College Counselors in the Public School: A Time for Specialization

Journal of College Admission, Spring 2005 by Ensor, Kevin L

Many of us in the college counseling profession are fortunate to have numerous occasions to positively impact students' lives, but too often, we are humbled by the many missed opportunities throughout the years that have undoubtedly occurred due to enormous caseloads, excessive demands on our time, performing non-counseling tasks, and in some cases, the lack of training and knowledge regarding resources that may be available to help students.

After receiving a very gracious thank-you letter written by a student from a low-income family who learned that his entire tuition, room and board costs would be paid for by a combination of federal, state and private funds, I was reminded of the importance in our occupation of having adequate training to ensure that the needs of the students and parents with whom we work are met, and the need for counselors who are specialists in the field of college counseling. Without sufficient knowledge and subsequent specialization, counselors place many students and parents at-risk of making poorly informed decisions regarding school selection and financial aid. As a full-time college counselor in a public school setting, I was able to spend a significant amount of time working with this student and his mother to make certain the financial aid forms were complete and accurate. Despite complex family and job circumstances, we were able to work through the process together, spending numerous hours on the computer and the telephone. Our diligence and patience were rewarded, but I cannot help thinking about the number of cases of students facing a similar state of affairs I've had to give less time.

Recognizing the Need for College Counselors

Prior to becoming a college counselor at Hereford High School, a public school in Baltimore County (MD), three years ago, I was employed as a school counselor in a neighboring public school system for 12 years. Faced with a wide variety of tasks that included coordinating testing programs, group and individual counseling for at-risk students, scheduling, participating in IEP and 504 meetings, and cafeteria and bus duty, very little time was left to be proactive in college preparation activities. Counselors in the public schools are master generalists, handling everything from crisis intervention one minute to child abuse and neglect the next, and then grabbing a quick gulp of air (and maybe a bathroom break, if they're lucky) to handle a student/teacher conflict. Pity the poor student who crosses the threshold into the counselor's office to discuss the pros and cons of Early Decision, ask questions about a FAFSA form, or conduct a college search. Due to an inevitable overabundance of business, most counseling offices operate under the same guidelines as the emergency room-the most serious disasters first. Counselors are often forced to send students who are seeking "pearls of wisdom" out of the office with armloads of catalogues, forms and applications, but without spending the quality time we need to invest in the college-bound population.

As a result of the demands placed on the time of public school counselors, college-bound public-school students face a significant disadvantage in the college admission process. In contrast, counselors in independent schools often have a counselor-to-student ratio that is low enough for the counselor and the student to spend a considerable amount of time together in individual and classroom sessions, and get to know each other very well. The counseling relationships formed in independent schools enable counselors to secure the trust of the students and parents, and the opportunity to influence the students' attitudes towards academic and personal growth. Consequently, this relationship enables the counselor to accurately represent the personal and academic qualities of their students to college admission counselors who generally commit to basing their admission decisions on multi-dimensional perspectives of each student. Although the number of students enrolled in independent secondary schools averages around 10 percent each year, their presence in freshman classes at selective colleges tends to average around 30 percent, a number which considerably exceeds their percentage in the national pool of college-bound high school students. Many variables that explain this discrepancy (i.e., motivation, intelligence, socioeconomic status, etc.), but it stands to reason that a contributing factor to the success of the independent students' gaining admission to the selective schools is the developmental college counseling program to which most independent students are exposed.

Increasing Demand for College Counselors

The demand to have public school counselors specialize in college counseling appears to be mounting. Parents are increasingly becoming savvier about how strategic the college admission process has become. They are asking more complex questions about options for applying to schools, financial aid, testing options, and the importance of academic course selection. Correct answers and timely information are crucial to the integrity and the credibility of the counseling department. Due to the changing nature of many of these aspects regarding college preparation, it is imperative to have at least one representative from the school counseling office meet with parents, students and admission counselors on a regular basis, and to attend the training seminars, college visits and conferences that are so vital to our professional development. Given the changes that will be taking place with the upcoming PSAT and SAT I, the next academic year is a prime example of how important it is to have a specialist handle the intricacies of the college planning process.