Private School College Counseling Overview

Our Philosophy

At Foxcroft, the college selection process is:

All about matching you with the college that suits you best
An important journey in its own right, offering you an exciting opportunity to learn more about who you are and what you want
A partnership among students, parents, and the College Counseling Office, with you — the student — at the helm.
NOT your parents’ college selection process. College admissions is vastly different from a decade or even five years ago — and it's important to accept its unpredictability.
Less stressful and more successful when navigated with our “Five First-Choice Colleges” approach.

The Five First-Choice Colleges Approach

Director of College Counseling Barbara Conner’s Five First-Choice Colleges, an innovative system for creating your short list of schools to apply to, is met with professional acclaim and student success. By targeting five schools on your list, you’ll reduce stress and improve your college admission outcome.

Your Five First-Choice Colleges should:

Have a typical admitted pool that aligns with your current academic profile;
Match your academic/social/cultural setting goals;
Be a school that you’ve looked at from a financial perspective;
Be a school you’re excited about attending!

Read more about Ms. Conner’s Five First-Choice Colleges approach in the Spring 2015 issue of the Journal of College Admission.

A Comprehensive Program

List of 1 items.

Highlights
- Grade-appropriate activities beginning freshman year.
- Weekly College Seminar classes during spring of junior year
- “Parent College Program” for sophomores, juniors, and parents each spring.
- Essay-writing workshops and advice from the admission deans for seniors
- 100+ colleges and university admission representatives visit each year
- Field trips to college fairs and special events
- Opportunities to visit college campuses throughout the year
- Frequent 1-on-1 meetings with the Director of College Counseling for students and parents.

Availability & Communication

List of 1 items.

Highlights
- Meet early and often with our college counselor, whose phone and email lines are also always open.
- The self-evaluation process we start with will lead to a list of schools that is exciting — and realistic.
- Your life is busy! College Counseling keeps you informed of college representatives’ visits, testing schedules, and special events.

Student Advocacy & Support

List of 1 items.

Highlights
- The Director of College Counseling knows each and every girl, and is her advocate!
- Thanks to our small, intimate community, school and teacher recommendations come from people who really know and understand you.
- The Director, who has years of experience and personal relationships with many admission offices, can contact the right person at individual colleges to advocate on behalf of specific students and discuss Foxcroft’s programs.

Staff

List of 3 members.

Barbara Conner

Director of College Counseling

540.687.4361

Read Bio
A graduate of Sweet Briar College (BA) and the University of Virginia (MEd), Barbara served as College and Career Specialist at West Potomac High School in Alexandria, VA, before coming to Foxcroft, in January 2011. She has vast experience helping individuals plan their future and achieve their goals, having also worked as a career development facilitator and life coach.

Barbara is active with the Middleburg Business and Professional Association and several committees of Trinity Church, Upperville. She serves or has served on boards and committees of a vast range of organizations, from the Potomac and Chesapeake Association for College Admissions Counseling (PCACAC) and the Virginia State PTA to the Mount Vernon-Lee Chamber of Commerce, Girl Scouts of America and St. Luke's Episcopal Church. She has two grown children and lives in Rhodes House, on campus.
Laura Moan

Assistant Director of College Counseling, Learning Center Teacher

540.687.4360

Read Bio
Laura Moan grew up in Baltimore, MD, and attended Garrison Forest School, also an all-girls’ day/boarding school. Working at Foxcroft is much like a homecoming for her!

After a terrific academic and athletic experience at Boston College, where she played goaltender for the women's lacrosse team, Laura returned to Garrison to coach and teach. Her passion for lacrosse and strong competitive drive led her to coach at the college level, where she spent more than 20 years on a number of college campuses. Just prior to coming to Foxcroft, she was Head Lacrosse Coach and Assistant Director of Athletics at Susquehanna University. Laura has earned many coaching accolades, but is especially proud of the growth and development of her players, both on and off the field.

In Schoolhouse, Laura brings valuable recruiting experience from the ‘other side of the desk’ to the College Counseling Office, where she serves as Assistant Director, and works with students in the Learning Center. She is passionate about helping students define strengths and achieve goals, which are important in all three of Laura’s roles at Foxcroft.

Laura is married to Stewart, who coaches men’s lacrosse, and they have two children, George and Lucy.
Patricia Mawyer

Administrative Assistant, College Counseling

540.687.4362

Read Bio
Tricia was born and raised in the Poconos where she spent her summers playing and eventually working at her grandparent’s ice cream stand and other grandparent’s camp resort. She moved to Virginia in 2006 to attend Central Virginia Community College and then obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from James Madison University. She has worked in education since 2014 and joined Foxcroft’s College Counseling team in August of 2020.

Tricia is married to Paul Mawyer who serves as Foxcroft's Data and Systems Support Analyst. The Mawyers live on campus with their beloved pets — three cats (Smudge, Soot, and Cinder) and two dogs (Leia and Raven).