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Can someone please explain to me exactly what services they provide, and what is different between their services and those provided by in school college counselors?
I should add that my son's high school has a very robust college counseling program with three counselors for a student body of about 600 kids (that's total for all four grade of the school). They have regular meetings and Senior year, they actually have class time for college applications in their schedules.
the back story is that a couple of relatives are very insistent that I talk to a private counselor on behalf of my son (going into 10th grade next month). But when I try to get them to explain the benefits and exactly what services they provide, I don't get any actual answers, just a lot of defensiveness and no exlanation of why I should put some of my limited time and money towards these services.
So I thought I'd reach out here to see if anyone can shed some light on what I (and my son) would receive and then maybe I would consider it worth pursuing.
Last edited by emm74; 07-17-2019 at 05:24 PM..
Reason: *three, not the
Private counselors give personalized attention through the process. They can make sure your kid is taking the right classes if you employ them early, let you know about scholarships/merit programs that are likely to accept your child, personally review essays, usually are pretty well connected with multiple colleges, etc.
If your school already has a robust counseling system than I would say don't bother, unless you are focused on getting your child into an elite school. If that is that case they can give an extra edge. In any case the counselor:student ratio you just described sounds ideal.
Look at the list of colleges recent graduates of your son's high school end up attending. If that list looks fine to you then don't worry about it IMO.
If you want, there are some online people (not sure if I can post their names here) that offer lower cost alternatives to private counseling.
If you have access to counselors who are adept at advising students through the process, don't worry about it.
My counselors in high school were minimally useful, and very out of their depth for any students who were looking for something other than vocational training and community college. Had I not had parents who were well-versed on the process, I'd have been out of luck.
If you have access to counselors who are adept at advising students through the process, don't worry about it.
My counselors in high school were minimally useful, and very out of their depth for any students who were looking for something other than vocational training and community college. Had I not had parents who were well-versed on the process, I'd have been out of luck.
This. Multiplied by a hundred. Most high school guidance counselors have minimal to no real knowledge of what top colleges are looking for, nor how to best prepare for admission to them. While we didn't use a private counselor, we found the high school counselors pretty much worse than useless throughout the whole process. That includes picking classes in high school through picking colleges, essays, etc. They were not knowledgeable of scholarship opportunities other than hand students the same standard list that everyone get. The guidance needs for students targeting top colleges is just out of their league to provide.
This. Multiplied by a hundred. Most high school guidance counselors have minimal to no real knowledge of what top colleges are looking for, nor how to best prepare for admission to them. While we didn't use a private counselor, we found the high school counselors pretty much worse than useless throughout the whole process. That includes picking classes in high school through picking colleges, essays, etc. They were not knowledgeable of scholarship opportunities other than hand students the same standard list that everyone get. The guidance needs for students targeting top colleges is just out of their league to provide.
That depends on the high school. If most of the students at the high school tend not to be college bound or are community college bound, then the counselors are going to have the information that is most useful for the majority of students. In my area, where my children attended school, 100 percent of the senior class went on to a 4 year college, usually very selective colleges or programs. The college counselors gave concierge service, using their contacts to negotiate better packages, scholarships, putting together the application packets, for the top rated schools. It was very personalized. A couple of parents hired private counselors anyway to get information about financial aid and various savings plans, but claimed that it had been a waste of money. It really depends on your child's high school situation.
My son's school is kind of an interesting case - it's a STEM focused charter, with a stated mission of making college more accessible to communities who have not always had access to a college preparatory education. In the 10+ years they've had a graduating class, 100% of the graduating seniors have achieved admission to a 4 year college. The school is known for their rigorous academic program and college admission officers from a variety of schools across the country come to recruit there. This is with a student population where over half of the students come from families with no history of college attendance (except sometimes an older sibling who attended the school too).
