<p>Unfortunately, I've learned more about the college admission process in three days through College Confidential, than through my school counselor who I have known for four years. </p>
<p>Tells you how great academics are at my school.</p>
<p>I can say the same</p>
<p>I completely agree. I can honestly admit that when I first realized that I should start looking at colleges, my counselor wasn't of much help. In fact, that idiot was of no help. When I found this site, I read through it and there it was: other people who were clueless like me. As I started posting and reading the things here, I learned more about the college process than at my own school. </p>
<p>Heck, I'm so pro at this that I am a "college counselor" at my school to my friends...they ask and I can answer. It's shocking yet sad really.</p>
<p>Agree with the original poster...It tells you how great academics are at my school.</p>
<p>I'm pretty sure my college counselor didn't even know what the common app was. So, I definitely agree with you guys.</p>
<p>It's truly sad. And these are the people who are supposedly 'handling' our future...</p>
<p>You have to keep in mind that counselors have many students. They not only help students to college, but they also counsel students on their problems. And CC is a huge community of many great people. So no wonder thousands of people's knowledge > one person's knowledge. And to be honest, for the most part, counselors' don't have the time or the interest to cater to one constituent's needs, i.e. the constituent that seeks to attend super-selective universities (which is what CC basically caters to). They are interested in helping as many students as they can.</p>
<p>At any rate, there's also a lot of bad information that goes around at CC. Not to mention the mentality here is appalling -- things like, "Obviously, a Harvard education is substantially better than a UCLA education" -- or, worse, "A Yale education is substantially better than a Cornell education."</p>
<p>4th person to agree (I think)</p>
<p>People actually seek college advice from their high school counselors?</p>
<p>I'm joking, I know that people do, but I just find it kind of funny...it would never have occurred to me to do so. The academics at my high school were good, but each counselor had about 300 students, and I ended up with a different one each year because of turnover, and my interactions with them were largely to get forms signed and argue about my class schedule.</p>
<p>CC is the best, its just the grade inflation on this site thats bothersome, the majority of the people here have like 3.9-4.0 gpa's and 2200+ SAT.</p>
<p>That's not always grade inflation....</p>
<p>Just wondering....how many high school guidance counselors are lurking on this site? Anyone want to 'fess up and let us know if you find the site informative? I wish my D/D's counselor came here. In fact I'm probably going to recommend it.</p>
<p>70 % is useful and the other 30 percent is useless</p>
<p>Generally the 70 percent comes from parents, while the other 30 comes from disgruntled students that have nothing else to do except to be a thorn against one's side.</p>
<p>Same here, my counselor didn't even know the University of Chicago.</p>
<p>I was pretty amazed.</p>
<p>Our school has 3 guidance counselors, determined by last name. The one I had up until September of this year royally sucked, and I generally just ignored him unless he screwed up my class schedule (4 years running, woohoo). I actually just switched myself to the one woman in the department who actually seemed to know what she was doing and who actually wrote a proper letter of recommendation (as in, one that would have actually worked at an "elite" college).</p>
<p>But yes, CC has been my college counselor for quite a while. It's a bit overwhelming at times, but many times the advice on here is worth its weight in gold, figuratively speaking. I mean, like moviefreak said, I am now my friends' college counselors. Had it not been for CC (and I'm being perfectly serious) I don't think I would have known how to put my application together in a way that would have gotten me into MIT or UChicago.</p>
<p>@lssd- haha, yeah, when I told my old counselor that I wanted to go to MIT the first time I met him freshman year, his response was basically "well, just realize that's a pretty hard school to get into." It was like, oh, no shi*.</p>
<p>unless u go to private schools, school counselors are pretty much nonhelpful. CC is the ultimate source of knowledge. i come here before talking to my counselor</p>
<p>ESPECIALLY if you know howw to use the "search" button well.
Oh my goodness, you can search for ANY topic here hahaah.</p>
<p>who the hell started this site.</p>
<p>^^the people who run this site-
College</a> Admissions, Search, and Financial Aid Help from College Confidential</p>
<p>
[quote]
Our school has 3 guidance counselors, determined by last name.
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</p>
<p>My alma mater high school had four or five, I think, also assigned by last name. The one assigned to my part of the alphabet was TERRIBLE. I would go to her to talk about finding more challenging classes and summer programs, and she would try to change the subject to sex. I could talk about sex just fine with my parents--I didn't want to talk about that subject with a forty-something-year-old single woman who dressed like a teeny-bopper. In other words, my high school counselor was not helpful. I'm glad the founders of College Confidential came along and founded this site. I'm also glad that CC participant Texas137 (who I don't think posts much here anymore) told me about this site on another site. I've since told a lot of other people there and elsewhere about College Confidential. </p>
<p>Good luck to those of you applying this school year. If you actually have a helpful counselor at your high school (as I think my son does), be sure to send him or her a thank you note.</p>
<p>Even at private schools, where I go, the school counselors are not helpful.</p>