High school and the college application process often send pre-collegiettes searching far and wide for information and advice, but many don’t think to visit one unassuming place right on campus for help: the counselor’s office. Your high school guidance counselor is not just there to help you pick classes; she’ll also be able to give you a vast amount of information about topics ranging from local college fairs to scholarships.
“Beyond knowledge of schools, training and financial assistance, experienced school counselors have learned from the shared experiences of hundreds and thousands of graduates,” says Tom Dezell, author of Networking for the Novice, Nervous, or Naive Job Seeker. “They can probably answer just about any question.”
Before you begin asking your counselor questions, however, Dezell suggests that you give the counselor some ideas about what you want to do after graduation. “This will give the counselor ideas on where to start,” he says. “Experienced counselors can recommend courses of action for any situation, including uncertainty.”
To make it easier to start a conversation with your counselor, check out these six useful questions that you should ask your counselor before you graduate!
1. How does our school compare to others in terms of test scores and reputation?
This is a question you should ask when trying to decide which colleges to apply to so you can gauge your chances of acceptance. Who better to ask than your counselor?
“The counselors will know how various schools perceive one’s school based on how other grades have fared in applying,” Dezell says. Your counselor will be able to give you a good idea of how your school compares to others and explain how this plays into your college application process.
2. Which specific grade and test requirements are required to get into a given college?
We’ve all heard stories of students with low GPAs who have gotten into good colleges. We’ve also heard stories of students with really high GPAs who didn’t get into the same colleges. So it’s no wonder that it can be hard to determine whether or not your grades are good enough.
Luckily, counselors usually have access to historical data on grades (and test scores) of students who have gotten into a given school, which can help you gauge your own chances. “Another thing to ask about is what types of testing various schools will require, such as achievement tests, as well as whether they put more stock in the SAT or ACT test,” Dezell says. Since different schools may require or put emphasis on different tests, it’s always a good idea to double-check.
3. Are there any college fairs happening nearby?
With so many different colleges to choose from, it’s hard to know where to begin looking. A great place to start is visiting local college fairs, where you’ll be able to browse a large number of colleges in one place, get information and chat it up with representatives from the colleges. “Making personal contacts with admissions staff gives you a point of contact to help guide you through the process,” Dezell says.
John Carpenter, author of Going Geek: What Every Smart Kid (and Every Smart Parent) Should Know About College Admissions, suggests asking your counselor about this during your sophomore or junior year. You’ll be on your way to narrowing down your college list!
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4. Which colleges I would be happy attending?
By asking your counselor this question during your college search, you might be surprised in a great way. Think that you’re doing a lot of college research? Imagine all the schools your high school counselors have had to read up on! Your counselor may suggest schools that weren’t on your radar and are definitely worth looking into.
Dezell believes that this is probably the most important question to ask. “First, the counselor has seen many of the schools students go on to and learned a great deal from this,” Dezell says. “The counselor likely has worked with previous students of similar academic and interest backgrounds as you and knows where they have found the best situations to succeed. Plus, the counselor has a greater objectivity level than parents and or friends who may have certain biases or own dreams for you.”
Your counselor may also be able to give you a reality check. “For just one of countless examples, say you’re at a small high school and have always dreamt of attending the top state university where you live,” Dezell says. “The counselor can share stories of how many previous students struggled with the size, lack of individual attention, classes of 200 plus students, etc.”
Dezell also suggests asking the counselor for an honest assessment of the positives and negatives of topics like going away to college and how far away to go. “They have seen many a student who have had adjustment and homesickness problems and can report on common factors that students who experienced these had,” he says.
Or your counselor may just reassure you of the choices that you’ve already made. Carpenter believes that it’s important for students to try to find the answers to their questions themselves, but that counselors can help along the way. “I believe in kids figuring out what they believe in and stand for and then finding schools where they can nourish those values,” Carpenter says. “Size, geography, majors… don’t really matter that much as long as you can identify what you care about and the college you attend gives you room to care about that, too. That’s why kids should ask themselves the big question about what they stand for, what they believe in. A counselor can help with this kind of conversation.”
5. What can I do to help you write a more personal letter of recommendation?
Your high school counselor can be a great person to ask for a letter of recommendation for your college applications. However, depending on the size of your school, she may be writing 20 recommendations or 100! If you would like your recommendation to be more personal, put in an effort to help your counselor get to know you better.
Carpenter, who has written recommendations for students before, likes to collect images and anecdotes about the students and hold conversations with them before writing recommendations. “My suggestion is to give those people good stuff to work with,” he says. “It’s much easier for a recommender to write something clear and distinctive that highlights who you are as a person and a learner when the writer has good material to begin with. You are a story that someone else is going to tell, so help that person out by a bit of thinking ahead of time and some planning.”
Dezell suggests starting early when it comes to building a relationship with your counselor. “You’ll get the best results from working with a school counselor the earlier you establish a relationship,” Dezell says. “At the beginning of 10th and 11th grades, ask for advice on things you can start doing and looking into. Far too many don’t even begin to reach out until senior year.”
Carpenter suggests meeting with your counselor to talk about where you’re thinking about applying and why you asked them to write about you. Have examples ready of essays you’ve worked on, conversations you’ve had in class, topics you really enjoy and even topics that you struggled with but conquered and made real growth with. If possible, meet with her to go over your resume. Talk about areas you’ve worked hard on and things you care about. Talk about things that are important to you. Dezell also suggests offering to start your own draft and working on it together with your counselor. That way you’ll stand out among the applicant pool!
6. What scholarships or awards can I apply for?
It’s never a bad idea to start looking for scholarships as early as possible. Kelsey Pomeroy, a sophomore at Ohio State, started talking to her counselor about scholarships in the fall of her senior year. “My high school counselor was helpful in letting me know about local scholarships and scholarships sponsored by my high school that I might not have known about otherwise,” Pomeroy says. “I did end up getting a few local scholarships. [My counselor] directed me to the scholarship file in our guidance office where all of the local or school-specific scholarships were located, which was a big help.” If you know where to look, it’s surprising how many scholarships are right under your nose!
Give your counselor a chance. By working together, you’ll likely be surprised by how much you will learn about yourself and the college process. So whether you’re just beginning your college search or finalizing your post-high school plans, remember that the counseling center is always there to help make your life a little easier!