College Applications and Thanksgiving

By:  Patrick O'Connor  Ph.D

This holiday season brings plenty of good news for high school seniors. Thanksgiving is as late as it possibly can be, creating one more week to complete college applications before the holidays begin. This also gives you one more week to hear back from colleges that have your completed applications, increasing the chances you can share good news with the relatives you see once a year.

But a late Turkey Day date also brings a few challenges.  If you’re thinking you’ll have a few days after Thanksgiving to submit college applications with a December 1 deadline, look again.  December 1^st is the Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend, so it’s easy to see there won’t be much time to do quality application work on a holiday weekend.

In addition, one more week before Thanksgiving gives you one less week after Thanksgiving—calendars can be harsh that way.  This means any plans you have to apply “later” to colleges with a January 1 deadline may be counting on time you really won’t have, even if you work through the night before Christmas or the eight days of Hanukah.

The key to good college applications is the same as the key to good holidays—plan ahead.  Follow these steps, and you’ll make sure the only turkey you deal with is the one you eat on Thanksgiving, not the last-minute college essay you have to send in on a tight deadline.

Count your colleges and your blessings. Start by writing down the number of college applications you still have to complete.  Now, organize them by due date—not by the number of essays they require—and re-write the list in that order.

If you have eight or fewer applications to complete, you’re in great shape. Most students can complete an application in two hours, especially if the basic part of The Common Application is now complete.  If you set aside a two hour block every Saturday and Sunday between now and December Break, you’ll find you have time to do homework and activities during the school week, give yourself ample time to write quality college essays on the weekends, and…

Take Thanksgiving Weekend Off.  Completely.  Think about everything you did last Thanksgiving—parade, football, shopping, listening to Uncle Mike talk about how LBJ is the best president ever. All of that’s going to happen this year—and you don’t want to miss a minute of it.

If family gets to be a little too much (hey, it happens) you’ll want to plan on some quality screen time, or friend time, or taking-a-breath-from-three-AP-classes time.  All of this is perfectly understandable, and perfectly healthy—and this break will actually help your college applications.  If you complete a few applications before Thanksgiving, then take off one weekend,  you’ll regain your focus when you start again the weekend ofDecember 7^th,  and write better essays than you would if you were trying to “squeeze in” some writing time during Thanksgiving.  Believe me—this works.

Cut Your Relatives Some Slack.  They’ll sigh when they find out you haven’t heard from your colleges, and look at you blankly when you name a school they’ve never heard of.  They don’t doubt you—they love you—and they want to know you’ll be OK.  Show them you are OK, and college will be great—live in the moment, let college go for a weekend, and let Uncle Mike win the wishbone contest, while you tell him he’s just as strong as Lyndon Baines Johnson.  It’s all good. 

A School Counselor's Request to Michelle Obama

By: Patrick O'Connor Ph.D

Mrs. Obama, your remarks this week to Washington DC sophomores were inspiring, both to the students, and to those who work with students in choosing a college.  By highlighting the White House’s progress in making college information accessible to the public, you’ve encouraged students to make the most out of College Navigator and College Scorecard.  In emphasizing the importance of daily homework habits and making the most of every opportunity available to students, you’ve inspired them to build the study skills and interests that will serve them well in high school, college, and beyond.

It is also encouraging to know this was the first of many conversations you’ll be having about college access—and as you build your schedule of college conversations, I hope there will be time for one about counselor readiness.  College experts recognize school counselors as uniquely situated to make a significant difference in the college plans of every student.  We see the students in school, we know their strengths and interests, and we take every opportunity to help them make strong choices about college.

But just like the statistic you cited that puts the United States 12th in the world among college graduates, school counselors know they could do better helping students make good, personalized college plans.  We’re well aware of national surveys where young adults report their counselor was of little help with college selection, and while it hurts when at-risk valedictorians call us “pretty lousy” and “incompetent”, we understand where they’re coming from. 

Two years of College Board survey results show counselors wish we had been better prepared for college counseling when we were trained.  Only 30 of the hundreds of counselor training programs in our country offer a course in college counseling, and only one or two require it.  We had to learn this skill on the job, and given the crisis-driven nature of school counseling, there just isn’t time to learn college advising skills while we’re putting out so many fires. We need a better foundation.

There are some professional development opportunities for counselors to learn more about the college selection process, but our students need more—and quite frankly, so do we.  Because college programs are very slow to change, it would be most helpful if you would call on all counselor training programs to develop a course in counseling in the college selection process, based on the essential college counseling proficiencies identified by the National Association for College Admission Counseling. These courses already make a difference in the lives of counselors and their students, as counselors feel empowered to help students with college counseling facts and programs they had never been able to use before, because they never knew they existed. 

