The Muse

Why it pays to know your counselor

Tuesday, November 30, 2010 By Kloee Ciuperger

We step onto campus the first day of freshman year excited, carefree and thrilled to finally in high school. So many thoughts circulate through our heads on that one day but I doubt the number 1,095 comes to mind. That’s the amount of days each freshman has left until they become seniors. We all have three years of bettering ourselves so that we can get accepted into the colleges of our dreams. When it comes to the college application process, having a close relationship with your guidance counselor is vital. Starting freshman year, every Dreyfoos student needs to make it a priority to meet with their guidance counselor. There are too many seniors who regret not regularly meeting with their counselors after they realize it’s too late, and although 1,095 days seems like forever, many seniors can attest that the time flies. When the final year of high school rolls around, seniors need recommendation letters, scholarship information and advice. Someone who took the time to get to know their counselors is bound to get a more personalized letter of recommendation, a better opportunity at more scholarships and a multitude of advise. We can’t walk into our counselor’s office as strangers expecting the same treatment. It is inconsiderate to expect so much last-minute help when we never took the time to even introduce ourselves. It’s even more ridiculous to request that they boast about us to colleges when they can’t even recall our name. The clipboards are lined up in the same spot in student services and it takes all of 10 seconds to sign up for an appointment with your guidance counselor. We even get to get out of class for our meetings. At the end of each school year, we have guidance appointments already set up for us and as seniors we are allotted 20 minutes with our counselors. Although these meetings are great, as young adults I would hope we have enough responsibility to sign up for a meeting on our own. High school is like an hour glass; our time is steadily slipping away. As freshman we need have the mindset of introducing ourselves to our guidance counselors and as sophomores and juniors we need to strengthen the bond we have with them. It isn’t nerdy to know your counselor or weird to start becoming knowledgeable about colleges at the start of high school. The sooner you start becoming concerned with your future, the easier it will become for everything to fall into place.