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g Frequently Asked Questions I | Part 2
NIEP College Focus - College Counseling
1) What does an independent counselor do that the high school counselor or teacher can’t do?The admission to college has become quite a complex process over the past decade. More students are applying to the colleges and universities with higher reputations in hopes of gaining that all elusive, all impressive admission letter from prestigious colleges.
College Focus college counselors provide up to date information on the admission requirements for colleges and universities nationwide. Our counselors have visited over 600 institutions of higher learning to impart current information on these changes and from first-hand visits, the relative fit of colleges to the students who are our clients.
The school-based counselor provides as much help as they have time to offer their students who are in their client base. Unless the specific job description for the school counselor is to provide college counseling, their roles are varied. Most school counselors provide individual psychological counseling and referral, course selection and change consultations, discipline problems, and other administrative duties – in addition to the role as college counselor.
Our college counselors do not write recommendations. Because clients pay us for our services directly, writing of the college recommendation is ethically unwise. Admissions officers nationwide often bristle when they read a recommendation from an independent counselor. What admissions offices need to learn with great detail is student performance in the classroom and on the schoolgrounds. School and class performance is far more significant than a personality recommendation.
College Focus, however, has numerous contacts in the admissions offices of the most prestigious and competitive colleges and universities in the country. Our counselors call these professionals on an as needed basis. The role we serve in this case is not to “pitch” a student to an admissions colleague, but to provide some background and context of the student application that would not surface in any other way.
Counselors and teachers in the high school setting are the best recommendation writers. Their observations and working knowledge of their students on a daily basis provides colleges with the required detail critical to an informed admission decision. Recommendation forms turned in by early fall of the senior year enables school personnel to write quality recommendations.
Our College Counselors help students to develop a “Recommendation Portfolio” which provides a thorough background of the student for recommendation writers. Because of our experience working in college admissions offices, our counselors can help students understand how to prepare counselors and teachers who may not remember them so well to write the intimate details which are vital to the admissions review.
2) Why should we consult with College Focus? Why can’t we just do this on our own?
College planning is now a very sophisticated process as a result of a couple of social and economic forces. College today can cost over $1100 per week at some schools. It has become an expensive “right of passage” for students in this country. As a result, more students are applying to students with name value. And, with the help of a number of college guides which rank colleges, universities, and their programs, institutions of higher education play the game of what number are we? Quality and reputation are elusive concepts in our strongly business-oriented and status-conscious culture. Admission to the top colleges in the United States becomes more and more competitive as a result.
This is where College Focus comes in. We help families to identify colleges and universities that fit a number of criteria. And, we help to dispel the mythology around this process. The goal is to gain admission to the college or university which is the best match or fit with the student as well as the school with the best reputation. The goal for athletes is to find the college or university with a sports program that matches his/her level of play, best academics and social life, not just the coach who offers a place on the team.
Quite often we see new client families after they have been through the process on their own, receiving admission to no colleges at all. They come up empty handed. The process was based on old assumptions about admission which were usually 5 to 20 years outdated. When the family presented us with the submitted applications after the fact, we fnd that the biggest assumption was that the back up school did not come through only to find out from us that based on grades and scores, the college would have been a reach!
Students only do this process once. Because the stakes are high if a student applies to the wrong colleges or those which might be too competitive or not academically challenging enough, families realize that they need to be very current on how the system of college planning works today. From selecting the colleges to paying for them, College Focus helps families to get to the colleges chosen and then to ensure academic and social success once on their final choice campus.
3) How often do you meet with your students?
The frequency of contact depends on the chosen program package and the start date with College Focus. (Check our College Focus page for an outline of services and our fee structure).
Seniors – This year is the most critical to college applications and college preparation. It is the most labor intensive year of the program. Seniors in Orange County, Southern California, and around the world come to our office, email, phone, or fax us at least once a week until the applications are all submitted.
Junior to Senior Summer – The essay topic development, writing, and critique process begins. The college list of 7-10 colleges and universities is selected. Students are also asked to complete rough drafts of their applications.
Juniors – At this age we meet at least once a month or as needed. Meetings consist of course planning, academic monitoring of progress, strategizing which tests to take and when. The research of colleges is ongoing during this year. Students bring in their findings and discoveries from reading college guides to campus visits. Discussion of summer options takes place throughout the year, based on student interest and level of colleges to which the student will apply.
Sophomore to Junior Summer – One meeting is planned once grades and standardized test scores are received from the sophomore year. No other meetings are scheduled during the summer.
Sophomore Year – Students see our college counselor approximately every 6-8 weeks. College research, curriculum planning, conversations of the teaching styles students work best with becomes part of the discussion relative to college list development. Summer options, volunteer, community service options are discussed.
Freshman to Junior Summer – One meeting is planned once grades and test scores are received. The Sophomore curriculum is reviewed.
Freshman Year – Students meet with their college counselor at least twice a semester or on an as needed basis. Course selections, study habits, teacher/student relationship cultivation are discussed. Summer options are discussed in the second semester.
Eight Grade – Our counselors meet with 8th graders once a semester. High school selection, course planning, study skills, the importance of extracurricular activities and community involvement are all outlined.
Seventh Grade – Students at this age see their college counselor at least once per semester. Study skills, high school selection, course planning critical to high school and then college performance are discussed ... MORE
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