However, the school is physically located in an upper middle class area, and there are also a lot of families from that area with kids attending too. So while it's not a huge number, there is a population who go to highly selective and selective schools. Given the list of schools that the kids get into each year, I guess that's proof that the college counselors know how to work with these disparate populations that they serve. Aside from working with the kids on narrowing down their choices, they also work with them on applications, and with the families on financial aid sources and applications.
At this point, I feel like I do have a little better sense of what a private counselor might offer, although I'm still conflicted on whether it's worth the time and money. I appreciate the info and welcome any further input.
^^It's been close to 15 years since my youngest went to college, almost 20 for my oldest. However, these people existed back then as well. I know some neighbors used one, and their daughter went off to some small private school far out of state (trying to be careful to respect the privacy of people not on CD), only to transfer back home to a public college in a year, maybe two. Apparently they can help you get some scholarships that the high school advising office may not know about and so forth. However, these scholarships are usually small one-time grants. Most scholarship money comes from the colleges themselves and they make this information available. It's not hidden away somewhere. At least, that was the case all those years ago.
I think for a student whose parents are college grads themselves and who attend a large comprehensive high school or OTOH a special "high academic" type high school, the counseling office is probably adequate. For first generation students whose parents don't understand the process themselves, it may be helpful to get some more help.
My son's school is kind of an interesting case - it's a STEM focused charter, with a stated mission of making college more accessible to communities who have not always had access to a college preparatory education. In the 10+ years they've had a graduating class, 100% of the graduating seniors have achieved admission to a 4 year college. The school is known for their rigorous academic program and college admission officers from a variety of schools across the country come to recruit there. This is with a student population where over half of the students come from families with no history of college attendance (except sometimes an older sibling who attended the school too).
However, the school is physically located in an upper middle class area, and there are also a lot of families from that area with kids attending too. So while it's not a huge number, there is a population who go to highly selective and selective schools. Given the list of schools that the kids get into each year, I guess that's proof that the college counselors know how to work with these disparate populations that they serve. Aside from working with the kids on narrowing down their choices, they also work with them on applications, and with the families on financial aid sources and applications.
At this point, I feel like I do have a little better sense of what a private counselor might offer, although I'm still conflicted on whether it's worth the time and money. I appreciate the info and welcome any further input.
The only thing I’d do is ask around to see if the high income parents are employing counselors to get their kids into those selective schools. Make sure that is the result of the counseling office guidance.
Other than that, I could see you employing some online sources to augment your understanding of the process without going for a full blown counselor. There are a lot of good free resources online, especially for first generation students (just google it, or the term “college access” and you should find a few websites that could help)
Can someone please explain to me exactly what services they provide, and what is different between their services and those provided by in school college counselor (and my son) would receive and then maybe I would consider it worth pursuing.
Suggest clubs, activities, jobs, contests, volunteering early in the HS career to show continuity, increasing leadership, impact, expertise, etc outside the school day in a specific skill or interest
Craft application essays to show the above in the best light.
Help with scholarship essays and scholarship essay dates (often way before applications are due).
Walk through CSS and FAFSA applications for financial Aid and help negotiate additional FA if appropriate.
Suggests schools that may not be on the guidance department radar
Testing strategies including when/ if to take SATs, ACTs, APs, including studying for PSATs for merit scholarship. Which APs are most impressive and which are less so. Can any APs be taken outside of school.
What schools like when you show interest and visit and which don't care. When/ how to prep for interviews and thank you letters.
Which schools offer the best scholarship opportunities.
Brainstorm on references
If/when to apply early decision.
How to make the best use of the summer (take additional classes, job, volunteer, go to early college program)
Portfolio or audition review and schedule if applicable.
Clean up social media or create social media presence
Craft a realistic list of safeties and matches
Keep the student on track with the application and scholarship deadlines vis-a-vis the essays.
I think college counselors are good for students whose parents don't have the time or interest to work with them on the college search process. Everything that's mentioned above can be found with some research. I personally really enjoyed that process and all three of my kids were able to attend a college that they liked with substantial merit money. It sounds like your school has a robust HS to college pipeline so I don't think a private counselor is necessary.
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