The college admission landscape has changed rapidly in recent years and is increasingly unpredictable. Carney Sandoe’s college counseling team includes four former Directors of College Counseling and two previous college counselors. With our professional experience in the college counseling and college admission fields and having conducted hundreds of Director of College Counseling searches, and with our expansive network, we know that the schools, school leaders, and college counseling teams that are best prepared to support students and their families through this dynamic time practice the following:  

1) Integrate college counseling into the academic program. The Director of College Counseling should serve on the Academic Leadership team(s). As educators and ambassadors dedicated to the intersection of your academic program and college admission practices/policies, college counselors understand, support, and advocate for your program. Whether you are considering adding or dropping Advanced Placement classes, developing honors/advanced classes or experiential ed programs, changing the calendar, schedule, or transcript, or naming courses, your college counselors can help your school make choices that align to your school’s mission and vision while also serving students well in the college search and application process. 

2) Meet families where they are. High school should be about high school; it shouldn’t be about college. However, we know the public scrutiny and complexity of the college search and application processes leads families to begin thinking about this stage years in advance. Thoughtful touch points with the college counseling team early in high school can defuse anxiety and help engagement in the school experience. Preparation for the college admissions process can be woven into existing student support structures, such as advising programs, SEL curricula, and parent education programs to help families enhance their understanding of the landscape and build trust in your college counseling team and program.   

3) Educate faculty and staff. The way in which everyone in your community should be an admission officer or ambassador for your school should also be a mindset with college counseling. Your students trust and are connected to their teachers, advisors, and coaches, and, unfortunately, often receive well-intentioned but inaccurate and misleading information from them given that the college landscape has changed dramatically. How might the college counseling team provide information and support to the professional community? 

4) Re-imagine how you measure success. Be thoughtful, intentional, and proactive about how your school messages the value proposition of your academic program. You can help your families avoid the trap of judging the success of your school or college counseling program by the college matriculation list alone by providing clear and consistent messaging about how you define and measure success. Mine your school’s unique vision, mission, or Portrait of a Graduate for measurable outcomes and develop simple tools to survey your graduating seniors, your current college students, and your young alumni professionals for evidence of success in how your school prepared them to flourish in future settings. 

5) Ensure your Director of College Counseling has the necessary resources. As the landscape becomes more complex and the expectations for work with students earlier in their high school journey expands, it is important to continually assess whether you’ve supported your Director and college counseling team with the appropriate resources – public support, staffing, technology, professional development, budget – to accomplish the goals you’ve mutually developed for the program.   

We welcome questions, conversations, and opportunities to partner with you and your school community. Please visit the College Counseling Practice page to reach out to our team.