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.

December: The Highs & The Lows. 

In the realm of college counseling, the month of December, despite being truncated for most due to the holidays at the end of the month, can be one of the most precarious to navigate. With some major scholarship and US state school application deadlines to begin the month, things are closely followed by the release of many early action and early decision application results mid-month before -- again, for many -- sending students off on holiday ostensibly with plans for them to submit applications. This month combines a need for human management with a lot of the rote work of the job in a way that can be exhausting. At least one colleague refers to the week leading into the holiday break as the worst week of the year between helping students navigate acceptances, denies, and deferrals while also trying to get as much of the paperwork done so as to be able to enjoy some of the vacation. It’s a lot! 

What follows are some of the topics and concepts that are (or ought to be) on the to-do list of college counselors this month:

• Communicate Availability. As college counselors, be sure to set a concrete plan for communicating your availability over your vacation. I have worked at schools with varying degrees of expectations, so it also makes sense to solicit approval from supervisors. A best practice is to use email away messages to indicate how an individual -- student, parent, alum, or university -- can proceed with contacting you and how long they may need to wait to receive a response. Then it is essential to communicate this proactively to your community. 

• Contact Colleges. December is an important time to make sure that college counselors are connecting with college representatives. While many schools no longer do formal, traditional “counselors calls,” many will share lots of helpful information if you take the time to reach out and set up a call or a Zoom.

• Tie Up Loose Ends. Track down those seniors and get them to report results and update those final college lists before the break. It is generally a good idea to submit regular decision materials within a time frame when you can ask the seniors to check. Be sure to track down results that you know have been released but perhaps not yet shared with you. 

• Finish Starting Plans for After Break. While so much of our attention can be spent trying to get things situated to be able to leave for the vacation, it makes good sense to focus time on making sure that you are able to to return from break successfully as well. What plans can you put in place now for your return that will save you time over break or when you return?

• 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.

• 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:

• Protect Counselors’ Time Off. This is a tricky topics for many schools as they seek to categorize counselors. Do they work over breaks? Is that an expectation? If so, do they get compensated for their reduced vacation time and expanded work year? (This is true for holidays as well as the June-August time period. Regardless of the policy, it is essential to communicate expectations clearly and then to stand by the expectations. 

• Express Appreciation. It’s been a long semester! Let your counselors know how much you appreciate their work!

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