Can anybody recommend a college counselor?

[Anonymous]

We've come to the realization that our big MoCo high school's counselor is not up to the task of helping DC choose colleges that are appropriate to her GPA and SATs. In fact, DC's counselor probably couldn't pick DC out of a lineup. Plus, things seem to have changed since our day - not only do almost all colleges seem more competitive, but 2-3 SAT IIs, who knew? Well, not us.

Has anybody used a college counselor they like and would recommend? I googled for area counselors but I can't tell who's good and who is just hanging out a shingle, because the field doesn't seem to require certification. Thanks in advance!

[Anonymous]

In regards to the SAT subject tests....

I knew!

Score one for me!

BAM.

[Anonymous]

I'm sure this doesn't help you but our big MoCo HS just had a sophomore parent meeting on college admissions last week that actually covered SAT 2s. I think only Georgetown now requires 3 and a handlful of the most selective schools require 2. Most schools do not require them. They recommended that sophomores taking AP US History take the US History subject test this year but most kids take them at the end of junior year. Other tips - do SAT test prep. Take SAT and ACT practice tests to see which is a better fit in the fall of junior year. Take the SATs in the spring of junior year and fall of senior year. Ask for college recs from 2 junior year teachers at the end of junior year.

not sure about counselors, sorry.

[Anonymous]

We have been through the college admissions process 3X (one more to go -- woo-hoo) and have never used a private counselor. Our kids attend/ed a DC independent school starting in middle school, but our kids went to MCPS for elementary school, so we know lots of families with kids in MCPS high schools. Some of those families have hired private counselors, and I can understand why they chose to do this given the caseload of the MCPS counselors. However, I don't really know what they got for all the money they paid. The private counselor will give you more attention, sure, but he/she lacks critical information about your child's school and peers. More important, no counselor -- not even at our vaunted private school -- knows your kid like you do. In the end, no matter where your child is in school, it's up to you and your kid to navigate this process. I know it seems daunting, but you can do it.

As far as process, the PPs are correct that most schools in this area will have parent meetings that will provide all the info you need. Beyond that, I would suggest that you cultivate some friends or neighbors who have been through the process and can give you the inside story. Ask them, "what did you learn that you wish you had known earlier?" Then sit back and listen. College admissions is like labor -- everybody wants to tell their story; believe me, you'll get all the info you need. Another good source is the NYT blog, "The Choice", which includes lots of interviews with counselors and admissions staffers.

As far as making a list of colleges, get a copy of the Fiske Guide and start reading. More important, start talking to your child about what he/she is looking for in a college. What's important to him/her? What are his/her hopes and dreams? Ask the basic questions -- big school or small school? city or rural? preppy or rah-rah sports or crunchy granola or all of the above? Just don't get too locked into one school or even one type of school -- kids can change a lot, and once you start visiting schools you'll see that there is such a thing as chemistry even for those English major types ).

As far as tests, we had our kids take the PSAT cold, so we could get a baseline, then did tutoring specifically tailored to improve their scores in the areas where they needed it. This was more cost- and time-effective than a class. Your kid should take both the ACT and PSAT at school; colleges accept either one, so just go with the one he/she does best in.

As far as figuring out where your kid can get in (the $64,000,000 . . . .question), yuo won't have a lot of the info you need until after junior year. In the meantime, be sure to look at a range of schools in terms of selectivity. I believe most MCPS high schools use the Naviance site to access data about where grads from prior years got in. This is helpful, but keep in mind that Naviance doesn't provide a lot of info about variables that enter into the admissions process beyond grades and scores. This is the toughest part of the college process in my view, and the one where private counselors would be least helpful, I think, since they don't know your child's peers. Again, my advice would be not to lock-in on a particular school or even a particular level of selectivity. Keep an open mind and don't think about what the neighbors will think when you put that college decal on the window of your car.

