<p>this late in my junior year, i'm planning to meet with my counselor and talk about college for the first time.
i don't know who i am supposed to talk to. counselor or guidance counselor??</p>
<p>what questions do i ask the counselor when i meet her?
general questions? (like which colleges do you recommend)
or specific questions? (like can i get into xx college)</p>
<p>Is there a difference in your school between counselor or guidance counselor?</p>
<p>The first meeting should be a get to know you session. What are kind of courses have you taken, what kind of grades have you received? Have you taken SAT or ACT? What about SAT-IIs? What about APs?
What are your academic interests? what kind of college would you like to attend (in terms of size, location, distance from home, etc...) Will you need financial aid? Would you qualify for merit aid?
Only when the counselor knows the answer to these questions and more could she give you some advice.
My Ss' GCs had worked with them ever since 9th grade so they were familiar with their coursework and GPAs. They discussed the kind of colleges that might suit them after hearing my Ss preference about size, geographical location (region of the country, urban/suburban/rural). S1's GC came up with the names of some LACs we were not really familiar with but turned out to be good fit. </p>
<p>I also suggest you do some research on your own and visit some colleges to get a feel for the different college campuses.</p>
<p>Great advice from Marite. You could also use the session to ask the counselor how your school handles college applications (i.e., what will be your responsibility to manage and what the school will do for you). Our hs, for instance, sends out teacher recs with the GC rec, transcript, and profile; other schools expect students to follow up with teachers to be certain recs are sent on time.</p>
<p>You could request a copy of your school profile, which can tell you a lot about the way your school is perceived by admissions departments.</p>
<p>You can also ask what resources are available to you regarding your school's history of having students accepted at the colleges you're considering. Some schools do this in the form of scattergrams. Our school keeps a yearly list of results, by school, which includes each applicant's SAT/ACT scores and GPA. This can give you a vague idea of your chances at a particular school.</p>