This is the first in 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.
September: Drinking from the firehose.
Whether the school year begins at your school this month or not, September is a busy time in college counseling offices. While catching up with the seniors and laying plans for how best to support them, college counseling offices are trying to provide information and support to a wide array of different constituencies: faculty writing recs, anxious parents, worried new students, eager younger students, etc. And there is plenty of work to do, which makes September feel like drinking from a firehose.
Here is a swath of the items that might be on the docket:
Set the programming for the year. College counseling offices need to set and communicate deadlines, policies, and expectations for the entire year. Everything from when and how teachers must submit their letters of recommendation to how students request transcripts. Much will be the same as previous years, if you are lucky, but each needs time and attention.
Transcripts. The official record of academic achievement — the transcript — needs to be revisited for the seniors. Different schools have different practices about transcripts and sharing, but it is generally a good idea to allow seniors to see — and to double-check! — their transcripts. Also included here is what can be the cumbersome practice of tracking down transcripts for students who were not enrolled at your school for all four years of high school.
Senior focus. The seniors (and their parents) require a lot of attention in the early going. With all that is going on this month, it is important to prioritize seniors.
Junior courses. While it is wise to do as much with the juniors before the start of the school year, it is common for college counselors to be pulled into conversations about course selections with juniors. What works? What is not working? What fits? What might they require given their university aspirations? How do their choices impact options later?
Parent meetings. Parents often want to meet with a college counselor early in the academic year to seek counsel on how best to support and direct their students in the name of university applications. Sometimes these are individual meetings, but often these manifest as evening presentations.
Early applications. Some seniors are already gearing up to submit applications. Perhaps most notably, UK medical and veterinarian applicants as well as applicants to Cambridge or Oxford will have October 15 deadlines. (And in other years, sometimes the deadline to submit to be eligible for international interviews is even earlier!)
Broader Communications. College counseling offices also want to provide information to all of their constituencies as they might need it. These constituencies include each grade level, parents, faculty, administration, boards, etc. Providing information is a recurring theme throughout the beginning of the academic year. September tends to be a time for a reflection on the previous year while also providing updates to the administration and school leadership. Additionally, this is when the college counseling office needs to update the School Profile and reach out to university representatives to schedule visits (on-campus and/or virtual).
Teacher Recs & Trainings. Particularly for the current seniors, the month of September is time to set deadlines for teachers to submit their letters of recommendation in a time and manner so that the college counselors have the opportunity to review them and provide feedback.
Counselor Letters of Recommendation. While things are certainly busy in September, a top goal for college counselors is always to get started on their own letters of recommendation. Given the whirlwind of other duties and responsibilities, their recs can often find themselves taking a backseat and then later relegated to evenings and weekends. Still, we all always try to get them done ahead of time!
Essay Review. September is also a time for beginning essay review with students, particularly those with application deadlines in the first semester. It is time-consuming work but better done now than later, and so much effort is often expended in motivating students to find the time to get this work done.
This being the first monthly “Behind the Curtain” post, I wanted to introduce the closing sections here. After providing an outline of the duties, tasks, and responsibilities within the college counseling world in a bite-sized approach so anyone can follow, I provide some suggestions for counselors and for admin who support the counselors. Here goes!
Suggestions for Counselors:
College Counseling Cheatsheet. Over the past several years, we have been developing the Cheatsheet, which are typically 30-minute or less tasks that appear on your calendar each weekday and that are designed to improve your counseling practice. These include everything from reminders to more advanced guidance to some unique tips.
Time Management. During this time of year for the college counselor, time management is essential. I’ve recently shared some of my own practices in a blog post here. Manage your time to conserve your energy and to preserve your sanity!
Take care of yourself. Suffice it to say that when work is chaotic and bordering on overwhelming, it is essential to take care of yourself! Carve out time from each day to do things that you enjoy and that bring you peace and calm.
Seek help. Whether you are a seasoned veteran, a mid-career counselor, or a rookie, remember that you do not have all the answers and seek assistance. One of many possible suggestions is to consider working with us here at Lamplighter. Take a look at what we might be able to offer.
Suggestions for Admin:
Provide focus. It tends to benefit college counselors when leadership is narrow in its provision of direction. For example, I have always found it helpful when my supervisors have championed a fundamental focus on the grade 12 students at the beginning of the school year, reminding me and my team not to worry about the other grades or constituencies until the seniors are well-situated with their college applications. This sort of support is invaluable.
Alleviate distractions. Similarly, affording the college counseling office the time to get their letters written (on top of everything else) can provide terrific assistance. Excusing the college counselors from additional responsibilities or meetings can often be enough.
Express appreciation. No counselors I know do the work we do for recognition, but when leadership is aware of the chaos and turmoil of our work during this time of year, simple expressions of appreciation go a long way!
Be sure to let us know if you have any questions or suggestions. We are always happy to incorporate and share others’ feedback.