Here's a fact - high school counselors can't go at it alone when aiding
juniors or seniors in preparing for college. Career Coordinator Amy
Light Maskil, from one of Missouri's larger districts, the North
Kansas City School District, says parents are stepping up to surround
students with knowledge and help in making college decisions.
First, most counseling departments in larger schools offer counseling newsletters and active Web sites, Maskil says. Parents need to pay attention to this advice. Maskil says parents need to be involved early on in the college decision process. "Be informed. Attend all the financial aid seminars early. Stop by the counseling table during open houses or student orientation. Go to the college and career night. Remember, college choices are ongoing and the discussion should be even earlier than you think. Parents are involved more than ever, checking scholarships, keeping track of deadline dates. They are asking better and more informed questions than ever, especially about financial aid."
Heidi Green, director of counseling services for Fayetteville-Manlius School District, New York, was one of the top eight counselors in America and recognized as such in the School Counselor of the Year competition through the American School Counselor Association. She not only leads the district's counselors, but also maintains a caseload of high school students. She also works with parents.
"I want parents to be very involved with the college search process, but I don't want them to do the search process. Selecting a college or university is the biggest decision of their young lives. Parents need to be supportive. They can help take their teens on campus visits. They can help determine the value system. Parents and their students need to determine what is important for the family. Parents know their students best. As counselors, we want to work with parents and be part of that team that helps their students reach their successes now and later on. Just remember, the school counselor is available to parents too," Green says.
At Mercy College, Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., Deirdre Whitman, vice president
of enrollment, doles out all sorts of advice, especially on
admissions. She says parents should be involved in their teens'
lives, especially their academic lives. "First, it is smart for
students to start the process early, even as freshmen in high school.
It is important to think about the many 
different types of college
campus experiences. For example, students should consider their
prefer for a large or small school, a public or a private school, a
religious or non-sectarian school, a school with or without athletic
programs. It is also wise for students to know about their academic
strengths and what schools offer programs that match their strengths
and interests."
Whitman says students and parents should begin the college application process with the end in mind. The academic strength of a student's high school transcript is one of the highest considerations in the acceptance process. "So, from the beginning of their high school experience, they should be striving to achieve their full potential. If applicable, participation in college preparatory or advanced placement classes in high school will provide a student a greater advantage. Guidance counselors can help students to stay on track with their academic curriculum," she says.
Parents should be engaged and supportive. "They should help their college-bound son or daughter to create goals, and discuss the best college fit based on his or her interests, personal attributes, and academic strengths. We encourage parents to visit campuses and meet with student support services staff early on. We also encourage parents to explore these summer program opportunities. These summer programs will expose students to campus life: what it's like to live on a campus in the residence halls, experience campus dining, spend time in classrooms, and other campus facilities."
Ketchikan High School, Alaska counselor Robert McClory, one of the eight finalists for 2010 School Counselor of the Year, works exclusively with juniors and seniors. He also makes himself available to parents. "I always ask people what they do and how they like what they do. One man turned and said, 'I don't like what I do, but I only live to work. I don't have to work to live.' I have always remembered that. The statement suggests that work and life are two separate entities. I have always believed that if you plan well and work hard, they are not two but one. Work is going to be a big part of your life not matter who you are and what you do. It has tremendous gripping potential. Some are even defined by their work and roles and are known by such.
"As such, I would encourage parents to find a way to expose their children to the jobs they have. It's not the job, but what you make of the job. My daughter found her interest at a Discovery Children's Museum outside of Chicago on a family vacation. At 8 years old, she was doing dress up dentist in this little pretend dentist office as she pretended to extract teeth from her little sister who sat in the chair. We took pictures and made a big deal about it." McClory says he called the local orthodontist. As a child, she job shadowed him and grew up, visiting and performing minor tasks in his office. His daughter is now in dental school at Harvard. "When applying for schools, she wrote about how her play dress up dentistry became the inspiration for her to take and excel in chemistry, biology and all the sciences and medical job shadows she did throughout high school. We can help connect kids with those role models and opportunities and help them make opportunities become realities. Then just stand back and let them do the work and secretly savor the chance to have been a part of their success."
Feel free to share this with your students or copy into your newsletter.
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