College Guide: A Discussion with Mr. Pelz

A group of students taking a tour at Vassar College. Mr. Pelz takes the students on an annual trip to colleges with the intention of the students determining their size and location preferences.

Written by Pierce W. ‘25

If you ask any high school junior or senior what’s on their mind, chances are college admissions are near the top. It’s hard to blame them––buzz about record-low acceptance rates, test-optional policies, restrictive early action versus early decision versus regular decisions applications, and the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision ending race-based admissions decisions feels constant. Fortunately, they are in good hands with Browning’s Director of College Guidance, Sandy Pelz, who spoke with the Grytte about a number of topics in the college admissions landscape. 

To Test or Not To Test?

Although many colleges remain test-optional, a change brought about in large part due to the Covid-19 pandemic when access to testing was severely limited, Pelz says Browning students should “absolutely” prepare for and take standardized tests. 

“Standardized testing is still important in a number of ways,” Pelz explains. “The college doesn't necessarily know the difference between a B+ at Browning and a B+ at Riverdale and a B+ at Des Moines Central High School. They do understand a 680 on the [SAT] verbal [section]…. So whether students submit scores or not, it’s still helpful for us … to have scores available … so that colleges can see what our score distribution is like. That helps them understand our transcript better.”

On the topic of testing, Pelz cautions that test preparation does not need to be on a student’s radar until the summer after tenth grade––at the earliest. “To be honest, one can do the test prep that one needs and wants during 11th grade and over the summer into 12th grade,” says Pelz.

Finding Fit

To many, finding the right colleges to apply to can feel overwhelming, which is why Pelz plans and implements Browning’s annual college trip for all juniors and seniors. He feels one of the key ways to find the right college fit is to start with some college visits.

“If I can plop you down on six or seven or eight college campuses,” Pelz explains, “You come away with a sense of what this school feels like and that school feels like … you get some sense of what it is you're shopping for.”

However, the annual college trip is just the beginning. Pelz says that the trip provides students with a sense of the types of schools in which they are interested in exploring, but then, the real work begins. Students can research colleges in a number of ways: reading about colleges on their websites or in guidebooks, visiting schools one might be interested in in-person, doing virtual tours, attending info sessions either at Browning or in the area, and talking with current and/or former students. 

When it comes time to finally apply to college, Pelz typically advises students to plan to apply to between ten and twelve colleges, but he says that depends on the student. 

“Some kids don't need to apply to ten because they've chosen six really well, others are more anxious and want to apply to fourteen [schools],” says Pelz.

“Happy, Healthy and Engaged”

While Pelz begins meeting with students in ninth grade, he knows that college is on the minds of many well before then. “We’re a college prep school, so most of our families are thinking about college applications when they apply for kindergarten,” Pelz acknowledges.

Despite this, he advises Upper School students to keep the college admissions focus on the back burner for as long as possible, and to instead focus on the here and now. Pelz says that colleges want applicants who have been “happy, healthy, and engaged” during their high school years, and he encourages students to maintain a focus on their academic work all four years. 

“The most important document in the college application is your transcript,” Pelz warns.

Pelz’s College Thoughts by Grade 

Freshman Year

Welcome to high school––your college profile is now under construction! Since colleges will look at your grades beginning in ninth grade, be sure to provide a solid foundation by doing well in your academic classes. Begin or continue exploring other activities you do or may enjoy as colleges want to see what else you are engaged with outside of the classroom. 

Sophomore Year

Thoughts about college may be starting to be more top-of-mind as you look down the road to junior year and begin to notice an uptick in academic expectations. Keep focusing on being engaged in school and extracurricular endeavors. 

Junior Year

You’ve not only reached the midpoint of high school, but you’ve also reached the single most important academic year because the grades you earn this year will be the most recent grades colleges will see when reviewing your application. This means it is more important than ever to focus on doing as well as possible in your courses. It is also the ideal time to kick off your college research in earnest by thinking about the factors that will be important to you in a college experience: things like size, location, and potential majors. Many juniors will start preparing for either the ACT or SAT, ideally taking one official sitting in the spring of the junior year.

Senior Year

Fall is the time to finish writing essays, finalize your recommendation writers, and wrap up standardized testing. Many early decision and early action application deadlines are November 1st, and other schools have deadlines for scholarship consideration, regardless of early or regular decision status, soon after. But don’t lose sight of staying engaged in your academic classes––schools can rescind acceptances after receiving your final year-end grades if you drop the ball and don’t earn grades to their satisfaction. And, be sure to enjoy your waning days as a Browning student; it won’t be long until you are a Browning Alumnus!