Veronica Gass, Reporter
@vgasscourant
Every year, counselors begin the year with senior and freshman appointments in the fall and move to junior and sophomore appointments in the winter. During student’s four years at the highschool, counselors ensure their success by scheduling routine appointments for college applications and getting to know them.
Seniors and freshmen in the fall
To kick off the school year, college applications are due in fall, and counselors play a vital role in assisting their seniors. Counselor Julia Rossini says, “We do a series of building block lessons with seniors and have individual appointments for an hour with every senior to see what each student needs to be doing to make them successful and less anxious during this process.”
Throughout the fall counselors are finding ways to prepare students as much as possible. “Writing essays and supplements, doing mock interviews with Mrs. Carroll and the college career center are all things that benefit students in this process,” Counselor Lindsay Reihl said.
Counselors offer support when students are deferred or denied from colleges and look to find ways to help them. “We’re supporting seniors through some decisions that they might have to make if they have been accepted into schools and now are choosing one or the other, or maybe they’ve been deferred or denied from a school,” Ms Reihl says. “So it’s just looking at other options and potentially adding more schools to the list or working with what we have.”
Towards the end of fall, counselors start to meet with freshmen for their appointments. Counselors feel it is important to get to know them since they will be with them for the next four years. “Later in the fall are freshman appointments where you will sit down with your counselor one on one,” Ms. Reihl says. “It’s just such a nice opportunity for you and your counselor to get to know one another and lay that framework for the next four years.”
Juniors and sophomores in the winter
The months of December through the spring are junior appointments. Juniors parents and students are introduced to the beginning of preparation for the SAT and ACT. “We do a lot with junior parents, we help with the post high school planning process. We talk about testing, introducing standardized testing like the SAT, ACT,” Ms. Reihl said.
Counselors start meeting junior year for college applications. “We sit down with juniors and their parents and talk about all the different aspects of the applications to build a foundation for what they’re looking for in a school and learn how to get all of the materials ready for their applications,” Ms. Rossini said.
January to March is when the sophomore program begins, which includes group meetings during building block, individual appointments and introduction for the parents. “With our sophomores in the winter we start thinking about career interests and how your strengths and interests align with potential college majors or potential jobs down the road,” Ms. Reihl said.
The spring
The spring includes a mix of things for all the grades. “Counselors travel to different colleges to make connections and learn about programs. The College Panel Program takes place where admissions representatives come talk to parents. Then, there is also AP testing and meetings with Saxe counselors, admissions review to go over student data,” Ms. Rossini said.
Takeaways
Overall, counselors spend the duration of their school year working to meet individual goals for all of their students. Ms. Reihl says, “My day generally looks like getting to school before school starts, and many students come in for quick questions before the school day. Lots of emails, and phone calls. Our schedules for meetings are different everyday whether it’s individual meetings, group meetings, parent meetings, and unexpected pop ups. So the day can change a lot but it is all for the same goal: the students and for their future.”
