College Counseling Services

Supporting you to find your best fit path.

We support each student in their college and post-secondary journey, believing that the “best fit” path is unique to each student and our ultimate goal — not the hype around national rankings. While there is increased stress and anxiety around college admissions today, we believe this transitional period for our students can be enlightening, enriching and downright fun. (Yes, we love our jobs!)

Your Path to College: Guidance, Support and Success

Our College Counseling Department offers a robust college-preparatory and post-secondary program supporting students throughout high school. Our support services include:

Tailored support, including developing a high school plan and career exploration for ninth and 10th graders.
Individualized meetings with juniors and seniors.
Tailored guidance through the entire college application process, including building a balanced college list, networking with college admissions representatives, navigating letters of recommendation, providing feedback on essays, applying for financial aid and scholarships and supporting the completion of college applications.
Twice weekly tutorial offerings open to all high school students for drop-in support.
College planning presentations tailored to each grade-level offering valuable information about how to prepare for college through high school academics and extracurricular activities, trends in college admissions, components of college applications including essays and letters of recommendation, the standardized testing landscape, how to approach college visits and other helpful resources.
An annual College Exploration and Case Study Night involving current college admissions representatives discussing the nuances of applications and multiple breakout sessions covering topics such as financial aid, NCAA athletics and accessing academic support services in college.
Facilitation of over 100 college visits to EC campus annually.
Partnerships with test preparation companies Revolution Prep and Compass Education Group, involving webinars, in-person presentations, and free practice tests exclusively for Eastside Catholic students.
Guidance on the test-optional testing landscape and resources to prepare for tests, including offering a school-day SAT for juniors in the spring and another for seniors in the fall.
In the fall, all ninth through 11th graders take the PSAT; PSAT scores of juniors are considered for National Merit recognition.
Frequent communication with EC families and students about timelines and pertinent events via class-wide newsletters, Canvas announcements and a tailored Senior Events page on our website.

Our College Counselors

Livia Matteucci
High School College Counselor, A-Go
lmatteucci@eastsidecatholic.org | 425-295-3030

Lillian Do-Tran
High School College Counselor, Gr-M
ldotran@eastsidecatholic.org | 425-295-3033

Samantha Dzingle
High School College Counselor, N-Z
sdzingle@eastsidecatholic.org | 425-295-3015

View the High School Profile

View the College Planning Handbook

Class of 2025 graduates posing for the camera.

Resources

Canvas

Canvas is one of EC’s primary learning management systems and is where all high school students can find pertinent college- and career-related resources. All presentations by EC college counselors and external specialists, such as testing companies, are added to this page, along with announcements for upcoming events held at EC, in the greater Seattle area, and online. The College Counseling Canvas page offers a variety of resources across topics ranging from application platform support, standardized testing, a tailored list of scholarships, college athletics information, career exploration and more. Resources and events are updated regularly.

College & Career Planning Events

Planning for college can be both an exciting and stressful time for students and their families. Our College Counseling team hosts multiple events yearly to help students and families tackle the application process.

In September and December, we offer distinct college planning presentations for the junior and senior classes, covering critical information about the upcoming year for each class of students.

Our annual College Exploration and Case Studies event in March is for EC students and their families to gather critical information to assist with the college planning process. Information and presentations are shared by EC college counselors, guest speakers and college admission representatives. The keynote for this event includes a case studies panel where college admission representatives share their insights and expertise to help students feel more confident about the college admissions process.

We are committed to helping students find their “best fit” for college rather than focusing on rankings and college notoriety. Presentations and break-out sessions are focused on a variety of helpful college-related topics as well as personal wellness and academics — all topics equally important and integral to college planning.

Our College and Career Fair in the fall is an excellent opportunity for students to network with college admission representatives from across the country and learn about various career paths from our EC parent community.

additional college Planning Resources

College Athletics

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates and organizes the athletic programs of colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. Additionally, it supports student-athletes who compete in athletics across 1,100 colleges and universities. Some students also choose to compete in college athletics through the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletes (NAIA), which serves 250 colleges and universities.

