College Counseling, Not College Coaching

“College counseling sees the college process as part of a larger quest to help young people figure out who they are and what they care about. Admission to college is the product of that process of discernment. College counseling is developmental, educational, relational, and process-oriented. It is more about asking questions than providing answers…College coaching, by contrast, is transactional and results-oriented.” (Jim Jump, Ethical College Admissions: Counseling vs. Coaching).

Whew. It’s finally post-November 1, the post-Halloween ‘witching-hour’ date for students to apply to college via Early Decision (for most colleges with this option) and/or Early Action (for many colleges with this option). While November 15 (that’s today!) and December 1 still loom ahead as imminent application deadlines for the senior class, and the January 1 and 15 dates still matter, too, of course, a significant amount of work just went out the door—but not without a significant amount of guidance. 

As a result of my proximity to the College Counseling Office and the nature of my work as a member of the College Counseling Team, I see how Ms. Huston and Ms. Summergrad cultivate and develop relationships with our students. They make themselves available to students in order to help them be thoughtful in their approach to the college application process. They guide each student through the creation of a college list, and the organization and navigation of their way through the labyrinthine college application process—from test-taking and reporting to visits and interviews to filling out the Common Application. They brainstorm essay ideas, proofread, and offer suggestions for improvement on each student’s drafts; then they help them create strong supplemental essays, consider the best application options, offer assistance and insight to financial aid applications… Sure they aim for strong acceptance results, but the decision outcomes are tied to a process replete with relational insight and personal interaction. Students engage in the process because the counselors engage them.

And how does a college counselor effectively capture a student in a school recommendation if she doesn’t know the student? Maybe one doesn’t—but ours do. They have lengthy conversations with students, teach them in a weekly class for two semesters, watch them play sports, see them make announcements in Morning Meetings, listen to them sing in Greenline or play in the Ensemble, connect with them at lunch, read what they write in The Gator, follow their academic accomplishments, and attend their performances and exhibitions.

Moreover, Brimmer’s college counselors help students learn how to highlight their accomplishments and academic records. Students come to understand how to make themselves known to the college admissions officers—a skill and practice they can use again and again in the future when they apply for internships or jobs or if they apply to graduate programs (and many do).

Recently The Gator, the Upper School’s newspaper, ran an op-ed piece that lauded the work of Ms. Huston, Director of College Counseling and Ms. Summergrad, Associate Director of College Counseling: “Students here have passionate and talented teachers, but we are also privileged to have an equally terrific college counseling team, which works tirelessly to help navigate an increasingly pressure-ridden application process… Summergrad and Huston are an awesome team. In October, they organized transcripts and wrote recommendations for the 40 seniors in the graduating class—all while smiling in the hallway and saying hello.” These thoughts represent something beyond transactional—I’d say transformational!