<p>Our GC's are very uninvolved. It is possible and more likely probable that the majority of our high school's seniors (headed for state u.) appy to college with no GC help. The kids just have to go to the GC's office and request their sealed transcript from the office secretary. This sometimes takes awhile (huge public sch. with not enough staff). Good students in our sch. have little GC contact except for scheduling help if their schedule is messed up. Otherwise, the GC's are busy helping deal with discipline problems.</p>
<p>I have many stories of my Ds guidance conselour bumbling everything from applications, scholarships and even the placement test she proctored. It was a complete nightmare. I don't know how this woman stayed in this position for 27 years and didn't seem to gain any knowledge about the college process. Thank God for futre students this is her last year.</p>
<p>I know of a school that limits the amount of packets/letters of rec's it will send to eight universities. They enclose a letter to the university stating that, so the admiss. folks will know the student is serious about attending their school. In that case, I could see how the GC might worry that the student had used up too many of his 8 spots.</p>
<p>Can they actually limit the number of schools a student can apply to? My D's school web site states 6-9 MAX, I just can't see it even being legal to tell student's, sorry, you can't apply to x school, you have already used up your chances. I'm sure it would be impossible for the GC if all kids were applying to alot of schools, but most kids at D's school only apply to maybe 2, usually UGA and one other state school, which don't require teacher or GC rec's.</p>
<p>Not sure, it was a private school and the policy was stated clearly from day one. The point was, they wanted kids to put effort into the college search, and narrow it down to 8 they would go to. I think 8 choices is plenty.</p>
<p>It makes me so nervous to read these posts that I just can't get through them. Knowing ahead of time that our guidance counselor is outrageously overworked , we did not expect "guidance." We live in the land of expensive admissions counselors, but we did not go that route. We did the research ourselves. Now I'm hoping for efficiency, speed, and accuracy. My son is also being very proactive.</p>
<p>I do think that the large number of colleges students apply to taxes counselors' capacity. I know of schools that limit the number, and I think that's okay because it helps students think through their options more clearly. I do envy some of the "overinvolved" situations described here, only because GCs should have the time and the training to help kids with their applications. </p>
<p>But then, back in the day, my own GC told me I'd never get in to the college I ended up attending and recommended some really off-the-wall options. Turns out she had a running feud with the admissions office at my college. Several of us were accepted from my class, but we were the first in a long time!</p>
<p>Large public H.S. for my son and of course the G.C. couldn't pick him out of a line-up if he were the only boy. No contact with him except for credit checks where he'd walk into the office, and she's say, "you're good to go, goodbye." Never in trouble ... quiet kid, etc. So, we worried about the rec letters/forms she'd have to fill out. I made S give her something that he and I had written up, detailing all his involvement in E.C.'s (which were predonminately outside of school), family life situations, etc. She wrote a wonderful rec letter, as it turns out. In spite of there being a bazillion to one ratio for the G.C.'s at our school, she did a great job in the situation she works in. But I have learned something ... we've stayed in contact with my D's G.C. from freshman on ... even if it's just to call and ask a question so that he knows who the heck she is and is forced to pull up that viewscreen and look at her and her stats. He could pick D out of a line-up.</p>
<p>zebes</p>
<p>Blueskymom,
Here's some more food for thought...</p>
<p>At UF, the student's housing priority number is based on when he sent his online application in. Believe it or not, UF receives a great number of applications soon after it becomes available (I believe it became available at the begining of June?) because students know that if they want to get into the dorm of their choice, they need that position on the housing priority. Combine that with the fact that this year, UF's application window is from July through the end of October, making a August/September submission entirely within the "middle" of the window. BTW, pay the fee as soon as you get the letter from housing to secure your place in the queue. </p>
<p>Those that send in their apps later risk getting "last dibs" on dorms or worse yet, no dorm at all. So do not let anyone tell you that your son is applying too early. They are not interested in whether he gets the dorm of his choice, but I'm sure he is!</p>
<p>As far as I'm concerned, anyone telling a UF applicant to wait until September/October to submit his application isn't necessarily doing him a favor.</p>
<p>Thank you bethievt for your comment re: GC's
I know that there are incompetent ones out there - like any profession - but appreciate the understanding that sometimes a person is trying to do the best job they can for you given their very high case load.
If parent and son can be clear with GC on what they need from school that would help them best, maybe GC will honestly reciprocate and they can find out where he was coming from with the first day of school remark.</p>
<p>Our guidance office does do a very good job of producing well-packaged college applications. Whether or not the glossy, cookie-cutter letters are necessarily a blessing is subject for another thread. At any rate, I appreciate the job they do- they definitely have it all down to a well-oiled smoothly run process, starting as early as sophomore year.</p>
<p>The main disconnect I've seen is that the guidance office, being in a private school where most families pay full freight for college, is not always aware, nor cares, about the few students seeking financial aid/scholarships. (My son's request to submit a rolling application three months ahead of deadline for purposes of scholarship eligibility was met with glazed eyed confusion. "But this paperwork doesn't need to be submitted for three more months!" "We will not submit any student transcripts before the college kickoff meeting on September 10th." "It wouldn't be fair to send your package out before other students.") </p>
<p>They're very good at placing their students in the highest echelons of universities, but actually affording the school is another thing. In some cases, the goals of the counseling office (place the kid in his top choice; maximize the number of prestigious colleges they can put on their brag sheet, even if only 3 students account for 15 of the most impressive college acceptances) conflicts with the kids' goals (get the application in before September 15th so he's eligible for the presidential scholarship). It's like the attitude is, "Hey we'll get you in, what more do you want?" But again, that's another thread.</p>
<p>New HopE-- re "First day of school. Hmmm. I guess the various colleges contacted the HS about the applications, or perhaps the student reported the applications himself?"</p>
<p>We requested and the hs guidance office sent the transcripts out this summer so i am sure they keep a tally for the counselors. My son went to talk to GC first day about a schedule change. The GC used the opp to bring this up. Believe me, I recognize that the GC has his way of doing things and he is successful and excellent at what he does. </p>
<p>I believe this GC is retiring next year and "perhaps the times they are a changin" For example he seems to be a bit unfamiliar with technology. For instance we tried printing out the online application for both UF and FSU to no avail. In other words it would have been almost impossible to show him the app unless S completed a hardcopy.</p>
<p>LAstly, and i think doubleplay brought this up- a primary reason he applied early was at a few of the schools including UF the earlier one applies the earlier they get their housing number. Yes some colleges actaully assign the housing number before they accept the students. Had he waited until september i think he would have had a low priority housing number.</p>
<p>I write from the perspective of a parent whose children lucked into a wonderful dynamo of an involved GC. I do think that the OP's son's GC made a mistake when he made S uncomfortable about submitting over the summer, for very good reasons, when the GC was unavailable. But if this GC does a solid job of providing helpful input on students' essays, tailoring their CV's, and coming up with suggestions and thought provoking questions on the college list, then maybe he was just concerned that he didn't have the opportunity to help the student strengthen the summer applications as much as possible. In any case, it is really nice to have the GC in your kid's corner during this process, both as a resource and as a supporter and advocate with college admissions officers, so I think it would be very unwise to do anything that might alienate him at this point. OP's son did nothing wrong and could certainly explain to the GC, without contrition, exactly why he sent his applications to those particular schools in summer. But beyond that, I would advise that the OP maintain cordial relations with a GC who might have just stumbled when trying to express his concern that he didn't have the chance to help S and maximize his chances for admission.</p>