As far as the applications themselves: have your child start on his/her essay during the summer before senior year, but don't make it a Bataan death march. You don't want to burn them -- or yourself -- out. I know there are counselors who will help with this, but if you have a family friend who is writer and who knows your chid well, ask that person to take a look at your child's draft. This was the single smartest thing we did with our kids, and we will be forever grateful to the friend who helped us out. He never took pen to paper, but was able to give our kids very helpful and encouraging advice.

Finally, try to see this process as a way to get to know your child as he/she steps into adulthood. Support and encourage them in this process, and let them know you love them and are in their corner. We learned a lot about each of our kids, and though it was always a wild ride, we were confident in the end that he/she made a great choice. Believe it or not, I'm actually looking forward to doing it again with the youngest. (And, this time, darnit, we are not going to click on the common app button at 11:59 p.m. on deadline night!)

[Anonymous]

Thank you for your very thoughtful replies! Especially rhe advice about stepping back and getting to know our kid during the process. And 22:09, I hope you're having fun.

Yes, we should have gone to the sophomore college meeting, but we wrongly assumed it was for kids who would be the first in their families to go to college and needed the basics. We got this idea from DC's counselor who told us 2 years of language was fine - thank goodness we ignored that. And given that DC waits for the counselor to go on vacation before approaching the substitute to do simple things like course changes, we figure it's not worth asking our more complicated questions. Like, given DC has lined up 2 very different summer possibilities (yay DC!) in her field, which would be best? When Naviance shows somebody got into school X, did that kid have some hook? (And I'm almost positive DC's assigned counselor doesn't have a clue.) And with the traditional junior year spring break trip coming up, are we crazy for thinking UPenn or Columbia when DC has good grades/scores but no hook? So outside advice would be really helpful at this point, but given it would be expensive, we don't want to go ahead unless it's with a counselor who has really recent, good experience, for example reading applications at a college recently. Not sure such an animal even exists!

[Anonymous]

If you scroll back a few pages, there are some recommendations of specific college counselors. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

6:32 here: OP, sure there are counselors who have recent (or relatively recent) experience as admissions staffers. While I can't name any who have that experience and who are local, you can certainly work with someone who's based in another city. Google and ye shall find. But, are these folks going to be able to provide what you're not getting from your school counselor? I'm not sure about that. I am sure, however, that they're gonna charge you a gazillion dollars for what they can provide. (Google Michelle Hernandez, for example; she's a former Dartmouth staffer who does private counseling, admissions "boot camps", application massaging, etc.)

Let's consider: how would a private counselor respond to the questions you pose? He/she won't be able to answer the questions about what Naviance doesn't reveal; that's an inherent limitation of Naviance. Re the choice of summer experiences, my bet is most counselors will tell you to go with the option your child feels most passionate about. Sure, some might tell you one or the other will "look better" on an application, but, honestly, do you want to package your kid that way? And, even if you do, would following this advice really be the golden ticket to getting your kid into Penn or Columbia or whereever? In my experience, admissions is such a crap shoot that nobody can tell you this for sure. In light of that, what worked for us was to trust the advice you'll get from current admissions staffers for free: it's not so much what your kid does in the summers or after school, but how he/she can convey in an essay the impact that experience had on him/her. Maybe I'm being a Pollyanna here, but I do believe that an applicant who spends the summer lifeguarding can write a better essay than someone who worked at NIH. And, yes, I have one example I can cite to support my argument: he lives in my house and will be going to his first-choice school next fall (got in early action -- yay DS!).

