What is an Independent College Counselor or College Advisor?
Independent college advisors are college counseling professionals that work freelance for students outside the school environment to offer one-on-one advice in the college application process. Meeting the needs of the client are the only priority, and receive no payment from colleges for recommendations.
Why are More Students Working With Private College Counselors or Advisors?
There is a need for college counseling outside the school setting because most public high schools in the United States have a college counselor to student ratio of 600 to 1. California has an average ratio of 900 to 1 students per college counselor.
In a report commissioned by the National Association for College Admission Counselors in 2005, it was determined that the typical high school student receives only 38 minutes of college preparation counseling a year.
If students can not receiving the time needed to plan for college at their school, they need an advisor outside of their school who has the experience and time necessary to help guide them toward college success.
Is it Worth the Cost to Pay for College Counseling?
With the ever-increasing cost of attending college, many parents believe hiring an independent counselor is a good investment.
Paying for sound college advising may help provide additional college options, more merit scholarship funds and more opportunities for students. Additionally, advising may prevent the costs of attending the wrong college, which usually costs thousands of dollars each semester. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Being well prepared for college can prevent choosing the wrong college as well as the time, money and frustration involved in transferring between institutions.
Article from NY Times parent blog on working with college admissions advisor-September 20, 2015
How Do Independent College Advisors Help Students in the College Process?
Students applying to college need to know a variety of information to make the best college decisions. This information is needed before the college application process even begins.
Students need to know what they are interested in studying, what type of college is best for them, the different types of degrees and which is best suited for their area(s) of interest and the best college for their intended major.
Students who begin the college search process earlier tend to be more prepared for college and statistically are less likely to be unhappy with their college choice.
When Should My Child Begin Working With a College Counselor?
Each student has different college counseling needs depending variables including school resources, parental college experience, major interests and college interests. Students applying to highly selective colleges usually need more guidance to ensure they progress on the right type of courses throughout high school.
Students interested in the arts may not need counseling until their sophomore or junior year in high school when they first take art courses.
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