Asking colleges to offer this class would create opportunities for some counselors and their students, and requiring colleges to offer this course would impact all students and families. President Obama has put a high value on a college education; an Executive Order directing all counseling programs to include this course as a degree requirement would send a clear message that the United States is determined to help all students attain the highest level of college awareness and readiness, and significantly advance us towards the 2020 objective.

School counselors have a rich tradition of supporting the goals and needs of our students, a record that helps us realize the importance of asking for help-- especially when we need it ourselves.  We long to be of greater service to our students and families by being better trained in college counseling; your support will help us attain that higher level of service.

Sincerely,

Patrick J. O’Connor, Ph.D.
Associate Dean of College Counseling, Cranbrook Kingswood School
Past President, National Association for College Admission Counseling

Ideal Gifts for That Special Counselor in Your Life

By:  Patrick O'Connor Ph.D

In case you missed it, your local drug store is stocking candy canes this week—and that puts them a couple of weeks behind the local big box store that’s had Christmas trees up since mid-October.  These commercial displays remind us that a season of gift-giving is upon us; if you have a spare minute or two, you may want to add these professional resources to your wish list, just in case someone asks.

NOSCA’s Principal-Counselor Toolkit provides strategies, worksheets, and other tools to create a strong working relationship between you and your supervisor.  The toolkit covers everything from the right use of data (a staple when developing a strong relationship with a principal), effective communication practices, leadership, and taking your practice to the next level.  This series of downloads is free, but since busy counselors don’t have time to stand around the printer, the toolkit is the ideal gift for your school-aged, tech-savvy children to give  you, nicely wrapped in your favorite-covered binder.   http://nosca.collegeboard.org/research-policies/principal-counselor-toolkit

Dr. James T. Webb’s  new book expands the understanding of the gifted.  Searching for Meaning: Idealism, Bright Minds, Disillusionment, and Hope talks about ways to help the bright students in your school who sometimes struggle when the challenges of reality clash with their strong, clear vision of what their world—or our world—can be. 

About 30 years ago, the American education system decided to treat gifted children the same way it treats students who get straight As, glossing over the important differences in the psychological make-up of students who are achievement oriented, and students who are focused on sharing their very personal vision of the world.  James Webb has been trying to articulate the needs of the gifted for over 40 years, and critics are hailing Searching for Meaning as an ideal guide to help gifted students understand themselves and the world around them.  It’s the perfect book to save for a quiet winter day—and if you don’t have his classic Guiding the Gifted Child, make sure that goes on your gift list as well.  http://www.greatpotentialpress.com/searching-for-meaning

Top Student, Top School? How Social Class Shapes Where Valedictorians Go To College explores a different group of students, and offers a more solemn but important message to school counselors. Alexandria Walton Radford studied the college choices of high school valedictorians, and discovered that the two factors preventing low-income valedictorians from attending top colleges were the lack of college awareness of their parents, and the lack of knowledge and support of their school counselors. 

The author pulls no punches in her assessment of the students’ experiences with school counselors—the students used words like “pretty lousy” and “incompetent”—and matches that description to the irony that these high-achieving students are actually more likely than their higher-income counterparts to be admitted to top colleges and enroll in them, provided the adults in their lives guide them to the right information and the right financial resources. This may not be the ideal page-turner to read in those days of renewal during the holidays, but it’s the perfect book to keep in mind when it’s time to make that list of New Year’s resolutions that fuel our desire to make things better for our students. http://www.amazon.com/Top-Student-School-Valedictorians-College/dp/022604100X

Finally, a nifty little tool from Levenger is the ideal stocking stuffer for counselors who still clip articles from print magazines and newspapers. The Single Sheet Cutters allow you to save that article in the middle of the page without mangling the rest of the paper, and since Levenger has frequent 20% off sales before the holidays, it’s a thrifty decadent splurge. http://www.levenger.com/Pair-Of-Levenger-Single-Sheet-Cutters-421.aspx

Administrative Support of Counseling Programs—The Counselor’s Role

By: Patrick O'Connor Ph.D

It’s a busy time of year. Elementary and middle school counselors are involved with parent conferences, while high school counselors have the additional layer of early college applications to complete.  Combined with the responsibilities of fall testing, it’s easy to look back on the department goals set in September and wonder, where did the time go?

If you’re feeling the need for support, the best place to turn is your school administrator. The unique position counselors fill in the school community provides ample opportunities to create innovative programs and activities that can enrich all facets of a student’s school experience.  At the same time, a school counselor’s role is neither completely teacher, nor completely support staff, nor completely administrator.  This absence of commonality makes it challenging for counselors to feel a sense of support for their work-- but this absence increases the necessity for school administrators to provide that support.