Finally, as to planning your spring-break college visits. Yes, that's tricky, esp. b/c you probably don't have a full transcript of junior year yet, nor SAT scores, and you might have only one or 2 AP scores or none at all. In other words, you really don't have a complete picture of what your child's application will look like. That's OK -- just be sure you see a range of schools. So, absolutely, visit Penn, but also see Haverford or Bryn Mawr or Swarthmore, also see Dickinson or Gettysburg -- or both. Just make sure you get the safeties in the mix. And, actually, this is my strongest piece of advice: don't waste energy venting about the school counselor. Work around her as you can -- DD is already doing a good job of that. Honestly, I spent way too much time fretting about the counselor one of my kids had, and you know, he ignored all the craziness on her part, got into his first-choice school and moved on. Who know? Maybe she wrote him a great recommendation; maybe not, but in any case, he didn't waste time on her. A good life lesson for him -- and for his worrisome mom. -

[Anonymous]

OP here. Maybe I should just give 6:32/6:45 a bottle of wine or a bouquet of flowers, and call it a day. Thank you for your thoughts.

I checked for the thread a few pages ago - and that was me posting on that thread that "I'm a do-it-yourselfer but what if your school counselor is overburdened"!

I take your point, that a private counselor may not have much to add. I've heard they are best when you need a buffer between you and your kid for this stressful process, but this isn't the issue with DC. But in terms our real concern, which is getting advice on what's a reasonable bet vs. a reach -- whether UPenn or Swarthmore are realistic, or maybe we should focus on Haverford instead -- you're right, I don't know if a private counselor could add a lot. And I agree, the private counselors won't be able to tell you who in Naviance was recruited for soccer. In the end I'm sure we'll end up following the time-honored strategy of a few safeties, a few reasonable bets (if we can just figure out what these are), and a few reaches. And I guess I just worry about missing something else, like how we were caught out on the the SAT IIs.

This morning we plotted out a spring break trip of colleges DC is interested in. A mix of urban vs. rural, reach vs. reasonable bet vs. safety. DC seems psyched about them, even if it will be a bit of a forced march, doing two college tours/meetings on some days (googlemaps says it can be done). Then we will sit back, take stock of what we saw and heard, and decide. Also by that time the SATs will be in, and by this summer four more APs. It's sort of bittersweet.

[Anonymous]

Hey, OP -- I'm glad my advice was helpful. I think you'll find lots of friends, neighbors and colleagues who would give you similar guidance -- talk to them.

It sounds like your plan for the college tour is shaping up. If you can, try to avoid the 2-a-days. The most productive visits are those where you can spend a little time on campus after the tour and info session. Hang out at the bookstore, have a coffee at the student center -- try to get a feel for what the kids are like there. (And, BTW, Haverford is having a great year with a big bump in apps, so don't sell it short.)

Remember, breathe deeply and try not to make this homestretch of parenting all about college. You really want to come out of this as friends with your kid. I know it's hard to remember that as you're going through this crazy process, but it's important.

[Anonymous]

To find a good private college counselor, go to the HECA website and check the directory for the DC area. You can read profiles for each counselor and talk with those who sound as though they might be someone with whom you would enjoy working. Most probably offer a short initial meeting and you can make your decision after you talk. You can also find out about their experience and what professional organizations in which they are involved.

Susie Watts
Denver, Colorado

[Anonymous]

OP, I've worked in admissions for several years and I think the feedback above on how to navigate this process yourself, without a private counselor, is excellent advice.

If you want to work with a counselor, of course, go ahead. But honestly, you are well equipped to do this well and the experience might be a great time to bond with, and get to know, your child in a new, adult, way.

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

I think there is some great advice in this thread. With that said I am now out of state so wouldn't be advocating for my services but I own a tutoring business that also provides college counseling services. Depending on the family, student and counselor it can be very helpful for some. We have worked with a lot of families that need a lot of guidance. Also for some students I think having someone walk them through the essay writing process is very helpful and helps them sell themselves the best.

OP you don't seem clueless and should be fine in my opinion...

[Anonymous]

If you hit any rough spots or just want a professional perspective, I can vouch for www.collegeladydc.com.

[Anonymous]

I recomend http://www.dccollegecounseling.com/

[Anonymous]

Barbara Kristal's Center for Achievement
4916 Bel Pre Road
Rockville, MD 20853-221
[phone]