Providing elite-level, in-school college counseling services to students in Greater Birmingham.
A universal problem
Staggering caseloads
The American School Counseling Association recommends
a 250:1 student-to-counselor ratio.
Unfortunately, the nation's average is 482:1.
In Alabama, we see an average ratio of 453:1.
Endless responsibilities
Beyond staggering caseloads, the College Board reports that only 22% of a school counselor's time is able to be allocated to college counseling. Of course, this is because school counselors are tasked with everything from classroom guidance and individual student planning to responsive services and system support.
38 Minutes
According to the U.S. Department of Education, 38 minutes is the average amount of college counseling that high school students receive per year.
The greatest ability?
availability
Time spent (per student) on college counseling
School Counselor (Left) vs. College Counselor (Right)
Looking at the left chart, one can see the amount of time a traditional school counselor is able to devote to college counseling, per student, at varying caseload levels (gray columns).
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Looking at the right chart, one can see the amount of time a full-time college counselor is able to provide each student at varying caseload levels.
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Observe that even at a 500-student caseload, the full-time college counselor (right chart) is still able to provide 44 more minutes of college counseling per student―compared to the school counselor (left chart) at a 100-student caseload.
Minimum vs. ideal support
Minimum Support
Value-add Support
Unfortunately, this is typically all the college-related support that students receive.
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SAT/ACT Registration
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College Application Support
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Midyear Reports
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Counselor Recommendations
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Senior Year Class Selection/Registration
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Naviance Support (if applicable)
Full-time college counselors not only cover the minimum-level support, but they also have the time to provide value-add services.
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CommonApp Essay Assistance
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Supplemental Essay Assistance
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College List Development
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SAT/ACT Study Regimen
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Resume Building
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Advocacy Calls to College Reps
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Summer Program Applications
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Scholarship Applications
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Financial Aid Assistance
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Parent Engagement (e.g. FAFSA workshops)
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Academic Advisory
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Extracurricular Advising
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Recommendation Letter Prep (students & teachers)
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Interview Preparation
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College Selection
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Transitioning to College