Portsmouth Christian Academy - Guidance Department

Guidance Department

Portsmouth Christian Academy knows that as a college preparatory school it is important to take seriously the actual function of assisting students in the college admissions and career selection process

PCA’s Guidance Department provides assistance to students beginning in the freshman year and culminating in a highly personalized approach to the college admissions process in the fall of the senior year. PCA is developing plans for a curriculum-based guidance model that will allow the school to expand the services provided to all students

There are a number of guiding principles that undergird the work of the Guidance Department

You’re 18 and people want you to know what you want to do for the rest of your life. That is not really fair. We want to help you discover who you are and how God has made you. We want to you to begin to understand for what careers you may be passionate.
Way too much emphasis is placed on the SAT. We know that and have a co-curricular process in place to assist you with doing well on it, while not forgetting that life and learning are so much more than that one test.
You will not be scarred by not getting admitted to the college that your parents want you to attend. College admissions at selective institutions has become all the more competitive because of the large number of applications that students are completing. It is unlikely that just one college will allow you to accomplish your dreams. It is far more important what you do with your college years than where you do them (though if you are planning on doing nothing during those years, it is better to do that at a place with a great name).
There is a lot to learn about life and you only learn so much through the traditional academic program. You may be wrestling through difficult decisions in your life and our guidance office and our Dean of Students both want to help. While they may provide some basic guidance to you, they may also refer you to your pastor, a professional counselor or other resource.