Photos: College admissions

Guadalupe Acevedo is an ambitious senior at Theodore Roosevelt High School in Los Angeles, but she didn’t get serious about college until this year.

College and university pennants decorate what’s known as “College Corner” at Theodore Roosevelt High School, where many students don’t think much about higher education.

Norberto Garcia Hernandez, left, talking with student Alan De Lira Escobedo, is part of Theodore Roosevelt High School’s three-person college advisory team.

Counselor Raul Mata talks with student Karen Valles at Theodore Roosevelt High’s College Corner. “He has all the answers,” senior Guadalupe Acevedo says.

Students enter the library at Chadwick School, a private school with plenty of resources to help students get into top universities.

Students study in the library at Chadwick, a private school where students are guided toward higher education beginning in ninth grade.

Bruce Poch, who leads a team of four counselors at Chadwick, talks with senior Harini Shah about visiting colleges before making a decision. Many students’ families fly around the country touring campuses.

Chadwick students Harini Shah and Nic Thomson peruse the counseling office’s information on various colleges.