Interviews and surveys of school counselors in Michigan revealed five areas where administrative support of school programs is essential—and while the research was conducted in 2000, the results still ring true today:

Program and Logistical Support  Administrators supply the resources needed to implement all facets of a comprehensive counseling curriculum, including curriculum development, program implementation, and program evaluation.

Programmatic and Professional Growth  Counselors always want to do more, and administrators give counselors the opportunity and encouragement to expand their services, including school-wide activities to deliver counseling services, as well as participation in professional development activities to stay abreast of new trends in the field.

Engaged Advocacy  Supportive administrators meet with counselors on a regular basis, and promote and endorse counseling programs with internal and external audiences, including faculty, district administration, school boards, and the public.

Capital Allocation   Administrators allocate physical plant and technology resources appropriate to advance counseling services, resulting in workplaces for counseling that are fresh, updated, functional, and welcoming.

Affirmation  Administrators trust the judgment and abilities of the counselor, evidenced by the autonomy the counselors are given, and by the tenor of the work relationship between counselors and administrators.

None of this should come as a surprise to either counselors or administrators, but many counselors get to the middle of the school year and realize they’ve forgotten these five essential fundamentals, and the role counselors play to receive that support.  Time is always at a premium, but try to take 30 minutes and ask yourself these key questions about your role in this important relationship:

• What’s the best way to tell your administrator about upcoming programs and events in college counseling—e-mail, phone call, informal conversation?
• How do you share the results and feedback of your programs with your administrator, and is that information presented in a summarized way that’s easy for them to access?
• Is there a clear way to send your administrator a “heads up” about a situation with a student or family that could soon require their active intervention?
• What formats exist for your administrator to share the feedback they’re receiving from others about the school’s counseling services?
• When is the best time to discuss plans for program growth, and how would your administrator like to be approached when that time arrives?
• How do you relate your appreciation for your administrator’s support of your program?

This list should also look familiar—it’s the same series of other-centered questions we present to students when discussing effective communication.  Every counselor needs and deserves their administrator’s support, but it’s essential, especially in busy times, to make sure we put ourselves in a position to receive that support in the myriad ways it can be presented.

Every Student Finds a College in Five Days

By:  Patrick O'Connor Ph.D

It’s hard to pick one month out of the year where high school counselors are most busy, but I think I would nominate October.  With schedule changes almost done (are they ever really done?), counselors have to gear up for the PSAT and statewide testing, and support the endless number of college applications their seniors are submitting. With all that going on, it doesn’t quite seem right to suggest one more October activity to fill your plate…

…but here goes. College Application Week started as a small but mighty idea in North Carolina.  The premise was simple: take one week in late fall to focus all of the counseling office’s efforts to make sure every high school senior applied to at least one college. Some students would certainly apply to college before College Application Week, and many would apply to more than one college; the activities and events held during the week are designed to support students who haven’t applied to college by early November, and to help them find a college match.

It didn’t take long for this idea to expand, both in scope and in breadth.  Counselors quickly realized getting every student to apply to college by the end of CAW would require more computers than the one (if there is even one) in the counseling office, and many students might need help navigating an online application.  In addition, it would probably help to offer seminars and activities to get seniors thinking about college choices before the actual week started; that would give them time to investigate different colleges and use their time during CAW to make strong, personalized college choices.

Now in its ninth year, College Application Week has burst out of counseling offices, and overtakes entire schools for a full five days.  Teachers wear sweatshirts and other gear with the name of their college proudly displayed, and most take five minutes out of every class period to talk about their college experience.  Many teachers also put up a bulletin board or door display where students can post a Success message once they’ve applied, while volunteers from local colleges and the PTA work with students in computer labs to complete the college applications.  And if you think this inspires the seniors, just think how this celebration of college impacts the juniors—and the freshmen.

CAW has also inspires principals in important ways, as the energy of the week leads them to ask, “So does this program make a difference?”  This has led to principal-led efforts to keep better track of the colleges students apply to; where they are admitted; where they attend; how they do once they’re in college, and if they complete a degree.  This kind of data helps counselors and teachers evaluate one aspect of the school’s mission, and provides clues for improving college readiness and completion.

And yes, the program does make a difference.  The first CAW in 2005 supported the college goals of one North Carolina high school.  In 2011, over 25,000 North Carolina students submitted over 68,000 college applications, and CAW programs are being initiated or in full swing in 39 states, each one serving the needs of all students, but especially those who are convinced college isn’t for them.

You may be too swamped this October to put together a College Application Week of your own, but put it on your spring calendar as an idea to investigate and implement next year.  Information on CAW can be found at http://www.acenet.edu/about-ace/special-initiatives/Pages/ACAC.aspx, and it can change your students’ lives forever.

Plus, it might even get you out of schedule changes.

