Rant: When school counselors don't do the bare minimum

[beebee3]

@Hanna

But the fact that the kid doesn’t remember hearing about it does NOT mean no one ever told her. What kid (or parent!) remembers every piece of good advice they got? There’s a reason parents invented the phrase “in one ear and out the other.”

This x 100.

D20 attended a college orientation zoom (Covid times) where the school put on an hour long “How to succeed at college” talk. I listened along with her and was pleasantly shocked to my core to hear so much specific, actionable advice*. It was a brilliant presentation. Most of the incoming class attended the zoom (based on the stats on zoom).

Very few of D20’s friends/acquaintances even recall the presentation being offered, let alone remember the incredible advice.

• The advice ranged from how to access additional help via campus resources, how to create connections with potential mentors, how to build your network starting day one, how to get a job on campus, how to access career services, etc. It was all specific, step by step instructions and advice. Invaluable, and yet - in one ear and out the other for most.

[Thorsmom66]

My kids’ GC (both had the same as they are assigned alphabetically) was a private college counselor before coming to our HS (and also worked in admissions before that). We’ve totally lucked out (not all are as strong).