A Counselor’s Role In College Admissions

A Counselor’s Role In College Admissions

A high school counselor has many jobs, from helping students with their mental and physical health to giving them advice about college applications and more. This article will focus on the latter of these things, and why counselors are so important when it comes to college admissions.

A counselor’s biggest role in a student’s school life is to give them support, skills, and strategies that they will need to succeed in high school and college. For many students, high school counselors are the only connection they have to higher studies. Counselors usually send out important information about scholarships, school to career guidance, and providing other student services. It is important for students, especially seniors, to have a close relationship with their counselors so that they can stay updated on college admissions, etc.

Guidance counselors also have another important job: they write recommendation letters to selective colleges and universities. Many colleges require for one of the recommendations sent in to be from a guidance counselor, because they have a good overview of your academic history, extracurricular activities, and more. 

Students should ask their counselors for a recommendation letter at the end of junior year or at the beginning of senior year to ensure that the counselors have ample time to plan and write the recommendation letters. Make sure to give counselors a resume and other materials that show academic achievements, athletics, extracurricular activities, etc., so that they have things to write about. It’s important to remember that guidance counselors are not required to write recommendation letters, and some schools might also place limits on how many letters a counselor can write, so timing and planning is key.

While most high schools provide students with a counselor, some may decide to get their own counselor to help assist them with high school classes and planning and also with the college application process. If a student decides to hire their own counselor, it is imperative to do proper research to ensure that the counselor is legitimate and in good standing with the educational world. Private counselors are expensive, so sometimes, the best thing to do is to foster good relationships with high school counselors and look to them for advice. 

Overall, a high school counselor plays a large role in every high school student’s school life, even though it might not seem like it in ninth or tenth grade. A student’s counselor will be the person who guides and shows the learner about life after high school, and what to expect. Without them, many students would be uneducated about studies after graduation and what to look forward to as a young adult fresh out of high school.