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Maimonides Upper School

San Diego Jewish Academy

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Steve Kahn
Dean of Academic Affairs,
Maimonides Upper School
(858) 704-3773
skahn@sdja.com

College Counseling

College counseling at San Diego Jewish Academy is grounded in introspection. In freshman and sophomore years, students and parents meet informally with the Dean of Academic Affairs to discuss matters of academic counseling. Formal college counseling begins in the junior year. A meeting with students and parents is held in late fall, during which an overview of the college selection and application process is offered. Weekly small group meetings start at the beginning of the second semester. Juniors leave their study halls once a week to participate in topic specific discussions about college applications. A significant component of these weekly meetings is the month long self reflective writing students complete in May and June. Four different writing prompts ask students to reflect on who they are as learners, where in the country they think they’d most enjoy learning and what kind of Judaic programming on campus would best augment the educational environment they are seeking.

And of course, throughout the college selection and application process, there is regular, lengthy, candid conversations. Communication and availability define the relationship between the counseling office and our college bound students. Essays are read. Lists are created. Discussions and hugs are shared. By the end of the process, good matches have been determined, and students go to destinations where they continue to grow. The Counseling Office smiles, just a touch, at each individual’s sense of triumph once the admission season draws to a close every year.