While first-year students travel through the desert Southwest exploring its history, cultures and people during Southwest Studies, second-year students will stay on campus for a different kind of journey: Success Week.
For these students—the equivalent of high school seniors—the week offers dedicated time to move major academic projects forward, prepare college applications and get support from the adults helping them navigate their final year.
Casey Nolan Jackson, director of Future Pathways, the school’s college and university counseling office, says college planning will focus primarily on fine-tuning financial aid applications. These often lengthy forms are typically due alongside college applications, making the week an important opportunity to work through the details.
Students applying to colleges with early deadlines will also edit and refine their application materials, tailoring what they have written to each institution. College visitors will provide additional opportunities for students to explore their options and ask questions.
On the academic side, Success Week creates space to concentrate on substantial International Baccalaureate assignments, including the Extended Essay, internal assessments and other major projects. Pandie Anderson, interim dean of teaching and learning, says the week also gives faculty an opportunity to check in with students about their academic progress and provide extra encouragement and support where needed.
The week closes with a favorite tradition: “Real Lives of Second Years.” Members of the Class of 2026 will return virtually for a group conversation about their first weeks at college. They will share what has surprised them, how things are going and what they wish they had known a year earlier.
Current second-year students typically gather in small groups in their dorm rooms, sharing a screen to join the conversation. Well attended by both recent graduates and current students, the event offers a warm, personal connection to life beyond campus and a fitting finale to the week.