Educational counseling is a necessity at all levels, and you likely remember your high school having a counselor’s office whether you visited it or not. School councilors help students deal with a wide variety of situations from managing stress and negative emotions to improving grades and behavior. The same principles apply to counseling in college, although the problems may be bigger.
College students are stressed out, and 61% of students who seek counseling are reporting anxiety, and 49% are concerned about depression. These feelings may be caused by abrupt changes in lifestyle, difficulty handling an increased workload, changes in personal life, or any number of other sources.
Of course, stress isn’t the only problem college students face, and counselors can help with just about anything. Here are some of the biggest reasons students need college counselors.
Research
There are so many college options out there that it can be overwhelming to try and choose one, or even several, that seem like good fits for you. A college counselor can help you narrow the choices based on your academic goals, performance thus far, and what you’re hoping to get from your college experience. If you aren’t sure where to start, try making an appointment at a local community college.
Applications
This is where every college journey begins, and considering that over 4 million Common Applications are submitted each year, you need to collect as much stand out material as possible for your applications. It’s generally recommended to apply to multiple colleges to increase your odds of acceptance, and at least three of these should be colleges that match your SAT/ACT scores. You may also want to apply to some schools where your test scores fall safely within their high range.
College counselors can help you make sure you’re submitting everything you need and that you’re presenting yourself in the best light possible. This includes reviewing your application materials and helping you craft a unique personal statement that can get the attention of the admissions board.
Tutoring
If you’ve struggled with classes before, college counselors are great for helping students find the resources they need. With the help of experts including Zinc Educational Services, you can prepare for your college admission tests with one-on-one tutoring, online boot camps, practice tests, and more. Scoring well on the SAT/ACT and specific subject tests not only helps you with admissions, but it can also help you start college with more advanced courses.
Based in New York City and founded by Matt Bardin, Zinc seeks to give students the skills they need to excel on tests and also perform better in college and beyond. This is done through improving reading comprehension, expanding mathematical understanding, and instilling the value of consistent effort and lifelong learning.
Balance
One of the most challenging things for most new college students is finding a way to balance their studies, work, social lives, and other activities. Councilors can help students set realistic goals for themselves if they’re trying to do too much at once as well as develop effective study habits to use the time they do have wisely. Some students may be forced to choose the things that are most important to them if they’re involved in too many extracurricular activities or if work and school are interfering. Counseling helps these students come to terms with these choices and choose what makes sense for them.
Career Choices
Ultimately, college is about helping students develop the skills they’ll need to succeed in their chosen career path and life beyond school, and these aren’t things to be taken lightly. Even after making it into college, many students are still unsure what kind of career they want. Counselors can show students how to draw connections between their interests and talents to jobs that may suit them. They can also show students the courses they’ll need to take for their concentration and can even point them toward job fairs and other work-related resources when the time comes.
