target.

Our college counselor begins to meet individually with juniors and families starting in the spring semester, continuing a dialogue with the student and the family that lasts until the end of senior year. Every student meets with our college counselor who will help them develop a well-balanced college list. The counselor will offer advice on testing, teacher recommendations, interviews, personal statements, and other aspects of the process. Our English department works with each senior on crafting their personal statement and supplemental essays.

The SVHS College Corner website is a robust site filled with helpful college admissions information.

School CEEB Code: 052455

School Profile >>

Counseling Resources

College Counseling:

See the information on this page.

Academic Counseling:

Visit our Academic Counseling page >>

You may be wondering if there is anything you should be doing to prepare in 9th and 10th grades for the college admission process.  Given the craziness of the college admission process in the media and beyond, it’s easy to feel like you’re already behind.

You are not.  The reality is this: for this process to go well, it must correspond to adolescent development and certain fixed benchmarks along the high school path.  Experience clearly shows that starting too early to prepare for college admissions results in a process focused on the wrong ideas.   “How do I get in?” becomes more important than “What am I looking for?”

At St. Vincent de Paul College Prep, we feel strongly that students are best prepared for the college process if they concentrate on learning and their high school education first, honing interests and developing passions.

Having said this, we agree that it is important for students and families to have a sense of what awaits on the college horizon to be ready for the next steps.  We have created the following guides to assist families in navigating the years ahead.

Timeline by Grade

Freshman Year

Sophomore Year

Junior Year

Senior Year

St. Vincent de Paul College Prep happily welcomes visits from college and university representatives.  We are a MaiaLearning school and schedule visits with MaiaVisits.  To schedule an appointment, please visit maialearning.com and click “Sign Up” if you do not already have an account.  For help with MaiaVisits, watch this short instructional video.

Please contact Jill Hjort, College Counselor at jhjort@svhs-pet.org or 707-763-1032 ext. 141 with any questions or requests for visits outside the availability window.

School Profile

Allegheny College
Alma College
American University
American University – District of Columbia
Arizona State University
Auburn University
Baylor University
Belmont University
Beloit College
Boise State University
Boston University
Brown University
Bryn Mawr College
California Lutheran University
California Poly, San Luis Obispo
California State Univ, Chico
California State Univ, Long Beach
California State Univ, Maritime Academy
California State Univ, Monterey Bay
California State Univ, Sacramento
California State Univ. Fresno
Carroll College
Chapman University
Clark University
Colgate University
College of Marin
Colorado School of Mines
Colorado State University, Fort Collins
Connecticut College
Cornell University
Creighton University
Dickinson College
Dominican University of CA
Drew University
Duke University
Elon University
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Fordham University
Franklin and Marshall College
George Washington University
Georgia Institute of Technology
Gonzaga University
Grand Canyon University
Grinnell College
Hamilton College
Hampshire College
Harvey Mudd College
Haverford College
Hawaii Pacific University
High Point University
Hofstra University
Indiana University
Johns Hopkins University
Kenyon College
Lehigh University
Lewis and Clark College
Louisiana State University
Loyola Marymount University
Loyola University, New Orleans
Manhattanville University
Marquette University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Miami University
Michigan State University
Montana State University
Montclair University
Mount Holyoke College
New Mexico State University
New York University
Northeastern University
Northern Arizona University
Oregon State University
Otis College of Art and Design
Pace University
Pacific Northwest College of Art
Pacific University
Pennsylvania State University
Pepperdine University
Purdue University
Reed College
Regis University
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rhodes College
Rice University
Rutgers University
Saint John’s University of New York
Saint Mary’s College of California
San Diego State University
San Francisco State University
San Jose State University
Santa Barbara City College
Santa Clara University
Santa Rosa Junior College
Sarah Lawrence College
Scripps College
Seattle University
Seton Hall University
Sonoma State University
Southern Methodist University
Syracuse University
Texas A&M University
Texas Christian University
The University of British Columbia
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville
Trent University
Tulane University
University of Alabama
University of Alaska, Fairbanks
University of Arizona
University of British Columbia
University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Davis
University of California, Irvine
University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Merced
University of California, Riverside
University of California, San Diego
University of California, Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Cruz
University of Colorado, Boulder
University of Denver
University of Maryland
University of Maryland- College Park
University of Miami
University of Michigan
University of Mississippi
University of Montana
University of Nebraska
University of Nevada, Reno
University of Notre Dame
University of Oregon
University of Portland
University of Puget Sound
University of Redlands
University of Rochester
University of San Diego
University of San Francisco
University of Southern California
University of St Andrews
University of the Pacific
University of Toronto
University of Vermont
University of Washington, Seattle
University of Wisconsin, Madison
Vermont State University
Villanova University
Washington State University
Western Oregon University
Whitworth University
Willamette University
William Jessup University
Yale University

St. Vincent de Paul College Prep offers a 21st-century education in a small but diverse learning community.  The best way for you to learn more about us is by visiting our campus.  For inquiries, please Contact Admissions

We are currently accepting applications for the 2025-2026 School Year. To apply, click here.

For Admissions, please contact:
Kerry Pedersen (SVHS, Class of ’89)
Director of Admissions
(707) 763-1032, ext 113
kpedersen@svhs-pet.org

For Counseling, please contact:

Jill Hjort
Director Of College Counseling
(707) 763-1032, ext 141
jhjort@svhs-pet.org