Timmy Freese ’14, Matt Robinson ’14: The college process is just that: a process. As such, attempting to create a strong collegiate profile in a matter of months is implausible, stressful, and counterintuitive. Rather than the current system, in which college advisors are assigned to students in their junior year, it makes much more sense to do so during sophomore or even freshman year. Despite other assertions, such a change would actually make the process less stressful, as students would have more time to develop a personal relationship with their guidance counselors and be surer of decisions regarding the college process.
One problem with the current system of college guidance is that, since counselors are assigned after the second semester of junior year is already underway, students cannot receive recommendations about class scheduling until their senior year, even though scheduling is a crucial part of a competitive application. Knowing what to take and when to take it can make the difference between a college acceptance and rejection. Moreover, students can decide to take summer classes earlier if they want to take more advanced courses or courses that they would like on their transcript. It makes sense, therefore, that students consult college advisors, the trained professionals, for advice about scheduling earlier than senior year, since three-quarters of our upper school schedule will be unchangeable at this point.
Moreover, with the current assigning of counselors during the middle of junior year, students have fewer opportunities to pursue internships and other opportunities that expose them to career paths in which they may be interested. If students received counselors earlier on, they could receive advice about possible careers and internships to pursue. These opportunities can help students determine if they truly want to pursue a major or career in which they expressed interest.
As Matthew Essman, Director of College Guidance, explained, assigning counselors earlier allows the advisors “to begin informally to get to know the students earlier so [they] have a greater familiarity with them when it comes time to really get going with the college process in the middle of junior year.” Because each college advisor is responsible for writing recommendations for all students, it is important to have a personal bond between student and advisor. Early meetings need not be professional and strict but rather relaxed and loose to reassure students that they have an adult supporting their process.
In regards to athletes, assigning counselors early can only help. The process for athletic recruitment is extremely competitive, and athletes are being recruited at earlier ages every year. With the current system of college guidance, it is possible that recruited athletes may have to undergo the entire recruitment process without the advice of a counselor, who can help students get in touch with coaches at various colleges. Therefore, assigning counselors earlier will help Episcopal athletes navigate an unfamiliar process with much less stress.
With the earlier assignment of college counselors, students will be much more comfortable and readily prepared when the college process truly hits peak stress levels during senior year. Students will have more time to work on their applications and discuss these with their college counselors instead of scrambling at the last minute, leading to a higher chance of college acceptance and a decrease in overall stress. Therefore, the school is right in its decisions to assign college guidance counselors to students during sophomore year. Although some argue that this will only increase pressure, it will only lead to less stress in the long run.