Questions To Ask When Looking For a College Counselor
When families meet me for a preliminary consultation as part of their “shopping” for the best counselor to guide their children through the grueling college application process, I sometimes get asked, “What colleges did your students get into?”
I like to reply, “I have students who got into the IvyPlus colleges, but you are not them, so this question is not exactly relevant.” Some families are not pleased, which is to be expected.
But, much as I understand that many families want their children to find a counselor who can help their children get into “top ranked colleges,” one must (yes, the imperative “MUST”) understand that no counselor can guarantee admission or work magic to help students get into Harvard or MIT or whichever college your child is dreaming of.
I have students who tell me they want to write about an event for their college essays because someone they know had something similar and got into that college they want to apply to last year. Or, someone would say confidently that since their academic and extracurricular statistics are similar to some neighbor or cousin, they will apply to that same college and be sure of acceptance.
That is a flawed way of thinking. For one, if a college already has someone that similar to you, and have already enrolled that student last year, why would they want someone that similar? Colleges always mention they want a diverse class, meaning if they already have Jane Doe Version 1.0, they may not need Jane Doe 2.0 on campus.
More importantly, every year, the competition/applicant pool is different. And, no one can be exactly the same clone of another student who was admitted “last year,” not even if that student lives “one block away.”
Here’re a few more important questions one should ask:
what the process of working together looks like
what is the timeline of the process
what parts of the college application are they able to help with: major choice, college list, essays, financial aid, and whatever other help you may need
what experience and training the counselor has for the help your child needs (athletic recruitment, film/art majors, special accommodations etc.)
testimonials from former students/families (I personally rely on google reviews so as not to trouble parents of former students)
fees and what is included or not included
Most importantly, have your child be present at the initial consultation and ask questions so as to feel for the “fit.” Yes, the fit is very important, at least for me as a counselor. Students who trust me fully ALWAYS have the best outcomes.
And, by outcomes, I don’t mean the “ranking” of the colleges they get admitted to. But that’s a topic for another day…
