Is knowing the student’s HS important when choosing college advisor?

[Anonymous]

One is more appealing to me because similar background with me so easier to transmit my thoughts. The other however has worked at the school my kid goes to, so she knows ins and outs. The first one is local but doesn’t have direct experience with our HS.
How much does it matter?

[Anonymous]

Does your school have robust internal college counseling?

What do you need the most help with:
Creating a EC narrative or application strategy?
Figuring out where to apply?
Essays and framing the narrative?

[Anonymous]

It matters in building your college list. Having the insider information is helpful in terms of determining reach school or ED schools.
The downside of using someone like this is that they are probably working with other kids from the same school. So there could be some conflict of interest issue.

If you can work with school counselor to come up with a college list, then this factor is not critical. If you have to rely on outside counselor for college list, then yes choose that one.

[Anonymous]

Be careful with someone who does a lot of work with other people in your class. If not at the very top of class, you are often at the bottom of the list for time and quality of work/advice.

[Anonymous]

OP here, thanks everyone, kid is average and a rising sophomore, I mostly need someone to manage his work and make sure he sticks to deadlines, someone who isn’t his parent.
Our school counselor didn’t strike me as completely useless which to me is already great for a public school counselor, so I guess we don’t need a complete insider.
The first person is familiar with other schools in the area, just doesn’t have super specific insight into our school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here, thanks everyone, kid is average and a rising sophomore, I mostly need someone to manage his work and make sure he sticks to deadlines, someone who isn’t his parent.
Our school counselor didn’t strike me as completely useless which to me is already great for a public school counselor, so I guess we don’t need a complete insider.
The first person is familiar with other schools in the area, just doesn’t have super specific insight into our school.

Is there something unique about your school?

I would think that a counselor who had worked with Whitman kids would have no trouble with a BCC kid, because there's not much difference to explain. I would think that a counselor who had never worked with a Lab School kid or a Duke Ellington kid would have a steeper learning curve, because those schools are pretty unique, although if starting in 10th there would be time for them to learn. Similarly, while McLean and Churchill might be pretty similar, I'd be hesitant to use a counselor who wasn't experienced in my state, if I thought state schools were good options for my kid.

[Anonymous]

Similar background? If it’s what I think it sounds like, I’d go with the first advisor provided they are good. One of my neighbors has her son choose his advisor and he chose the one from a similar background. The man knows NOTHiNG! He attended a week-long training for iECs but had no idea that a child of immigrants needs the highest level of math offered at the school to get into MIT. This kid had been recruited by MIT but thanks to dropping down in math was rejected. Be careful! I am helping a number of kids now who have advisors who did not know this. Familiarity is one thing but if you want results, choose well!

[Anonymous]

YES! I highly regret hiring a “respected” OOS counselor; they didn’t know anything about my son’s school and were out of their depth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here, thanks everyone, kid is average and a rising sophomore, I mostly need someone to manage his work and make sure he sticks to deadlines, someone who isn’t his parent.
Our school counselor didn’t strike me as completely useless which to me is already great for a public school counselor, so I guess we don’t need a complete insider.
The first person is familiar with other schools in the area, just doesn’t have super specific insight into our school.

Is there something unique about your school?

I would think that a counselor who had worked with Whitman kids would have no trouble with a BCC kid, because there's not much difference to explain. I would think that a counselor who had never worked with a Lab School kid or a Duke Ellington kid would have a steeper learning curve, because those schools are pretty unique, although if starting in 10th there would be time for them to learn. Similarly, while McLean and Churchill might be pretty similar, I'd be hesitant to use a counselor who wasn't experienced in my state, if I thought state schools were good options for my kid.

Nothing unique about my son’s school!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Similar background? If it’s what I think it sounds like, I’d go with the first advisor provided they are good. One of my neighbors has her son choose his advisor and he chose the one from a similar background. The man knows NOTHiNG! He attended a week-long training for iECs but had no idea that a child of immigrants needs the highest level of math offered at the school to get into MIT. This kid had been recruited by MIT but thanks to dropping down in math was rejected. Be careful! I am helping a number of kids now who have advisors who did not know this. Familiarity is one thing but if you want results, choose well!

The first advisor is from the same part of the world I am from, so hopefully I can be a bit more direct with her, and she won’t view me as a helicopter mom as it is natural to be a little more up your kids’ A in our home country (not Asia).
I also want her to be fairly..‘what’s the word? Controlling? Proactive? As my kid is on the passive side and needs to be told what to do (but of course not by his parent!).

I do know a thing or two about colleges, so I can keep tabs on what they are doing. She also comes recommended and my kid is not Ivy League material so that makes it easier.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:YES! I highly regret hiring a “respected” OOS counselor; they didn’t know anything about my son’s school and were out of their depth.

Was she local at all? The one I’m talking about works with kids from other schools in the area so she should be more or less familiar with the landscape

[Anonymous]

You want a private counselor to make sure your son does the work? what do you mean, the work strictly in terms of writing applications, or general school work? Because no, they do not generally help with that.

[Anonymous]

When considering a counselor, among the many things we weighed, the fact the counselor had worked with other students in the school and was somewhat familiar with dynamics helped us decide on her. We really didn't know much about her beyond that other than that she has been in the business for many many years and even had been recommended to me another time about ten years ago by someone else. So far she has done a a great job frame the narrative and helping with essays. Her edits are excellent while still maintaining my daughter's voice. She really understands what AO's want to see in these essays.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You want a private counselor to make sure your son does the work? what do you mean, the work strictly in terms of writing applications, or general school work? Because no, they do not generally help with that.

I don't know what you are responding to, but we have found that our private counselor has kept DD on track to hit certain milestones throughout the process. The deadlines set (basically based on meeting dates) have put her in an excellent position for the start of school. Common app essay complete. Supplementals all written (some may need more editing, but minor). Common app is being completed with information specific to colleges. She is way ahead of where my older one was at this stage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here, thanks everyone, kid is average and a rising sophomore, I mostly need someone to manage his work and make sure he sticks to deadlines, someone who isn’t his parent.
Our school counselor didn’t strike me as completely useless which to me is already great for a public school counselor, so I guess we don’t need a complete insider.
The first person is familiar with other schools in the area, just doesn’t have super specific insight into our school.

If you need someone now to help your rising sophomore manage his work, an executive function coach might be more appropriate than a college counselor. Your DS won't be completing college applications for a couple of years and a college counselor isn't going to keep him on track for daily homework.