All students who desire to play a sport at the Division I or Division II level in college must register with the NCAA Eligibility Center. Registration generates an NCAA ID, which NCAA colleges require for student-athletes.

There are different eligibility requirements for Division I, Division II and Division III athletics. Division I athletics has the strictest requirements of the three divisions and Division III does not have any requirements for athletes. Further guidance is available from the NCAA, including the initial eligibility standards and a roadmap through high school and the NCAA Eligibility Center Registration checklist.

Recruitment

Colleges and universities recruit some student-athletes to play a sport for their school. If a student is recruited by a Division I or Division II school for athletics, the college application timeline will differ from non-recruited students. Recruited students are still required to submit a complete application to the university, which may include teacher letters of recommendation and essays. Policies and procedures are specific to each university. Students should communicate with the Admissions Department of each university and keep their EC college counselor informed about their steps in the process.

Student-athletes in certain sports can be recruited as early as sophomore year. It is not recommended for students to commit to playing for a specific college or university this early in high school, but for students to keep an open dialogue with all schools that may be looking at them.

CoreCourseGPA.com

Eastside Catholic School is proud to make CoreCoureGPA available to EC families free of charge. CoreCourseGPA will be a helpful academic tool for you and your student-athlete.

CoreCourseGPA.com incorporates the NCAA-recognized core courses for Eastside Catholic School into the online course entry forms, calculates Division I and Division II core course GPA, automatically factors weighted grades into calculations and tracks course requirements for Division I and Division II. Students' core course information is saved for the duration of their high school career. Students and families can see which EC courses are NCAA-approved by viewing the EC Curriculum Guide.

The recruiting process starts in the freshman year. Make sure you are prepared.

To activate individual student accounts:

Visit CoreCourseGPA.com and select the blue FREE New Member Account button on the upper left-hand side of the homepage.
Input the EC school codes for each new faculty/student member in the New Member account creation box.
Contact Associate Athletic Director Kate Stone at kstone@eastsidecatholic.org for the EC code and if you have questions about this tool.

College Essay Support

Our college counselors are committed to supporting students with their college essays through each step in the process, from idea generation to drafting, multiple rounds of feedback and final essay revision.

College counselors provide targeted support on essay writing throughout the year in 1:1 meetings with students and during Tutorial periods. Additionally, college counselors offer a spring essay workshop for juniors to get a head start on their essays before summer break. Current EC students and families can visit the College Counseling Canvas page for essay-writing resources.

PSAT/SAT/ACT

College Entrance Examinations

Scores on college entrance exams (ACT, SAT) are often considered when determining college admission. Since 2022, many institutions have decided to go "test optional," meaning the institutions don't require students to submit college entrance exam scores for admission.

Some institutions, such as the entire University of California and California State University systems, are test blind, meaning they will not consider tests for admission. However, some colleges and universities still require submission of college entrance exams to be considered for admission or scholarships.

The decision about whether or not to submit test scores is individual and should be discussed with your EC college counselor.

Practice College Entrance Exams

At Eastside Catholic, students in grades 9 -11 take practice college entrance exams (PSAT 8-9 or PSAT) provided by the school. Early exposure and repeated practice allow for better performance on the actual exams.

The PSAT/NMSQT

Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test is a College Board exam given during junior year of high school. It is particularly important because it determines student eligibility for the National Merit Scholarship Program. If students receive an index number (populated by their scores on the PSAT/NMSQT) high enough to be in the top 50,000 scorers in the country, they will be notified by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) as being eligible to become a National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist.

Approximately 16,000 semifinalists are notified of their status and encouraged to complete an application to become a National Merit Finalist for the opportunity to be awarded scholarships. Semifinalists are notified in early September and finalists are notified in early February.

