College Admissions Process

[Anonymous]

We are looking at transitioning from private to public for HS. One of the cons about moving in my mind is the loss of the college guidance office at our private. They have a whole process and schedule for working with students and parents starting in 9th grade. I went to FCPS and got no assistance from my guidance counselor beyond processing my requests for transcripts. My husband went to FCPS and got about the same level of assistance. My friends' kids who are applying to college from public school are largely underwhelmed by the process. Most of them report getting valuable advice from other parents, but report that their kids' schools are pretty lackluster. I am not excited by the thought of that level of effort for my kid.

If we do decide to make the move, we would be at Woodson in FCPS or at Riverside in LCPS (haven't decided where we would move if we go public). Does anyone have any recent experience with Woodson's college admissions process? Riverside just opened so no one has any experience with its process, but I would also be interested to hear from anyone entering the school and if you have gotten any information from the school on what to expect.

[Anonymous]

No direct exp with those two schools but public GC's support is as you described. Don't expect much. But, you can educate and guide Dc yourself. Most parents I know do the same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No direct exp with those two schools but public GC's support is as you described. Don't expect much. But, you can educate and guide Dc yourself. Most parents I know do the same.

+1

In addition, Woodson's GC assistance will be less going forward as the school is overcrowded and the FCPS budget issues will loom larger. I do not know what the budget situation is in Loudoun County, though. (Perhaps it is just as bad.)

[Anonymous]

What do they do in private that you are looking for? What are people looking for in a counselor in public? I applied on my own to colleges and didn't use the counselor at all for anything all four years. This is partly due to the fact that I could only apply to certain colleges that were affordable.

[Anonymous]

What help do you need from a guidance counselor, beyond transcripts? Help writing essays? Teacher recommendations?

Highly performing public school students, and even lesser performing students can complete these tasks with no issue, and do not need hand-holding guidance every step of the way. Something to consider.

[Anonymous]

My DD graduated from a big three and the only place they failed was in college guidance. Would never advise anyone to leave or stay on that issue. You need to get it in your head now, that irrespective of what school your offspring graduates from, it is in your best interest to be as involved in the college process as possible well in advance of senior year. Start reading College Confidential's parent forum and look for the pinned articles that condense the process. It makes a huge difference btw to know what your kid is interesting in studying. My DD had a specific major and lucky for us the professional trade group tracks the various colleges and outcomes in relationship to graduation rates, program size, gender, graduate programs, ranking, and subsequent incomes. This was by far a better resource on where to apply than any of the schools her HS counselor had connections with. Be your own advocate and stop hoping a counselor will do your job for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What help do you need from a guidance counselor, beyond transcripts? Help writing essays? Teacher recommendations?

Highly performing public school students, and even lesser performing students can complete these tasks with no issue, and do not need hand-holding guidance every step of the way. Something to consider.

don’t many colleges ask for counselor recommendations?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DD graduated from a big three and the only place they failed was in college guidance. Would never advise anyone to leave or stay on that issue. You need to get it in your head now, that irrespective of what school your offspring graduates from, it is in your best interest to be as involved in the college process as possible well in advance of senior year. Start reading College Confidential's parent forum and look for the pinned articles that condense the process. It makes a huge difference btw to know what your kid is interesting in studying. My DD had a specific major and lucky for us the professional trade group tracks the various colleges and outcomes in relationship to graduation rates, program size, gender, graduate programs, ranking, and subsequent incomes. This was by far a better resource on where to apply than any of the schools her HS counselor had connections with. Be your own advocate and stop hoping a counselor will do your job for you.

This. It has never occurred to me that the job of getting my DS into college was anyone's other than his and mine. I'm happy when DS's public school provides info and assistance, but I rely on them for little and verify all. Whatever resources the school has should be devoted primarily to helping the kids who lack resources at home. DH and I, with the advice that is readily available on line, are perfectly capable of shepherding DS through the process. My guess is you are too, OP, and if you don't want to do it, you should hire an outside counselor, regardless of whether you go public or private. That's the only way to ensure the kind of attention you are looking for.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What help do you need from a guidance counselor, beyond transcripts? Help writing essays? Teacher recommendations?

Highly performing public school students, and even lesser performing students can complete these tasks with no issue, and do not need hand-holding guidance every step of the way. Something to consider.

Have you had a kid go through this process recently? It's a lot different from when we were teens.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What do they do in private that you are looking for? What are people looking for in a counselor in public? I applied on my own to colleges and didn't use the counselor at all for anything all four years. This is partly due to the fact that I could only apply to certain colleges that were affordable.

These days, just the task of figuring out what's affordable can be daunting.

[Anonymous]

kinda disagree. I know for a fact DC’s private school counsellors have an “in” with two particular schools, highly rated SLACs won’t name, but this school is almost like a pipeline for those colleges. I do feel the efforts of the counsellors are one of the main reasons we pay the big bucks for tuition. Unlike the local public, they actually know the kid as an individual and can help guide them to schools that are the best fit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What help do you need from a guidance counselor, beyond transcripts? Help writing essays? Teacher recommendations?

Highly performing public school students, and even lesser performing students can complete these tasks with no issue, and do not need hand-holding guidance every step of the way. Something to consider.

Have you had a kid go through this process recently? It's a lot different from when we were teens.

I'm sure it is, and I will help my kids in any way that I can. However, I will absolutely NOT contribute to increasing the hordes of young adults who do not know their butts from a hole in the ground. My kids will have my help and guidance, but will have to grow up and fend for themselves at some point.

I remember asking my father to help me write college essays, and I remember him telling me that I was a capable writer, and that I needed to write them myself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What help do you need from a guidance counselor, beyond transcripts? Help writing essays? Teacher recommendations?

Highly performing public school students, and even lesser performing students can complete these tasks with no issue, and do not need hand-holding guidance every step of the way. Something to consider.

Have you had a kid go through this process recently? It's a lot different from when we were teens.

I'm sure it is, and I will help my kids in any way that I can. However, I will absolutely NOT contribute to increasing the hordes of young adults who do not know their butts from a hole in the ground. My kids will have my help and guidance, but will have to grow up and fend for themselves at some point.

I remember asking my father to help me write college essays, and I remember him telling me that I was a capable writer, and that I needed to write them myself.

good for you but some others don’t feel this way. They’ll pay top dollar to have someone write the essay for the kid - that’s who you’re up against these days.

[Anonymous]

Great if those two schools are the only ones you want and you are at the top of the donor list so you make the quota from your private.

[Anonymous]

We are in the Woodson school district and have always had our kids in private school. We were considering moving our daughter (entering 9th grade this year) from private to public and visited both Woodson and what would have been our assigned counselor there. It's a nice school, seemingly smart and motivated kids, but we were completely underwhelmed by the lack of counseling advice we received, just in terms of class selection and general advice. I knew more than the counselor did about our options based on internet research alone. We decided to stay private.