How to Be a Great College Counselor for High School Students
Now that you’ve signed up to be a volunteer tutor and college counselor, we’re sure you’re ready to get going. After all, UPchieve’s mission to reach all 8 million low-income high school students in the US by 2030 is a big one, and we can’t do it without you!
To help you get started, we’ve put together some resources that will help you be a great college counselor for high school students using UPchieve. Check out the tips below and you’ll be a confident counselor in no time!
College Planning Tips
Some students will come to you with specific questions about the college application process, but others will have more general questions. For example, some first-time college applicants may need you to start at the beginning and completely demystify the college application process, while others may be looking for more specific tips, such as the steps for beginning a college search.
Here are some resources to help you guide students at the beginning of their college planning journey:
General College Planning Resources
9-11th Grade College Planning Guide: Students earlier in their high school will have different concerns and needs than older students, such as what classes and extracurricular activities will help them build a strong high school resume. As students enter 11th grade, they’re more likely to need help with test prep, college research, and coming up with a plan to pay for college.
12th Grade Checklist: Students entering their senior year might feel overwhelmed by their final year of college prep, but this resource can help you work with them to create a personalized plan that will help take some of the pressure off.
Career and Major Exploration Resources: Students at all stages in their college planning journey can benefit from help with picking out a future major and career.
Resources for Building a College List
Assessing a College List: Coach Checklist: Is a student asking for feedback on their current college list? Use this handy checklist to help them determine if the schools on their list are a good fit … and if they should add some more!
Building a College List: Community College Pros/Cons: Working with a student that’s considering community college? You can use this guide to work through the pros and cons of this pathway!
Identifying Student Preferences: Is a student asking for help to figure out what is a great college for them but they're not sure what to consider? Copy and paste this preference list into the document editor to have a detailed conversation about what they should consider when they start researching colleges.
College Application Advice
Once you’ve helped a student narrow down the list of colleges they’re interested in attending, it will be time to help with the next step in the process: applying for college! If you’re ready to start the application process, check out these resources to help you get started:
Researching College Requirements Checklist: You can copy and paste this checklist into the app to help students determine what information they need to know to complete each college application.
Sample College Resume: Sample college resumes are great tools to use when helping a student create their own!
Financial Aid: Coach Quick Reference Guide: Students and parents alike often need help navigating the wild waters of college financial aid. Need to brush up on the basics so you can help students tackle the financial aid process with ease? Check out this reference guide.
Helping Students Write Great College Essays
All students have skills, accomplishments, and stories that they can use as a basis for a thoughtful, high-impact college essay. Nonetheless, writing a great college essay feels intimidating no matter how successful you’ve been in your high school career.
Help students feel confident in themselves and their college essay by using the following resources to help them construct a powerful essay:
Brainstorming tool: If your student is having a hard time narrowing down a topic for their college essay, use this brainstorming tool to help them come up with a topic that will meet most common application standards.
Outline tools: You can use this essay template to help your student get started, and then you can use this college essay outline template to help them make their essay more robust.
College Planning Resources From Around the Web
While UPchieve always seeks to provide academic coaches with the resources they need to have success as coach, we also know that students can have very specific questions that a more general guide won’t cover. Here are some great resources you can consult if you ever get stumped in a college counseling session:
Common App: Founded in 1975, Common App is a nonprofit organization representing more than 900 institutions of higher education. Similarly to UPchieve, Common App is committed to achieving equity in education, although their focus is on helping demystify the college application process. This nonprofit has a great number of resources for students and their families, including specific resources for first-generation college applicants.
BigFuture: A service created by the College Board, BigFuture has tools to help students with everything from creating their own college list to a database where students can find scholarships.
Net Price Calculator: Another great tool from the College Board, the Net Price Calculator helps students calculate their real cost for college based on their individual circumstances and their college’s financial aid policies.
College Scorecard: This free tool from the U.S. Department of Education helps students compare colleges based on available fields of study, costs, results, and more. In contrast to lists that rank school on general criteria, College Scorecard will help students find the best fit for them.
Coalition for College: Coalition for College offers students a free set of tools called MyCoalition they can use to plan for college as early as 9th grade. Coalition for College also offers application fee waivers.
Final Thoughts
We’re so thankful you signed up to be a volunteer tutor with UPchieve! We’re committed to helping democratize education by offering free academic support so that all students have an equal opportunity to succeed. Helping students attend is a great way to help achieve that mission.
Ready to help UPchieve help even more students? Invite your friends and family to become an academic coach to help all students succeed!