It is really hard to believe that my summer is over!! The ASCA conference has passed, the Summer Counselor Conference is this week, and school begins next week. I can't believe how time has flown!  Since I had a little time over the summer to reflect on last year, one change that I really want to make is to my college counseling program.  Okay, confession time -- college counseling has never been my area of strength and more of an afterthought than a priority.  Well, now that you know one of my many weaknesses, my plan is to "beef" up my college counseling program for the fall.  Maybe you too are struggling to maintain or even create a college counseling program???  Believe me, I understand this is not an easy task, especially if you are the only counselor in the school, like me!  So, if you find yourself wanting to make improvements in this area, or you lack a program altogether, let me make some fairly simple suggestions you can take now. I have provided a list of 15 tips that I have already started to implement or will implement in the future.

 You can decide to do one, two, or all of them. 

15 Tips for Creating a College Counseling Program

1.  If you don't do anything else on this list, at least consider this first step.  Join a professional organization that will allow you to start building relationships with college admissions professionals. These organizations can also provide you with a lot great information and resources.  

Some of these organizations include NACAC, a NACAC affiliate, College Board, Big Futures,and the American College Application Campaign from ACT. Also, consider downloading the High School Counselor Guide from College Board for guidance on starting a comprehensive college counseling program.  Oh, here is another resource. Below is a sample from Big Futures of a college resource that I use all the time.

Sample Resource from Big Futures

2.  Join the social media pages and listservs of colleges and universities that your students are interested in attending. This will give you information regarding upcoming college visits, changing admissions requirements, and counselor webinars. If you need a boost to get started, here are some suggested social media accounts to follow. 

Best College Instagram Accounts

Best College Facebook Pages

Best College Student Influencers

3. Another easy start is to follow the blogs of college admissions representatives.  Personally, I follow several blogs, including Dr. David Graves of UGA and Dr. Rick Clark of Georgia Tech.  

4.  If time permits, consider attending a counselor college fair. College fairs are a great way to meet the admissions representatives and collect swag.  NACAC has their list of fairs on their website for counselors to register to attend.   

5. A little more time consuming, but productive tip includes inviting your local college admission representatives for a school college visit.  If you are already do this, consider an extended college representative visit.  An extended college visit includes building in an extra 15 minutes on the front or end of the visit with the representative to discuss the upcoming admission trends, priorities of the university, future of college admissions, and much more.  Also, consider creating a welcome basket or gift for your college admissions representatives.  This can include a bottle of water, a small gift card, a snack, and school swag. 

6.  Another time consuming, but again worthwhile tip includes joining a college advisory board.  Every college has an advisory board and counselors are often part of these boards.  I currently belong to a college advisory board, and I find it very insightful and educational in the college admissions process. Contact your local colleges to find out more about their board and if they are looking for members. 

7. Consider attending an in person or virtual counselor breakfast or lunch sponsored by a college.  Each year, I attend the Auburn College luncheon.  Although it is online, they are so kind to send me a gift card for lunch and a goodie bag of items.  

8.  A bigger time commitment that requires a lot planning and preparation is a college workshop or college application help night/day for parents and students.  You can start with your seniors in the fall and then work with your juniors in the spring.  If you are really feeling energetic, you can conduct one in the summer.  I conducted a junior workshop last year that was well attended and included tips on how to write an essay, testing requirements for colleges, financial aid and scholarships, admissions timelines, and much more. 

9.  If you can leave school for an extended period, which is not always easy to do, you can attend a counselor fly-in program.  Okay, this is definitely on my list to do!  At the ASCA conference, the Naval Academy spoke to me about attending their fly-in program.  Many colleges are looking to expand their reach and you may be just who they are looking to invite to their university.

Here is a list of 42 counselor fly-in programs for you to investigate.

10. Another time commitment that requires planning is hosting a college week. Typically, college week is held in September and its purpose is to promote a college going culture in lower grades. College1Stop has some great resources to help create a college week in your school. Here is a sample of CollegeGo!Week in Indiana.

College GO Spirit Days

Monday - Dress for success; dress for your future career

Tuesday - Military Appreciation Day; dress up in anything camouflage.

Wednesday - Hats off to higher education; wear your favorite hat.

Thursday - Off to college; wear your favorite college gear.

Friday - Our future starts here; support your high school by wearing your school colors.

11.  Another event you can host in your college counseling program is College Signing Day. Again, this requires a lot of planning, but can be a great public relations tool for your program. Each May, high schools around the nation celebrate College Signing Day. College Signing Day is an annual celebration of students committing to pursue their education past high school. To get more information and plan for College Signing Day, counselors can visit the Better Make Room website and download the toolkit.

12. This may be a little of the box, and extremely time consuming, but when I was at one of the NACAC affiliate programs, I learned about building an alumni program where the counselors support their alumni at a minimum of one year post graduation. Part of the alumni program is to support students who may be struggling and includes making a visit to the alumni.

13. If you have some free time (I am laughing hysterically at that notion), ASCA offers a College Admissions Specialist course for $99. From this course, counselors will be able to implement a comprehensive school counseling program that helps students understand the connection between K-12 school and college and make a successful transition to postsecondary education. Not sure about taking the course? See the review by the Counseling Geek about the course.

14. Another tip that includes both time and money is attending a NACAC or NACAC affiliate conference. These conferences are very helpful in learning a lot about college admissions process. In fact, the annual NACAC conference will be held September 21 - 23 in Baltimore, MD.

15. Okay, this one is the biggest committee in a college counseling program. Consider setting up a physical or virtual college center for students and parents. Many counseling offices have adjacent rooms that can be converted to a college center which can even be managed by students or parent volunteers. For the virtual counseling office, you must be dedicated in maintaining and updating the site each week. Need an idea for a virtual site? Here is an example of a college counseling center by Kerr High School.

So, there you have my fifteen suggestions for creating a college counseling program. I am sure there many, many more steps one can take and if you have some ideas, please share them with me!! All the best in setting up your program!