Senior Year and College Advising
Mr. David Hamilton is the director of college advising at St. Mary's Ryken High School. In that role, he provides college advising services for all students and parents. Since SMR is a college-preparatory school, he is a passionate advocate of SMR students seeking higher education at four-year colleges and universities. In his career, he has visited over 155 different colleges and universities. Students that apply to schools based on Mr. Hamilton's recommendations are admitted at a 17% rate higher than the national average.
Professionally, Mr. Hamilton is an active member of the Potomac and Chesapeake Association for College Admission Counseling (PCACAC) and the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC). In regards to the former organization, he is currently on the Current Trends and Future Issues committee. He has presented sessions on the organization of information technology and letters of recommendation at their conferences.
He is a Certified Educational Planner, recognized for knowledge and strong commitment to the education advising profession. Mr. Hamilton is one of only 178 individuals in the entire country who have received this designation and the only high school-based CEP in Maryland.
Mr. Hamilton received his bachelor's degree in history from Allegheny College (Pa.) and his master's from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in student affairs in higher education. He currently lives in Hughesville, Md., with his wife and two children.
Please contact him at dhamilton@smrhs.org with any and all questions regarding the college search process.
SAT Testing
The SAT test will take place at St. Mary's Ryken on the following dates:
- Saturday, November 3, 2012
- Saturday, December 1, 2012
- Saturday, March 9, 2013
- Saturday, May 4, 2013
To register for the SAT, students need to go to http://sat.collegeboard.org/register at least a month prior to the test date.
For the ACT – which we recommend for students to take in the spring of their junior year and again in the fall as a senior – students should visit and register via www.actstudent.org
