College Guidance at SLA

A World of Opportunities

Studies have suggested for several decades now that students from more diverse classrooms are better prepared—socially and intellectually—for undergraduate study and life beyond. SLA’s uncommonly diverse student body requires an uncommonly open, pluralistic, and comprehensive approach to the college application and matriculation process, and results from the School’s first seven graduating classes have been remarkable.

The School of Los Angeles is not geared toward producing one specific kind of graduate, nor are we funneling students in any one direction. One the contrary, SLA graduates consider a world of opportunities and possess the qualities, qualifications, and X-factors sought after by colleges and universities across the globe, including:

  • Robust, real-world learning experiences

  • A commitment to service and justice outside the classroom

  • Cultural competencies and life skills cultivated in an urban and socioeconomically diverse learning environment

  • Experience with the university model of study and the most relevant, forward-thinking academic disciplines

Standing Out from the Crowd

We continue to hear from admissions officers across the country that SLA’s curriculum and programming is remarkably unique in secondary education, and our students’ coursework differentiates them significantly from other applicants. It’s no secret that, over the past decades, there has been a widening gulf between high school curricula and the concepts and disciplines students are asked to contend with almost immediately at the college level. SLA’s semester-based offerings model the content, depth, breadth, exploratory demands, and structure of a university course of study. Each semester, SLA students in grades 10–12 select a pairing of literature and history courses from a broad array of disciplines, including Black Studies, Environmental Studies, Latinx Studies, Class Studies, Queer Studies, and European Studies.

Along with STEM courses in some of the most consequential disciplines in the contemporary world—ecology, epidemiology, coding and artificial intelligence—as well as cutting-edge arts offerings in fields like beat-making and music production, documentary filmmaking, and more, an SLA course of study stands out from the crowd and reflects our commitment to a truly substantive college-preparatory education.

Notable Recent Matriculations for SLA Graduates

Most Common Matriculations for SLA Graduates

A Focus on Affordability

The rising cost of higher education over the past half century has had an incalculable negative effect on socioeconomic mobility and equality of opportunity for multiple generations of young people. SLA families from all backgrounds understand the often transformative, lifelong benefit of limiting student debt, and our College Guidance office is eager to pursue every avenue and opportunity. In fact, SLA students have been awarded, on average, over $130,000 in academic and need-based scholarships over the past half-decade.

Class of 2023

  • Eight first-generation college students

  • Five QuestBridge Finalists and two QuestBridge Scholars

  • Approx. $4,000,000 in total scholarships

  • Fourteen students accepted into the UC system

  • Three students matriculating to USC

  • First matriculations to Columbia University and Pomona College

  • Repeat matriculations at UChicago, NYU, Northwestern, Vassar, Swarthmore

Bruce Poch, Director of College Guidance

With more than 40 years of professional experience as a college admission dean and college counselor, Bruce has also served as an advisor to organizations serving first-generation college students and focused his professional efforts on access and financial aid programs. Bruce comes with an impressive history of helping move institutions forward. For the past decade, he has served as Dean of Admissions and Executive Director of College Counseling at the Chadwick School. Prior to that he served as Dean of Admissions at Pomona College and Associate Dean of Admissions at Wesleyan University. Throughout his career he has utilized a profound institutional knowledge to transform and better the lives of others. 

Bruce’s other professional affiliations include positions serving on the National Association for College Admissions Counseling, the U.S. News and World Report College Advisory Board, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Center for Student Opportunity, a senior advisor to the Global Leadership Incubator and a member of the Board of Academic Advisors for QuestBridge. Bruce’s writing has appeared in many books and periodicals, including the New York Times, Newsweek, and The Chronicle of Higher Education, and his media appearances include The Today Show, NPR, and Bloomberg TV. He received his Master of Education in Administration, Planning, and Social Policy from Harvard University, and completed his undergraduate degree at Oberlin College.

“SLA lives its mission to nurture both our students and the community that supports their path. At SLA I see the exciting possibilities that can come from putting together remarkably interesting, bold, innovative educators with students who bring important differences of experience and manners of processing ideas. The SLA experience prepares students for challenges of their own, “what’s next,” personally and educationally.”

Bruce Poch, Director of College Guidance