Free College Counseling for Your Students and You

by Patrick O'Connor, Ph.D.

I’m happy to tell you a free college counseling tool is now available for you and your families.

Nineteen years ago, I had a counselor’s dream job. No testing duties, no scheduling duties, no graduation checks, no lunch duty—and all I did was college counseling, with a caseload of 45 seniors. This was a far cry from my first year as a school counselor, where I had a caseload of over 400 students, all seniors, and I was in charge of everything. I even had to meet with students to talk about any disciplinary issues they were involved in. Talk about awkward discussions.

Once that ideal year was over, nineteen years ago, I tried to figure out how I might help counselors who were still where I once was. Too many students, too many duties, and too little training in college counseling puts far too many counselors in a position where they want to help students build what comes after high school, but simply can’t.

And that’s how College is Yours was born. I wrote each chapter with three things in mind:

• If I were talking to a student in person about this aspect of college counseling, what would I tell them, and how would I say it?
• If I were a school counselor, what would I want all students to know about this part of college counseling?
• How do I keep this information short and to the point?

About 40 chapters came together, each one 600 words or less. The idea was to give students the background ideas they needed to know, in a format they would come back to. Trying to figure out how to prepare for the SAT? Open that chapter, read it in 90 seconds, and apply the information. If students had this information ahead of time, the precious minutes they had meeting with their counselors could be used to individualize college plans. There was no need to go over the basics — now was the time to bring them to life.

Nineteen years and three editions later, this format is a success, with hundreds of counselors, families and students discovering what college is all about in a way that is effective, efficient, and exciting. It’s been great being part of that journey…

…but the audience needs to be bigger.

That’s why I’m giving the book away for free. Just follow this link, and you’ll be able to:

• Read it online for free
• Download it for free
• Add it to your counseling website for free
• Email it to students and families for free
• Share it with community-based organizations, faith-based youth groups, and anyone else. 

For free.

The book has had a great run, but the cost still gets in the way of students getting the help it offers. That’s over.

My only hope is you’ll share it with all your students, including those in grades 9-11. The book has strategies about how to make the most out of high school, starting in ninth grade. Too much college planning starts too late in high school. In a few short chapters, College is Yours fixes that, all without eating up precious face-to-face time with students.

For free.

So click here, and spread the word.

We’re in a time when people don’t think college is worth it. Trouble is, they come to that conclusion before they really explore college. That needs to change, and this book can help do that. For free.

Off you go.