This post is part of a series of monthly posts intended to assist a number of categories of educators with interest in college counseling. These monthly posts will provide a summary of the typical or recommended work of a college counselor, including providing a link to our monthly Cheatsheet, a daily task of 30-minutes or so for college counselors. In addition to these ideas and suggestions for those in the college counseling realm, they will also include some suggestions for those ancillary to this world, such as administrators, board members, etc.

October: Suck-tober. 

This month is generally the most demanding on the calendar of the college counselor. It is during this month when early applications must be completed and submitted. On the one hand, this requires the corralling of the seniors to provide them with the support they require to complete their applications. On the other hand, counselors must pour their attention into supporting documents, trying to be present for the students at the same time. And, of course, there are a number of other duties to consider, making this month a challenge.

Here are the topics that should be occupying the to-do list of college counselors this month:

• Finalizing College Lists. According to many counselors, one of the largest obstacles of October is getting students to finalize their college lists and then to decide what round (early, regular, etc) they will pursue. Given that student decisions in this regard dictates counselor workload, this can be a challenge, especially as students make last-minute decisions and choices. 

• Early Application Support. During this month, students -- especially those applying to meet those “early” deadlines in the US and the UK -- are scrambling to complete their applications, and counselors work to provide the support that they can to achieve these ambitions. It is always a challenge to get students to complete this work on a timeline to afford the counselor the opportunity to provide feedback. This includes reviewing the main essays, the actual application, any supplemental essays, etc. 

• Counselor Recommendations. October is also the time when counselors need to finish their letters of recommendation for their students. This is a time consuming process, and the time commitment often feels to come at the expense of individual support of students. 

• Transcripts & School Forms. While counselors are trying to find balance between supporting students and getting their own letters written, there is also the need for college counselors carve out time to review and update the various school-based documents, including transcripts -- particularly including first quarter grades -- and the School Profile (if not already completed) and a handful of student-specific documents, such as the Common App forms for US applications. Again, all time-consuming… 

• Teacher Recs. At this point, counselors are often working in partnership with teachers to get the letters needed for early applications completed, all while teachers, often, are engrossed in their teaching and grading work in pursuit of first marking period (quarter 1) marks. 

• Early Decision. Most binding early decision applications -- exclusive to the US presently -- are due November 1, and so counselors must communicate expectations and processes with students and families. Counselors, parents, and students sign the agreement, and so it is essential for students wishing to pursue ED applications and their parents are understanding of the parameters. 

• Counseling & Support. Throughout the month of October, as deadlines loom, counselor stress grows; however, for the same reasons, student stress grows. Consequently, counselors are consistently called upon to provide social-emotional support of students (and parents) who are facing unprecedented stress. 

Suggestions for Counselors:

• College Counseling Cheatsheet. The Cheatsheet provides roughly 30-minute or less tasks that appear on your calendar each weekday and that are designed to improve your counseling practice. From tips to strategies to reminders, this can help you stay organized.

• Calendar Management. When time is currency, managing your budget is essential.  Here are some tips to assist in keeping your priorities front and center. 

• Organized Narrative Letters. We have been writing letters in this way for over 20 years, and the trend has spread. While putting time into considering a new format of a letter might feel counterproductive, it will save you time in the long run! See these resources produced by our friends and colleagues and shared by NACAC. 

• Seek help. Consider the ways that we here at Lamplighter might be able to assist. Take a look at what we might be able to offer. 

Suggestions for Admin:

• Support Priorities. While this month is chaotic, affording counselors the opportunity to focus on supporting seniors is support that is tremendously appreciated. This might include relieving counselors of additional duties, excusing them from non-essential meetings, eliminating programming for other grades, and avoiding making additional requests of the counseling office. 

• Elevate Additional Support of Seniors. While others are not able to provide college-related guidance, there are others who can support the seniors in other ways, especially in regards to social-emotional care. It can help college counselors -- not to mention the students! -- if schools increase their support of students in this busy time. 

• Help Find Time. Given the demands of the month, it is helpful to consider how you might help to find more time. Some schools add “application days,” where classes are canceled to allow the counselors to work with students. Others add additional class time exclusively dedicated to applications. Sometimes teachers writing a certain number of letters of recommendation are afforded substitutes to facilitate their writing. Every little bit helps!

• Express appreciation. Find ways to let your counselors know they are appreciated!

Be sure to let us know if you have any questions or suggestions. We are always happy to incorporate and share others’ feedback.