Philosophy and Expectations

Here are the expectations involved in the college counseling process:

Students

• attend all College Admissions classes ready to work
• arrive on time to scheduled individual meetings
• sign up online or submit paper application by all test deadlines
• communicate desires/wishes honestly with parents and counselors
• be realistic about expectations
• respect advice of counselors & teachers
• meet deadlines by getting materials into college counseling by the noted deadline
• know your application deadlines, application fees and individual college's required supplements.
• be actively engaged in admissions process
• follow up communications and requests from colleges in a timely manner
• maintain an organizational calendar & filing system for admissions process materials
• focus on “fit” (schools which will meet your primary needs) rather than “favorite” (schools which satisfy secondary needs)
• Students are responsible for registering for ACT or SAT testing, providing fees and sending out official scores to all colleges/universities they apply to.

Parents

• communicate with students/counselors
• be realistic about expectations; let the student's college list be their list not your list
• respect counselor's advice
• know that we want what is best for the student
• work with us not against us
• hold student accountable for meeting their responsibilities
• treat college counselors as professionals
• support the application process (due dates etc.)
• make visiting college campuses a top priority
• check-in with your student's progress in admission process
• celebrate student successes; don't dwell on failures
• be supportive of student's feeling of stress during process

College Counselor

• be knowledgeable about the college admissions process
• treat each student as an individual
• advocate for the student
• facilitate the application process including providing colleges with a transcript, school profile, and official school recommendation for each candidate
• be accessible; communicate frankly, honestly and promptly
• keep the student's best interest in mind
• keep confidentiality and the student's best interest in mind
• educate students/parents about the admission process
• listen to students and parents
• keep students/parents aware of the Financial Aid/ Scholarship process
• report to colleges any significant changes in a candidate's academic status or qualifications between the time of recommendation and graduation
• provide future assistance after graduation