College Counselor as a career

[snowball]

My niece was thinking that being a college counselor would be an interesting and rewarding job but doesn't know if she would have to major in Education. Does anyone know what a good undergraduate degree would be and do most college counselors have a masters? Is there a difference between requirements for a private high school vs a public high school?

The school my kids all went to, each of the college counselors had masters, but I don't know if that was a requirement or just how it turned out. Are there graduate program for counseling or just a master of education?

[sybbie719]

If your neice is going to be a guidance counselor who is a dedicated to only doing the college counseling peice (good luck with that as it rarely happens in public schools), yes she would have to get a Masters in school counseling. I work in NYC and yes, all Guidance Counselors must have a Masters in School Counseling to receive initial certification (you have 5 years to complete the requirements for permanent certification).

No she would not have to major in education (although since most counseling programs take place after school it would not hurt if she worked as a teacher to defray some of the cost. In addition, she would have a built in site when it comes time to do her internship as part of the requirement for the masters). I went to a School of Education, but it my Masters is in Applied Psychology -major School Counseling.

When I was in grad school (undergrad degree in business), many of my peers majored in psychology (i had to take additional psych courses before taking the grad courses in psychology).

Your neice should look at the requirements at some of the schools she is considering because there may be some psych pre-reqs that she may have to take for school counseling and she can take them while she is still in undergrad.

[orjr]

Agree with Sybbie - I am in a totally different part of the country and am nationally certified - the entry level degree is a masters in school counseling. Google NBCC and you will find the requirements to be a national certified school counselor - which often mirror state requirements other than the testing for the credential.
Good luck to your neice!

[DefyingGravity04]

Snowball- I am also thinking of either being a private college counselor, or a college counselor at a private school. Would I have to go the same route?

[nngmm]

If she really wants to do it, she should try and get a job at her school's admissions office for a year or so, and then work in admissions in a different type of school. It will give her an important perspective for her future job.

[teapot314]

Public school guidance counselor = certification
Independent school college counselor = experience

You certainly do not need to major in education in order to become a counselor. I majored in philosophy and religion, for example. For the college counseling piece specifically, however, private schools (especially if they're college prep) are going to look for experience in college admissions. Starting off as a tour guide or intern in your college's admissions office is a great way to get your foot in the door (much less see if you like it), and then pursuing an admissions job for at least two or three years at your alma mater or a different college is a pretty standard route to becoming a college counselor in an independent school. If you're interested in the job descriptions and/or qualifications for either position, check out the job ads at these sites:

NAIS - National Association of Independent Schools (National Association of Independent Schools - for counseling jobs)
The Chronicle of Higher Education (The Chronicle of Higher Education - for admissions jobs)

Good luck!

[snowball]

The goal was to be a senior admissions intern at her school but they only took 10 out of an application pool of 60+; of those all but one were tour guides. She is looking into working with a private college counseling company as an intern for the summer, but that may not pan out either.

I will pass the above information on to her.

[hikids]

I agree with those suggesting that she somehow try working in admissions for a time. May or may not be rewarding depending on where you are. Will not get rich doing any education related job, so reward has to be in the job itself.

[bookworm]

There are some new majors in master level programs that are geared towards working in a college setting. One direction is to becoming a Dean, the other with admissions.

Working in admissions office would be valuable experience.