College Advising

KUA's College Advising Office educates, guides, and supports students as they go through the process of self-assessment, research, application, and college choice. We honor the diversity of achievements, interests, aspirations, and backgrounds our students represent and work vigorously to support our students’ applications to a wide variety of colleges and universities.

KUA Class of 2019 College Matriculations

American University (3)	Endicott College (2)	Syracuse University (2)
Babson College (2)	Florida Gulf Coast University	The American University of Paris
Bard College	Furman University	The George Washington University (3)
Bentley University	High Point University	The Ohio State University
Boston College (3)	Hobart and William Smith Colleges (3)	The University of Alabama
Boston University	Howard University	The University of Melbourne
Brandeis University	Husson University	Trinity College
Brown University	Keene State College	Union College (New York)
Bryant University	Muhlenberg College	University of California, San Diego
Carnegie Mellon University	Northeastern University	University of Connecticut
Castleton University	Norwich University (2)	University of Hartford (2)
Chapman University	Oberlin College of Arts and Sciences	University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Coastal Carolina University	Pennsylvania State University	University of Michigan
Colgate University	Purdue University (2)	University of Pennsylvania
College of Charleston (3)	Roanoke College	University of Vermont (3)
College of the Holy Cross	Roger Williams University	Waseda University
Colorado College	Rutgers University-New Brunswick	Wentworth Institute of Technology
Connecticut College (4)	Skidmore College	Wesleyan University
Emerson College	St. Lawrence University (3)	Williams College

Interested in learning more about how we see college admissions? Read more:

Helpful Hints

List of 5 items.