That’s Why it’s Called College Counseling

By:  Patrick O'Connor Ph.D

Part of the goal in every aspect of counseling is to help students cope with a difficult situation by understanding more about themselves and their ability to manage the dilemma.  More often than not, this work requires the student to see more of their capabilities, and to accept the importance of being patient with their growth in those capabilities. Great athletes don’t come out of the womb and slam dunk a basketball or knock a baseball 400 feet; the same is true for fully-realized individuals who start their own companies, raise healthy children, or live meaningful lives. Many will get to the top of their game, but that usually takes time, patience, and a great deal of practice.

That’s why college application deadlines can seem like such an adversary.  How can a student be required to apply to a college by a certain date when one more month of Algebra or one more semester of growth could dramatically change their grades, their outlook on life, or the quality of recommendations they receive from their teachers?  What does a student do as deadlines approach if the college of their dreams may not fit in with the plans for their life? What does a student do who has spent three years with college as their goal when their parents tell them the finances just aren’t there, and the student will have to take a full time job just to make ends meet at home.

This challenge might seem unique to college counseling, but how many of our students come to us with problems they see as other-centered, when the real solution lies in a change of the perception or behavior of the student?

“Now that my best friend and I have had a fight, I just have to get out of the class we have together.”

“I want to come to school on time, but my mom wakes me up late.”

“My grades would be better if I could study at my house, but it’s just too noisy there.”

These issues may seem to deal with a change in behavior (sit somewhere else in the room, buy an alarm clock, study at the library), but that change only occurs once the student realizes they have the power to do something about a situation they now see as out of their control. Once they know they really can do something to better themselves, it’s only a matter of time and desire to realize the change—and that puts them back in the center of their own universe.

That’s true for getting up in the morning, but is it really true for college deadlines? 

“If only I had more time to get my grades up.”

“Let’s look at some colleges that will look at your senior year grades as part of your application.”

“I can’t decide which school to apply to early.”

“Maybe we should talk about applying to meet the later application deadline.”

“Mom and Dad say I have to work for a year before I can go to school.”

“There are many colleges that will admit you now and let you take a year off.  Let’s look at those.”

At this busy time of year, it’s easy for our students to see no answers at all, and it’s easy for us to forget we have the answers that can liberate their perspective and widen their view of what’s possible.  We can’t change deadlines, but we can help students understand how to respond to those deadlines in ways that can change their entire views of themselves, their potential, and their futures.

The College Counseling Throwdown

By: Patrick O'Connor  Ph.D

Long-time readers to this space know it is sometimes used to expound on the significant gap that exists in school counselor training.  For those needing a refresher, here are the highlights:

• Less than ten percent of the school counselor training programs in the United States offer a course on college advising
• A recent survey from the National Association for College Admission Counseling shows school counselors spend about 20% of their time on college advising activities
• A Public Agenda survey found most young adults thought their counselor was of little or no help when it came to making college plans
• Two different College Board surveys of school counselors found that counselors themselves feel undertrained in this vital area

This is usually the point where readers are asked to seize the energy behind this need and contact their state legislators and fix this.  Today, we’re taking a detour.

People with very good intentions can get sidetracked in a hurry when they run up against large institutions—so if large institutions are too intimidating, it’s time to look local. There’s a good chance you work for a school, and there’s an even better chance that school has a board, and that school board sets all kinds of policies, including the hiring policies; you might even know someone on the school board. 

Imagine the attention you would receive if you told a board member over coffee that you, a school counselor, want the board to increase the required qualifications for any newly hired counselor.  Upon taking the job, they either have to show evidence of having completed a 45 hour course in college advising, or they have to agree to complete such a course before they begin their second year of work.  If they don’t have the class, they take it in a year—and if they promise to take it but don’t follow through, they don’t get to keep the job.

The first response will probably be the same glassy-eyed look I get when telling policymakers counselors aren’t fully trained to help students make good college choices.  There’s a good chance your board members don’t know that either, so you may need to give them the facts that start this column.  Once you do that, they still might not believe you want to add more requirements to the job—after all, you’re a counselor—but your experiences and care for your students will guide you to find the right words.

It may be obvious, but you get something out of this—in fact, you get two somethings.  The next counselor you hire will either have the training they need to hit the ground running with college advice, or at least show the interest in learning that side of the job.  Imagine what that interest and energy will do to cut down training time, and improve the quality of your counseling program.

In addition to your committed colleague, your students will get some extra college advice from me.  No school district in the country has this policy right now; if you can get your district to lead the way on this essential reform, I will give you enough copies of College is Yours 2.0  to give one to every junior in your high school class.  10, 50, 800—it doesn’t matter. Make history, and you get the books.

Hard work has its rewards, and breaking this barrier is a must if our students and our profession are going to move forward.  I’ve been saying that for quite a while; now it’s time for me to put my money where my mouth is.

Who’s in?