Academics

College Counseling

About the Program

TJ graduates attend a wide variety of colleges and universities throughout the U.S. and abroad, and excellent preparation for those programs is a hallmark of the TJ experience. Over the school's history, 100 percent of its graduates have been admitted to college, and a large number have continued their education in graduate or professional schools.

Every student receives a great deal of individual attention throughout the college-application process. The Director of College Counseling meets with every grade level multiple times each year to prepare them for the college search and application process.

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  • College Counseling Year by Year

    Middle School: In these years, developing a strong foundation of academic skills and study habits is paramount, and the TJ College Counseling Office works with middle schoolers to help them prepare for academic success in high school. Students also learn how to access support and help in their new community.

    9th Grade: Students are guided by the College Counseling Office to understand more about what it means to be a member of the TJ community and how they can define their impact in the classroom through involvement in TJ’s clubs, activities, and athletics. Students are onboarded to Scoir, TJ’s college counseling platform. Students also reflect on their first careers assessment, a personality pest informed by Jungian archetypes. 

    10th Grade: Students build on their foundations for a successful TJ career, learning how their interests and goals enrich community life as they grow into leaders at TJ. Students are guided through developing their activities list, building a resume, reviewing and understanding PSAT results, and attending university visits. Colleges evaluate a student’s GPA and course selection from freshman year to senior year, and the college counselor works with each student to determine their plan for the road ahead. Students also take a careers assessment based on John Holland’s occupational themes, reflecting on their results as they relate to their goals at TJ and beyond. 

    11th Grade: Breaking down each step of the planning process into manageable objectives, students develop an activity list, research colleges, continue to explore career interests and college majors, and develop a timeline and checklist to organize their plans. Through critical self-reflection, students assess where they are in their college search process, and are asked to articulate where they want to go. The seminar culminates in a final presentation (to the college counselor) in which each student describes how they developed their college list and how it connects to their plans beyond TJ.

    12th Grade: Students work through the completion of each of the constituent parts of their college application: application essays, activities lists, CommonApp support, applying for financial aid and scholarships, and strategies for leaving TJ and making the most of college.

  • Program Highlights

    • Average SAT score: 1450
    • Average ACT score: 32
    • 50+ colleges and universities visit TJ annually.
    • As juniors, students tour two local schools—Washington University in St. Louis and St. Louis University—to familiarize themselves with the process.
    • Parents can attend annual admissions and financial-aid workshops hosted by the college counseling department.

  • College Matriculation

    Click here to view the college acceptances and matriculations for the class of 2023. 

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  • Photo of Eric Steere

    Mr. Eric Steere 

    Director of College Counseling
As TJ's Director of College Counseling and faculty member, I am proud to be part of a community that so clearly knows and cares about its students. There is a magic that happens where these relationships are strong, where young people invest themselves in their education and become drivers in the plans they make.
 
I studied International Relations at the University of St. Andrews and Durham University in the UK. A short but entertaining career as a freelance writer followed before I found my calling in education. I have taught and worked as a college counselor in a variety of settings, from community college and university to an IB boarding school in South India, and most recently at an American international school in UAE. 
 
Having grown up in New Jersey, which in itself is like a cross-section of the world, and through my career in education, I am sensitive to the concerns families from all different backgrounds have when it comes to considering options for higher education. My goal is to help students learn how to become the best version of themselves by accompanying them through this process. Beyond gaining admission to a College where they will thrive, they will learn how to make the most of their college experience and stretch their expectations of what they can achieve beyond.

Eric Steere
Director of College Counseling

Start Your TJ Journey

The best way to get to know TJ is by spending time on campus, meeting our students and experiencing our classes. See our community for yourself at one of our open houses, shadow days, or let us create the perfect visit just for you.

Thomas Jefferson School

4100 S. Lindbergh Boulevard
Saint Louis, MO 63127
P. (314) 843-4151
F. (314) 843-3527