Freshman Year
Academics:
- It is important to begin high school as strong as possible. The later you are in your high school career, the more difficult it is to improve your G.P.A. Make certain that you are doing all the work required of you in each of your classes.
- Building relationships with teachers can be quite positive. Make the most of office hours and ask for assistance as needed.
- Establish good study habits early.
- Read, read, and read some more. This is perhaps the best thing you can do to improve your standardized test scores and academic performance.
Involvement:
- Look for opportunities to develop non-academic skills such as leadership, creativity, responsibility, special talents, and individuality.
- The earlier you become involved in activities, the easier it will be to achieve leadership roles in those activities.
- The more activities you try early, the easier it will be to determine which activities hold the most interest to you.
Sophomore Year
Academics:
- If appropriate, challenge yourself with honors classes.
- Take the PSAT for the first time.
- Begin to include college campus visits as part of your family vacations or KUA long weekends and breaks.
- Register for the June SAT Subject Tests if appropriate. See your college advisor for more details.
- Read, read, and read some more. This is perhaps the best thing you can do to improve your standardized test scores and academic performance.
Involvement:
- Look for opportunities to develop non-academic skills such as leadership, creativity, responsibility, special talents, and individuality.
- The earlier you become involved in activities, the easier it will be to achieve leadership roles in those activities.
- The more activities you try early, the easier it will be to determine which activities hold the most interest to you.
Junior Year
September
- Prepare for the PSAT.
- The October test will be used to determine the National Merit Semifinalists and Commended students.
- Visit with college representatives at KUA.
- Work on maintaining or improving your grades. Grades from your junior year and first trimester of senior year will be the most important.
October
- Visit with college representatives at KUA.
- Take the PSAT/NMSQT at KUA.
November
- Schedule an appointment with Mr. G to review your progress.
January
- Results of the PSAT are returned to students.
- Review your scores to help identify the areas you need to concentrate on in your preparation for the SAT.
- Begin preparation for the SAT and ACT. Use our online software, Method Test Prep.
- Plan on taking the April ACT and the May SAT at KUA.
- Receive your college advisor assignment. Schedule a meeting with your college advisor to begin the college selection process.
February
- Register for the April ACT and the May SAT.
- Attend the College Planning Weekend.
March
- Schedule college campus visits during spring break.
April
- Take the ACT at KUA.
- Attend the college fair at Colby-Sawyer (required junior class activity).
- Apply for Pre-College Programs over the summer.
- Register for the June SAT Subject Tests, if appropriate.
May
- Take the SAT at KUA.
- Identify two current teachers (one English or History and one Math or Science) to write letters of recommendation.
- Division I or II athletic recruits.
- Register with the NCAA Clearinghouse. This is required to make an “official” visit as a prospective student-athlete or to play at the Division I or II levels. Register online at www.eligibilitycenter.org.
Pre-Senior Year Summer
June-July-August
- Read, read, and read some more. This is perhaps the best thing you can do to improve your standardized test scores and academic performance.
- Visit college websites and look through college guidebooks.
  - The Fiske Guide to Colleges, Princeton Review’s Best 378, Peterson’s Competitive Colleges, The Insiders Guide to the Colleges, and Colleges That Change Lives
  - Make college campus visits.
  - Read carefully the brochures you receive in the mail or in the admissions office.
  - Begin thinking about and creating a draft of your college essay. Use the Common Application topics as a guide.
Senior Year
August
- Create your Common Application account at commonapp.org. The application should be available on August 1.
September-October
- Begin working on your applications.
- Link your Naviance account with your Common Application account.
- Schedule meetings with your college advisor.
- Know what your deadlines are and plan so you can meet them.
- Save all of your documents (essays and short answers) so you can use them for other applications.
- Have your college advisor read your essay.
- Early Decision and Early Action applications must be completed now. (Deadlines do vary, but many are November 1 or November 15. The University of California system application process is geared around the month of October.)
- Keep your grades up. The first trimester of senior year is a critical marking period. Some colleges will wait to make a decision until after they see first trimester grades.
- Register to retake the SAT, ACT, or SAT Subject Tests. Over two-thirds of students improve the second time around.
- KUA is a test center for the ACT in October and the SAT/SAT Subject Tests in October, November, December, and January.
- Update/Complete your resume. This will be useful for the “activities” section of most applications as well as helping you organize your thoughts for college admission or alumni interviews.
- Meet with the college reps from any school in which you are interested when they come to KUA.
- Finish campus visits to your top schools. Arrange for permission for these trips with the College Advising Office. Use the designated college visit days in October.
November
- Finish and submit your applications.
- The earlier you have them completed the better.
- Have your college advisor review your application before you submit.
- Make sure you put your full effort into your application.
December
- Complete any applications you still intend to submit.
- Apply for your FAFSA PIN # at pin.ed.gov (if you are planning to apply for need-based financial aid).
January
- Submit any last applications.
- Complete your FAFSA online at fafsa.ed.gov. You may also need to complete the CSS/Profile (if you are planning to apply for need-based financial aid).
- You can file the FAFSA and CSS/Profile before you file your tax forms with the IRS. It is possible to use estimated data, although actual data are better. Some colleges may contact you for an alumni interview.
February-March
- Respond quickly to any requests for additional information from college admissions and financial aid offices.
- Be patient and wait. Admissions offices are very busy and they are doing their best to give your application every possible consideration. This can be a stressful time, so make sure you talk things through…with your friends, your parents, your advisor, or your college advisor.
April
- Finish strong in your classes. Your college will see your final grades. All offers of admission are contingent upon you successfully completing your final trimester. This means performing at the same level you did throughout high school.
- Review all your acceptances and financial aid awards.
- Meet with your college advisor to discuss your college options.
- If you have any doubts about your decision, visit the colleges you have been accepted to: stay overnight, sit in on a class, talk to students and professors, and get a feel for the campus.
- By May 1, notify all colleges who accepted you that you will or will not be enrolling.
- Your enrollment deposit must be paid by May 1 to the college you plan to attend. You may only deposit at one school.
May
- May 1 is the deposit deadline for most colleges.
- Inform your college advisor of your college choice so your final official transcript is sent to the correct school.

Quick Links

List of 3 items.

Helpful Resources

Class of 2019 College Acceptances

College Advising Memo to Seniors

2019-2020 School Profile

SAT and ACT Testing Dates 2019-2020

Information on Standardized Testing

College Advising Tool

Meet the College Advisors

List of 5 members.

Gunnar Olson

Director of College Advising

603 469-2175

golson@kua.org
Bio
A boarding school graduate, Mr. Olson came to KUA in 2019. He spent the l9 years prior to KUA as a college advisor at independent schools in Ohio, Texas, and Alabama. After working at St. Mary’s Hall in San Antonio, he became the Director of College Advising at Indian Springs School in Alabama. In 2016, Mr. Olson moved to Ohio to become the Director of College Counseling at Western Reserve Academy. Before working in boarding schools, Mr. Olson worked on the “college side” of admission in New York and Michigan.

