Do you Only Rely on your High School Guidance Counselor for College Advice?

The majority of high school parents count on their school’s guidance counselors to steer their child in the right direction. Although not a bad option, is it enough? Most high school guidance counselors are already dealing with the normal emotional issues of a diverse group of teenagers, along with other serious issues such drug or alcohol abuse. Many simply don't have the time to be college planning advisors, as well.

Because college-bound students and their parents are so overwhelmed by the process of finding the right college to attend, they've increasingly asked high school guidance counselors to provide help. The national organization of guidance counselors suggests a ratio of 250 students per guidance counselor in a high school setting. That ratio is far from an ideal situation, but where I live (the Western suburbs of Chicago) it is even worse. Looking at various websites of schools in our area, you'll see that guidance counselors often have responsibility for 400 students or more!

Serious issues such as teenage pregnancy and drug and alcohol abuse are increasingly being placed in guidance counselors laps. It is a struggle for counselors to find time to deal with the majority of teenagers whom only have the “normal” issues of a journey towards adulthood. Although they valiantly try to step up and help with the college planning process, with their workload, there is only so much they can do.

I'm going through this college-planning process with my own children. One is already in college and the other is a high school senior currently evaluating colleges. Here's what I found out. The process takes a lot of time and students need attention. If a guidance counselor has over 400 students, how much time can they truly dedicate to an individual student?

The entire "College Planning Process" actually involves multiple steps. The first is to identify your student's interests, abilities and preferences through some sort of testing. This will also identify potential careers that line up with your student's "profile." The next step would be to find those colleges or universities that would be a good match for your student's profile and possible careers. And because somebody is going to have pay for that education (usually we parents) advice on how to pay for college without going broke is the next step. I can't even begin to guess the number of hours my children and I spent on this process.

To expect guidance counselors to provide countless hours of advice for each of their students is unrealistic. The emergence of professional college advisors has enabled many college-bound students and their parents to suitably manage this process. Like most families, if you are overwhelmed by the college search process, hiring an "expert" will bring you peace of mind in knowing that you've explored all available options for your student.