WHAT ROLE DO SCHOOL COUNSELORS PLAY IN THE COLLEGE SELECTION PROCESS?

Updated December 6, 2022 · 2 Min Read

School counselors not only help students make better-informed college selection choices, but also help ensure that students have the best level of insight into how to mentally and academically prepare for their college careers. Even if a school counselor hasn't majored in the same area of study that a student intends on pursuing in their ...

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School counselors not only help students make better-informed college selection choices, but also help ensure that students have the best level of insight into how to mentally and academically prepare for their college careers. Even if a school counselor hasn't majored in the same area of study that a student intends on pursuing in their collegiate career, they can still make sure that students are properly equipped with the right practices and mindfulness strategies to stay on the right track.

Managing Anxiety, Overcoming Personal Challenges And Boosting Morale

Through high-quality school counseling, students are able to manage the various stressful challenges of the college application process with a much clearer state of mind. It isn't just the logistics of college applications that can intimidate students, but also the anxiety associated with being uncertain about just what college has in store for them as their next major phase of life.

College counselors can give students an unbiased window of perspective into these challenges to make sure that their anxiety doesn't paralyze them into inaction. With a cool-headed support figure in their corner, students can have someone show them that the challenges they're losing sleep over can be managed and overcome.

In addition to strictly academic matters, counselors can also play a role in helping students overcome personal social challenges. Students who are experiencing issues with substance abuse can greatly benefit from a school counselor who empathizes with their struggle and can help the student keep it sabotaging their college admission prospects.

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Personalized Advisement

In order to best serve the students that they advise, school counselors will first need to develop a full picture of exactly what it is that the student identifies as their collegiate ambitions. The school counselor will want to break down just what the student's ideal vision of their college career is. Depending on the students' talents and habits,c counselors can help steer students to colleges in which they can realize ambitions the most effectively.

Encouraging Constant Action

Even ambitious students can sometimes be challenged by a lack of organized direction to actualize their goals, and a school counselor can assist them by making sure that they don't waste time due to aimlessness or indecisiveness. College applications can be a complex and confusing process, but counselors can help students navigate through their uncertainty about the detail instead of being slowed down by them.

Sharing Alternative College Options and Opportunities To Show Interest

School counselors won't demand that a student choose any one college over another, but at the same time, they can ensure that a student has the most realistic idea about what their chances of being admitted to their top picks are.

If a student has their heart completely set on one college, they could be overlooking different yet equally viable options. By helping students more realistically-minded about what the chances of admission are, counselors can keep students from neglecting to consider alternative options.

While the popular idea of what it takes to be accepted to one's top college choices is good academic performance, more colleges are expected to begin valuing specific demonstrations of interest from their applicants in the future. Plenty of opportunities to show interest in being admitted to a college can be found outside of the school setting, and a school counselor can help student be more aware of these opportunities.

Related resource:
Top 10 Cheap Online Master's in Educational Counseling and School Counseling Degree Programs

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