College Counseling
The goal of the Cincinnati Country Day School College Counseling program is to help all students matriculate at colleges where they will prosper and from which they will emerge prepared to lead productive and satisfying lives.
View our latest College Profile. Propriety resources created and cultivated by our College Counseling Office are available in your My CCDS Portal.
A general overview of our program:
Freshman Year
Sophomore Year
Sophomore Parent College Night in February: “What It Took to Get In – Portraits of Successful College Applicants”
- Get-to-know-you meetings for sophomores and counselors continue at any time during the school year
- All sophomores take the PSAT in October and practice ACT in the spring
- Required individual student/parent meetings in late winter to plan junior year curriculum and summer experiences, and begin to explore college options
Junior Year
Junior Parent Student College Night in January: “Navigating a Rapidly Changing Landscape – Advice from Two College Deans”
- Junior parent/student information sessions at the start of the school year
- Juniors meet with more than 100 college representatives on our campus in the fall
- All juniors take the PSAT in October
- Required individual meetings with juniors and their counselors in January, followed by family meetings with the counselor, to formulate college list and plan summer experiences
- College counseling classes meet weekly in spring for major/career aptitude testing, creation of resume, analysis of sample college essays, brainstorming, and essay drafting
- Required summer essay and application workshops – rising seniors choose from June, July, or August dates
Senior Year
Senior Parent Student College Night in August: “How We Read an Application – A Conversation with Four College Deans”
- Senior college counseling classes meet weekly in the fall for guidance and time to work on essays and applications
- Seniors meet with more than 100 college reps who visit our campus in the fall
- Individual meetings between seniors and their college counselor throughout the fall to refine the college list and plan applications
Programs for Parents at Any Grade Level
More Information
CCDXperiences
Our goal is to help students develop the skills, knowledge, and empathy required to engage successfully in a rapidly changing world. Through CCDXperiences, students see firsthand what it is like to work in a field that interests them through short-term job shadows, long-term volunteer research positions, or weeklong career exploration opportunities on university campuses and in the field. Because of the close relationship we have with our students and the generous volunteerism of our community, we are able to match students with relevant, impactful experiences.
Read below for examples of past CCDXperiences!
Vanca Pandey `26 spent time with Dr. Khurram Khan at his oral surgery practice, About Face Surgical Arts. "I really enjoyed seeing how multiple aspects of medicine came into play for his job. It included dentistry, oral surgery, and anesthesiology. He also developed platelets to promote healing while in the operating room, which I found really interesting. I also really enjoyed the environment at his office. Dr. Khan and his team are so welcoming, and it was really amazing to see how they were able to connect with and make every patient feel comfortable."
Abby Falkingham `25, Maggie Klekamp `25, and Marin Lange `25 shadowed at Waterson Garner to learn about brand strategy and new product development. The students sat in on two days of virtual consumer interviews with CCDS parent and trustee Katie Waterson. “It was amazing to see how the company works,” said Abby “I had so much fun!”
Kier Smith `26 and Ryaan Arif `26 shadowed Dr. Chris Riemann at The Cincinnati Eye Institute, observing surgeries and following up with patients in the clinic the next day. This hands-on experience is a longtime favorite among CCDS students!
Sponsorship Information
Recent CCDxperiences Sponsors
AMEND Consulting
Bahl & Gaynor Investment Counsel
Beacon Orthopedics
Bee Well Pediatrics
The Cancer Institute, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Chatham Business Capital
Chemical Engineering in Cincinnati industries
Cincinnati Eye Institute
David Restaurant Group
Edited text with poet Jeannine Hall Gailey `98
Ernst and Young
Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office
The Heart Institute, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
Kroger Technology
Liver, Kidney Transplantation, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Lightship Capital
The Lodge Nursing and Rehabilitation
Maineville Dental
Merrill Lynch
Nelson Worldwide (formerly FRCH)
Neurocritical ICU, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Pediatric Anesthesiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Proton Therapy Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Robert Louis Group
Taft Law
Terrex Development and Construction
TradeWins LLC (D.C.)
United Way of Greater Cincinnati
U.S. Attorney, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth District
Upstream 360
Wellington Orthopedics
Job Shadow/Internship Host Responsibilities
Give an overview of the industry and a sense of possible career trajectories, including one or more of the following activities:
- Reading or research about the industry and the particular company (could be assigned to the student in advance)
- Shadowing employees during the workday (e.g., attend work sessions, external partner presentations, or team meetings)
- Tours of the workplace
- Informational meetings with employees in different areas of the business and/or stages of their career
- Discussions of office culture and current industry trends
We Need Your Help!
If you think you could host an Upper School student at your place of work or share your expertise with students on our campus, please complete this form and someone from our College Counseling Office will be in touch shortly!
Any questions? Contact Sarah Beyreis, director of college counseling and external opportunities, at 513 979-0261 or beyreiss@countryday.net.
Counseling Staff
Mrs. Sarah Boocock Beyreis
Director of College Counseling
(513) 979-0261
beyreiss@countryday.net
Yale University BA (1985), MA (1994); Middlebury College MA (1996)
Mrs. Beyreis has directed the Country Day College Counseling Program since 2005. She also directs the school’s job shadow and internship program, serves on the CCDX course planning committee, and advises families in search of summer programs. She has taught sophomore and freshman English at Country Day and advised The Scroll, the student newspaper. Before moving to Ohio, she was the director of college counseling at The Pingry School in Martinsville, New Jersey. Mrs. Beyreis is a member of the Association of College Counselors in Independent Schools, the National Association of College Admissions Counselors, the Ohio Association of College Admissions Counselors, the College Board and the Clambake Group.
Mr. Charles F. McGivern
Associate Director of College Counseling
(513) 979-0334
mcgivernc@countryday.net
LaSalle University BA (1997), Temple University, MS Ed. (2003)
Mr. McGivern has been counseling students at Country Day since 2007. He has also taught senior English electives. He has a master’s degree in education with a specialization in technology integration from Temple. Mr. McGivern grew up in Philadelphia, where he attended William Penn Charter, a private school he describes as “exactly like Cincinnati Country Day.” He came to Country Day from Interboro High School in Prospect Park, Pennsylvania, a Philadelphia suburb, and before that from William Penn High School in the city. Mr. McGivern is a member of the Association of College Counselors in Independent Schools, the National Association of College Admissions Counselors, the Ohio Association of College Admissions Counselors and the College Board.
Sam Fox
Administrative Assistant & Testing Coordinator
(513) 979-0274
foxs@countryday.net
Northern Kentucky University BA (2015), University of Louisville M.Ed (2017)
Ms. Fox is a new addition to CCDS, starting in the 2024-2025 school year. After completing her master’s degree in counseling, she worked in various settings, including adolescent mental health, adult substance abuse treatment, and provider insurance enrollment. Ms. Fox spent her elementary school years in Marysville, Washington, a suburb of Seattle, before moving with her family to Louisville, Kentucky. After completing her bachelor’s degree at NKU, she moved back to Louisville, where she stayed until permanently moving to Cincinnati in 2018. When she is not working, Ms. Fox enjoys running, drawing, and playing roller derby – she skates with the Cincinnati Rollergirls, Black-n-Bluegrass Roller Derby, and Team Ohio All-Stars.
College Representatives
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