Academics

College Counseling

College Preparation

College counseling at Hampton Roads Academy begins, in essence, the moment a family chooses to enroll their child at HRA.
As a college preparatory school, the curriculum is structured in order to prepare all students for success at the college or university they ultimately choose.

The College Counseling Office works with students and their families to guide them through the college search and application process. This process begins in the ninth grade as faculty advisors work with students in planning appropriate courses. Advisors also work with students as they learn to balance academics with a range of extra-curricular activities and athletics.
 
College Counselors meet with students and host periodic parent information sessions throughout the ninth and tenth grade years.
Formal college counseling continues into the junior year when students and their parents attend the annual College Night program where families are introduced to the process and the year ahead. Each junior and his or her parents have an individual meeting with a college counselor early in the spring semester to create an initial list of colleges.

Over the next year and a half, students and parents continue to work closely with the college counseling staff from the first meeting through graduation.

The college counselors serve as resources, guides, and advocates for students and families as they navigate the process of investigating colleges and universities, applying to schools, and making the final decision of where to attend.

College Counseling Events By Grade

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  • Grade 9

    During Grade Nine:
    • The college counseling office will host general student and parent information sessions about the college counseling process, the current landscape of college admissions, and how to interpret and utilize results from the PSAT 8/9.

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  • Grade 10

    During Grade 10:
    • The college counseling office will host individual meetings with families that will include information about high school course selection, career planning and interest inventories, beginning the college search process, and how to interpret and utilize results from the PSAT. 

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  • Grade 11

    During Grade 11:
    • The college counseling office will facilitate a multi-college tour for students that includes information sessions with college admissions staff, campus tours, meals on campus, and conversations with HRA alumni at each college.
    • Students and their families will get to “be the college admissions reader” in a mock admissions session hosted by the college counseling office in partnership with college admissions staff.
    • Students will take both the PSAT and a practice ACT in order to learn personal preferences and promote focused standardized test preparation.
    • Students and families will meet with college counselors to plan senior year courses, cultivate a thoughtful list of colleges to explore, and develop the best standardized test schedule for the student
    • The college counseling office will facilitate a college application "boot" camp as well as multiple college essay writing workshops.

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  • Grade 12

    During Grade 12:
    • The college counseling office hosts Senior College Night, an interactive evening program featuring information about financial aid and scholarships.
    • College counselors facilitate numerous college application essay writing workshops.
    • The college counseling office presents a Senior transition program for soon-to-be graduates with sessions on financial literacy, wellness, and making healthy choices in college.

HRA Alumnus

HRA's College Counseling program helped me understand my true potential. I would not have reached as far without the encouragement of the program.

College Counseling News

It’s never about getting into a school for the HRA students. It’s about getting into the right school. Finding the perfect fit of a college or university for each student guides the entire process. In 2022 alone, the 61 HRA graduates attended 35 different colleges and universities.

Meet the College Counseling Team

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College Counseling Quick Links

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  • The HRA College Board Code

    471533 - For use on standardized test and other application information
  • HRA Profile

  • College Representative Visits

    To view the college rep visit schedule, click here and follow the steps below.
    Find the "Are you new here?" section 
    Select:
    1. I'm a guest
    2. Enter as a guest
    3. Colleges
    4. View all upcoming college visits
  • HRA Memberships

    Hampton Roads Academy is a proud member of National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), Potomac and Chesapeake Association for College Admission Counseling (PCACAC), and Association of College Counselors in Independent Schools (ACCIS).

    Hampton Roads Academy is a proud member of the Cum Laude Society. The Cum Laude Society recognizes academic achievement in secondary schools for the purpose of promoting excellence (Areté), justice (Diké) and honor (Timé). Hampton Roads Academy’s chapter was chartered in April, 1971.
  • REACH Initiative

    Current research shows that today’s college-bound students are more stressed than ever before, feeling that they may be, as was claimed in the award-winning documentary film by the same name, in a ‘race to nowhere’. This was the inspiration behind the HRA REACH Initiative (Real-world Experience & Academic CHoice).

    We believe that the academic experience should be tied to relevant real-world experiences whenever possible. The twenty-first century economy requires the ability to think creatively, to collaborate, and to communicate effectively, all skills that begin in the classroom but that are enhanced and made more relevant by exploration outside the school’s walls. These experiences might take the form of summer internships, mentorships, part-time jobs, leadership opportunities, or more. Click here to read about a recent research experience. 

    Click here to read more about the academic areas of focus that are part of the REACH Initiative

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  • Colleges that offered Admission to the Class of 2022

    The members of the Class of 2022 have been offered admission to the following colleges and universities:
    [ ]= Number of Students Attending