ACT and SAT Exams

Students can choose whether to take the ACT, SAT or neither (if the student plans to apply to only test-blind or test-optional schools), but taking at least one exam at least once is recommended to keep options open. Students may do better taking an exam a second time. Many colleges and universities “super score” when schools accept multiple score sets and take the best score from each subject from different score sets to populate a more generous test score.

It is recommended that students take a practice ACT and SAT to determine which exam might be a better fit for them. While both tests focus on similar academic skills, there are still slight differences in the format and the curriculum tested. Most notably, the ACT includes a required science section and an optional writing section, while the SAT only focuses on math and reading/grammar. Regarding practice tests and questions, students can explore College Board, the ACT website, Huntington Learning Center, Compass Prep and Revolution Prep.

Registration and more information about the ACT exam can be accessed at act.org. Registration and more information about the SAT exam can be accessed at collegeboard.org.

Beginning in Fall 2023, the PSAT was offered digitally. In Spring 2024, transitioned to a digital format and adjusted to approximately two hours. In Spring 2025, the ACT began offering a digital format in addition to the paper format. In Fall 2025, ACT will roll out enhancements to the test including making the science section optional.

Important Reminders

Both the SAT and ACT now require photo uploads during registration as part of the identification process
Students are required to present an acceptable form of ID to the test center on the day of testing
Stay updated on dates when EC will offer the school-day SAT (for EC students only)

ACT and SAT dates are available at collegeboard.org and act.org.

Scoir - College and Career Planning Tool

Scoir is a college and career platform that many competitive high schools have chosen to help students prepare for college and use as the vehicle to electronically submit documents (transcripts, letters of recommendation and the EC High School Profile) to all colleges and universities. Scoir has a vast array of resources for students starting in 9th grade to explore potential majors, careers, and colleges. Scoir can also be used to connect directly with admissions representatives from "favorited" colleges.

Beginning in Fall 2025, Scoir will sync with Common App to facilitate a smoother application process for students.

Upon enrolling in high school at Eastside Catholic, all students and families are provided with registration codes to log in and begin using their Scoir accounts. Every student has an individual account. Families with more than one student attending EC may have their accounts linked so that they may view and access all their students' information through one account. While parents can access their students' account accounts, parents and students have different login information, usernames, and passwords.

Information for College Representatives

We are excited to offer both in-person and virtual college visits throughout the school year. Colleges can indicate their preferences when scheduling visits through Scoir.

Available time slots are during lunch periods, and we encourage you to select the date and time that works best for you. If you have any specific questions or would like to request a time outside of the available slots (before or after school), please contact College Counselor Lillian Do-Tran for assistance.

Please note that, in accordance with Eastside Catholic School policy, only not-for-profit educational institutions are permitted to visit our campus.

We look forward to welcoming you to Eastside Catholic School!

Day of Visit

Eastside Catholic is located at 232 228th Avenue SE, Sammamish, WA 98074. Upon arrival, please check in at the Front Office, where you will sign in and receive a visitor badge to wear during your visit. One of our college counselors will greet you there and assist in setting up your visit with students.

Parking

Visitor parking is available in the south parking lot, located to the right as you enter campus. Please allow at least five minutes to walk from the parking lot to the main building. If you need a reserved spot closer to the building, please contact College Counselor Lillian Do-Tran in advance. Visitor spots closest to the school are reserved on a first-come, first-served basis, so we recommend making these arrangements as early as possible.

Washington Guaranteed Admissions Program (WAGAP)

EC has partnered with WAGAP to provide students the opportunity for guaranteed admissions to participating universities: Central Washington University, Eastern Washington University, The Evergreen State College, University of Washington – Tacoma, Washington State University, and Western Washington University. A student is eligible for guaranteed admissions if they have earned a cumulative, unweighted GPA of 3.0 or higher and have met all College Academic Distribution Requirements (CADR). Guaranteed admissions does not guarantee admissions in a specific degree program.

For more information, please visit the WAGAP website.

In This Section