<p>MM. the conflict wasnt about the need for a safety, but the appropriate safety. The crazy thing was that my DD was waitlisted at a state flagship, but rejected at lower tier state schools. Go figure.</p>
<p>kayf–happens a lot, especially if the school thinks you are applying as a “safety” and have no intention of attending—or, they just have too many kids from your area there already. Many of those schools like more balance. I know that there is one school near us where a lot of kids from our school apply. Our son is looking at that school and has been advised to apply early (rolling admissions) because after so many kids from one area, they cut off. Looking at the graph on Naviance, there were some really good candidates that were rejected by this school and that is the reason they were given.</p>
<p>someone asked about the “goes to college” rate. This is what my school has posted on their website. No joke. </p>
<p>POST-SECONDARY PLANS
2011
SENIORS
Attend a 2-year college
35%
Attend a 4-year college or university
46%
Work full time
18%
Attend a private career school
4%
Enlist in the military
11%</p>
<p>Don’t see a problem? Add the numbers up.</p>
<p>vlines–OUCH^^</p>
<p>vlines - Clearly a number of next year’s students plan to work full time!</p>
<p>Maybe the kids were allowed to pick more than one… I guess it’s perfectly feasible to work full time and attend college (2 or 4 year).</p>
<p>Queens mom- I thought that may happen too, but checked, and no- they only choose one.</p>
<p>^ Well maybe it’s The New Math then.</p>
<p>That would explain why I don’t get it, New Hope!</p>
<p>^ I don’t get it either. My degree is in The Old Math!</p>
<p>I went to a private school and our guidance counselor was useless. She recommend only local nearby private colleges to students. Our valedictorian applied to Columbia and had great stats and had a really great chance. Our guidance counselor told her she wouldn’t get it. Guess what she did get in.
In fact she used to tell everyone they never had a chance to any non-private college that wasn’t nearby.
I went to a really lame private school. Most of the students end up settling and just go to local uni’s bc the counselor makes them feel like they’ll never make it at a top school. Quite ridiculous if you ask me. </p>
<p>Sent from my iPod touch using CC</p>
<p>Eldest D had an exceptionally competent GC at her competitive private. Fortunate for us, as it prepared us for the, um, lesser lights that came afterward (at both public HS’s and privates). I would agree with those that say it’s a crap shoot when it comes to guidance.</p>
<p>HS guidance office is nice and helpful but no where near the advice and knowledge I get from reading CC. It just confirms what the counselor tell parents is accurate.</p>
<p>I want to say…I think the folks posting here are knowledgeable about college searches and the like. They are good advocates for their college bound kiddos. As noted upstream, GCs aren’t ONLY responsible for college search/selection. In fact that is just a part of their jobs. </p>
<p>Our school DID have a registrar who did ONLY sending of transcripts and other materials from the school. It was her only job. She was very contrary, in my opinion. </p>
<p>The year my DD graduated from HS we had a ton of snow days and school ended about the 22nd of June. The registrar went on VACATION the day school ended…,for a week. While she was gone, my kid got the request for the final transcript and it was due July 1. I went to the registrar’s office the day she was supposed to return from vacation (at 9 a.m.) and waited until 10 a.m. when she showed up. I asked her for DD’s final transcript. She said she had not yet prepared them…she had been on vacation. I politely told her I would sit and wait while she got DD’s ready to put into the addressed/stamped envelope I had with me. She initially resisted…but then realized I was not going to leave. Son of a gun…she got that transcript all set for me.</p>
<p>I’m not one who misses deadlines. I found it totally unforgiveable that this registrar went on vacation when she did considering that the timing was when MANY schools were requesting final transcripts. I did discuss the timing of this with the principal and it never happened again…she was responsible for sending ALL of the final transcripts out BEFORE leaving for vacation.</p>
<p>I believe that the GC’s are overwhelmed, and their job requirements at one school are different than at another. But, I also think that each HS should have a College Counselor on staff. Not just a GC that is doing their best, and does not really understand all that is currently required for college applications. But one that is specially trained to really help kids through the college application process.</p>
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<p>Our high school has small grad classes…under 200 students. I can’t imagine ONE college counselor could service the varying needs of ALL of those students, and do a good job.</p>
<p>I know some private college counselors and I would venture there is NO WAY any one of them would take on even 100 students in a year. Just not possible. </p>
<p>Plus the work these counselors do is year round…going to visit differen colleges in different regions, attending different training and workshops for college counselors, working with students, networking, etc. </p>
<p>I’m not sure that there are many schools that can afford to hire a dedicated college counselor. AND P.S. if they did, my guess is they wouldn’t be perfect either:)</p>
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<p>While wonderful in theory, how do you recommend schools pay for a service that theoretically only provides support to one out of four students in high school. With cash strapped budgets many schools cannot afford it as a line item at the expense of students who are mandated by law to have counseling. At my D’s high school, the PTA paid for the college counselor. </p>
<p>I remember the first school that I worked in the college counselor position was excessed (eliminated) when I started… We had a huge (10 counselors for 2000 students) staff at that time. I remember the counselors asking our principal who was going to do college counseling now that we had no College counselor. His response was you are the college counselor. </p>
<p>If you are at a school with 350-600 students (and many NYC public high schools are now adopting the small school model), you will just not have it in your budget to pay for a dedicated college counselor. Many small schools with a dedicated college counselor either are having funded through the PTA or have been able to network with outside agencies that come in a couple of days a week to assist with the process.</p>
<p>And again - such a thing is a luxury and assumes little need for financial aid. I think the bulk of our GC’s work was in securing alternate forms of fin aid, scholarships, etc. for students. And that’s a GOOD thing. What’s a better use of her time? Getting the kid who would otherwise go to comm college to go to State, or helping some overprivileged kid such as my own make a decision between two elite schools that in the bigger picture, aren’t appreciably different? Priorities. The first is more important.</p>
<p>sybbie–you only have 25% of your student body going on to 4 year colleges??</p>
<p>When you think about the fact that you have freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors. Only ~25% of your school population (seniors) are applying to college in any given year. Of course the conversations need to happen and do happen freshmen year. Unfortunately at schools that I have seen with dedicated college counselors they are not working a college plan and meeting with freshmen,sophomores and juniors. They exclusively work with the senior class.</p>