     American University    1    
    Appalachian State University    1    [1]
    Arizona State University     1    
    Auburn University    1    
    Baylor University    1    
    Belmont University    1    
    Boston University    1    
    Bridgewater College    1    
    Christopher Newport University    6    [3]
    Cleveland Institute of Art    1    
    Coastal Carolina University    2    
    College of Charleston    6    [1]
    Columbia College Chicago    1    
    East Carolina University    4    
    Elon University    5    [1]
    Emerson College    1    
    Florida State University    1    
    Fordham University    1    
    George Mason University    5    [1]
    George Washington University    1    
    Gettysburg College    1    
    Hamilton College    1    [1]
    Hampden-Sydney College    1    [1]
    High Point University    1    
    Hofstra University    1    
    Hollins University    2    [1]
    Jackson State University    1    
    James Madison University    20    [7]
    Liberty University    2    [1]
    Long Island University    1    [1]
    Longwood University    6    [1]
    Lycoming College    1    
    Maryland Institute College of Art    1    
    Marymount Manhattan College    1    
    Marymount University    1    
    Massachusetts College of Art and Design    1    
    New York University    2    [1]
    North Carolina State University-Raleigh    3    [1]
    Oklahoma State University    1    
    Old Dominion University    7    
    Pennsylvania State University     2    
    Pennsylvania State University-Abington    1    
    Point Park University    1    
    Purdue University    1    
    Quinnipiac University    1    
    Radford University    2    
    Randolph-Macon College    4    [2]
    Regent University    1    [1]
    Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute    1    
    Rider University    1    
    Ringling College of Art and Design    1    
    Roanoke College    2    [1]
    Rochester Institute of Technology    1    [1]
    Roosevelt University    1    
    Savannah College of Art & Design    5    [4]
    Shenandoah University    1    
    St. Mary's College of Maryland    1    
    Stillman College    1    
    SUNY at Purchase College    1    
    Susquehanna University    1    
    Syracuse University    2    
    The University of Alabama    1    
    The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill    1    [1]
    The University of Tennessee-Knoxville    2    
    Towson University    1    
    United States Naval Academy    1    [1]
    University of Arkansas    1    
    University of California-Davis    2    [1]
    University of Colorado Boulder    3    
    University of Connecticut    1    
    University of Georgia    2    
    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign    1    
    University of Lynchburg    3    
    University of Maine    1    
    University of Mary Washington    7    [1]
    University of Maryland-College Park    1    
    University of Massachusetts-Boston    1    [1]
    University of Miami    1    
    University of Michigan-Ann Arbor    1    
    University of North Carolina Wilmington    3    
    University of North Dakota    1    
    University of Pittsburgh    2    
    University of Richmond    1    [1]
    University of San Francisco    1    [1]
    University of South Carolina    5    [1]
    University of Utah    1    
    University of Vermont    1    [1]
    University of Virginia     6    [5]
    University of Virginia-Wise     1    
    University of Washington-Seattle Campus    1    
    University of West Alabama    1    
    University of Wisconsin-Madison    1    
    Villanova University    1    [1]
    Virginia Commonwealth University    14    [5]
    Virginia Tech    6    [3]
    Wake Forest University    1    
    Washington and Lee University    3    [2]
    Wentworth Institute of Technology    1    
    William & Mary    5    [3]
    Winston-Salem State University    1    [1]

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  • Colleges Attended by Recent Graduates

    Graduates in the last five classes have attended the following colleges and universities: 
                                                   
    American University
    Appalachian State University
    Apprentice School of Northrop Grumman
    Arizona State University-Tempe
    Auburn University
    Baylor University
    Belmont University
    Boston College
    Boston University
    Bowdoin College
    Brandeis University
    Brown University
    Bryn Mawr College
    Carnegie Mellon University
    Case Western Reserve University
    Chatham University
    Christopher Newport University
    Clemson University
    Coastal Carolina University
    Colgate University
    College of Charleston
    College of William and Mary
    Converse College
    Cornell University
    Dartmouth College
    Davidson College
    DePaul University
    Drew University
    Drexel University
    Duke University
    Eckerd College
    Elon University
    Emerson College
    Emory University
    Flagler College
    Fordham University
    Furman University
    George Mason University
    George Washington University
    Georgetown
    Georgia Tech
    Grove City College
    Hampden-Sydney College
    Hampton University
    High Point University
    Indiana University-Bloomington
    James Madison University
    Johns Hopkins University
    Kenyon College
    Lehigh University
    Liberty University
    Lincoln Memorial University
    Maryland Institute College of Art
    Marymount University
    Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    McGill University
    Miami University-Oxford
    Middlebury College
    Morehouse College
    New York University
    North Carolina Central University
    North Carolina State University
    Northeastern University
    Norwich University
    Old Dominion University
    Pace University
    Patrick Henry College
    Pennsylvania State University
    Pratt Institute
    Purdue University
    Radford University
    Randolph College
    Randolph-Macon College
    Reed College
    Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
    Rice University
    Ringling College of Art and Design
    Roanoke College
    Rochester Institute of Technology
    Roosevelt University
    San Diego State University
    Savannah College of Art and Design
    School of the Art Institute of Chicago
    Shenandoah University
    Southern Methodist University
    Spelman College
    Syracuse University
    Temple University
    Texas A&M University, College Station
    Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi
    Texas A&M University, Galveston
    The New School
    The Oberlin Conservatory of Music
    The Ohio State University
    The University of Alabama
    The University of Edinburgh
    The University of Tennessee
    The University of Texas
    The University of the South
    Thomas College
    Tufts University
    Tulane University of Louisiana
    United States Naval Academy
    University of California-Davis
    University of California-Los Angeles
    University of California-San Diego
    University of Colorado Boulder
    University of Georgia
    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
    University of Kansas
    University of Louisville
    University of Lynchburg
    University of Mary Washington
    University of Maryland
    University of Massachusetts-Amherst
    University of Miami
    University of Mississippi
    University of New Hampshire
    University of Notre Dame
    University of Pittsburgh
    University of Richmond
    University of South Carolina
    University of Southern California
    University of Virginia
    Virginia Commonwealth University
    Virginia Military Institute
    Virginia Tech
    Virginia Wesleyan University
    Washington and Lee University
    Wellesley College
    West Virginia University
    Western Colorado University
    Widener University
    William and Mary
    Wofford College
    Yale University
Contact HRA’s College Counseling Office to learn more.

Hampton Roads Academy

HRA is accredited through the Virginia Association of Independent Schools, a member of the National Association of Independent Schools and is a National Blue Ribbon School.