As a student, Mr. Olson was fortunate to work with a wonderful college advisor, who inspired his approach to his work with students. His philosophy for the college search and application process is a student-centered approach, striving to find the right fit for each student. Mr. Olson has presented at various regional and national conferences about all aspects of this process and served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Association of College Counselors in Independent Schools.

Mr. Olson enjoys living on campus because it allows him to interact with students outside the traditional academic environment. He feels this interaction makes him a better college counselor. He is visible at numerous athletic and cultural events on campus. He enjoys golf, food, old movies, and all sports. Having grown up in New England, he is a huge Boston sports fan, especially the Red Sox. He will be living on campus with his wife Anna, a Cubs fan.
Derek Gueldenzoph

Senior Associate Director of College Advising

603-469-2171

dgueldenzoph@kua.org
Bio
Derek Gueldenzoph came to Kimball Union in 2012 after spending almost 20 years serving in college admissions and financial aid at four different small liberal arts colleges: the Dean of Admissions for St. Olaf College in Minnesota, the Dean of Admissions for The College of Wooster in Ohio, the Assistant Vice President for Institutional Enrollment for Austin College in Texas, and an Admission Counselor for his alma mater, Beloit College. Derek graduated from Beloit with a BA in Psychology and Government and has his MA from Bowling Green State University in College Student Personnel. He played soccer all four years at Beloit and was inducted into their Athletic Hall of Honor in 2011.

Derek is joined at KUA by his wife Margot Gueldenzoph. They live on campus with their two boys, Cole and Reid.
John Kluge

English Teacher, College Advisor

603-469-2191

jkluge@kua.org
Bio
A 1966 graduate of Kimball Union, John has taught English at KUA since 1989 and was English Department Chair till 2016. Holder of the Lionel Mosher and Peter Holland Chair in English for 25 years, he has taught AP Language and Composition, AP Literature and Composition, English IV Honors, English IV, and English III. John has served on many committees in his tenure at KUA and chaired the committees that developed the Writing Across the Curriculum and the Senior Capstone Programs. He also served as chair of the past two NEASC (New England Association of Schools and Colleges) self-study committees and played an integral role in preparing the Academy for its NEASC re-accreditations.?

Though a House Parent for many years, John now lives on a hilltop in Enfield, where he is a Town Selectman, a member of the Enfield Planning Board, and often volunteers for the Enfield Shaker Museum. He enjoys, reading, writing, walking through his woods, kayaking, cutting firewood, and playing with his tractor, but his greatest passion is for teaching literature at Kimball Union, where his classes are noted for their energy, their student-centered approach, and their emphasis on writing with clarity and depth of thought.
Heather Vogel

College Advising Office Manager and Advancement Assistant

603 469-2170

hvogel@kua.org
Whitaker Whit Willocks

Assistant Director of College Advising, Girls' Varsity Lacrosse Head Coach

603 469-2173

wwillocks@kua.org
Bio
Whitaker “Whit” Willocks holds an undergraduate and master’s degrees from the University of Virginia, where she was a member of the women’s lacrosse team from 2005-2010 and captained the team in 2010. US Lacrosse High School All American, ’03, ’04, and ’05 and three-time ACC Champion and NCAA Runner up. After receiving her master’s degree in education at UVA, Whit worked in a technology firm before moving to the Admissions Office and coaching varsity field hockey & lacrosse at Choate Rosemary Hall. She then became the Assistant Women’s Lacrosse coach at Dartmouth College and also served as the Assistant Coach at Hanover High School in 2015 and 2016. In 2017, Whit and her family moved to State College, PA and Whit was the Co-Head Coach for the State College Girl’s Varsity high school team. During her time coaching in 2015 through 2017, Whit was the Director of Events for a Non-Profit Global Association, AISAP. In January 2018, Whit and her family moved to Meriden, NH, where she now works and serves as the Assistant Director of College Advising at Kimball Union Academy and Head Coach of the Girls Varsity Lacrosse Team. Whit’s husband, James, is the Men’s Rugby Head Coach at Dartmouth College. Whit, James and their two children, Charlie and Bo, live at Kimball Union Academy, in Meriden, NH.