Doing your own college search
All the high schools I have worked in have been college prep high schools. Consequently, the students who attended there tended to get quite a bit of information and help when it came to applying to college. Perhaps I was naive when I entered the profession, but I actually believed that all schools pretty much provided the same info to their students when it came to applying to college. That belief was shattered when I volunteered to work at the counselors’ table at local college fairs. It was there that I witnessed the gap – sometimes chasm – between the assistance students in college prep schools were receiving as opposed to those who were not enrolled in those types of schools.
The reason for the gap is simple: the counselors in those schools are asked to do the impossible. Their caseload is too large to do much more than put out fires. While I believe most would love to do more college counseling, there simply is no time to do so when you are doing scheduling, watching out for at-risk kids, and a host of other duties. I admire their dedication and commitment in spite of being in a fairly consistent state of being overworked.
Here’s what worries me sometimes. I think parents are often like I was in those early years, assuming that all students get pretty much the same help with college stuff no matter where they go to school. They have no idea what their students aren’t getting and how much more help they may actually need.
As an independent college counselor, my only job is to give kids the help they need to find the right college and get through the application process. I am right there when they have a question or need a different perspective. I go to conferences and stay as current as possible with the changes and trends that are going on in higher education. I know how to find schools that have good support for students with learning differences, as well as those with good dance programs. I even know a lot of the admissions representatives that work in my area, so I feel comfortable calling them and asking questions. That’s what it takes to do my job well.
The thing is, not everyone can afford to hire an independent college counselor – nor does everyone need to. Sometimes all a student needs is a little help and a bit of direction. For those students, I am offering a very affordable workshop on how to conduct your own college search. (This is one of the most essential, and difficult, parts of the college application process.)
If this sounds like something that might be just what you need, there’s still room this Saturday, March 20. The workshop is being held in Tacoma – which is a really easy drive from Seattle on the weekend. For more information and to reserve your spot, go to: www.collegenavigation.net/workshops.
