I actually don’t know the head count/counselor at Mercersburg, but I think it’s small. The most notable thing about college counseling at Mburg is that they are assigned a counselor as entering FRESHMAN. While CC obviously don’t suggest lists or things like that until junior year, my kid’s counselor went to sport meets, observed him around campus, got to know him at drama productions, ate lunch together, etc. The intent is for the CC to get a really good idea of who the kid is before entering the fray I guess and to be able to write a sincere counselor recommendation letter. I think it’s worked well. I pretty much was able to call/email, and even text, my kid’s counselor since I had so many questions in the beginning. I was very anxious about the SAT Subject tests way back in 9th grade (they don’t even fly under the radar at this point). He told me that they aren’t as important and I shouldn’t worry too much and through the conversation, he realized I was coming from a NYC private school setting, so geared the conversation to that.
While no CC/Office is perfect, I have to say at Mburg, our counselor have been so available and quick to respond to any questions and I would consider the counselor a kind of friend and someone to keep in touch with after graduation. The CC Office wasn’t the driving force in selecting a BS, but it showed us how committed they are to getting it right, and Ivy/NESCAC accept stats be damned. They also offer the kids standardized test tutoring as needed, which also showed me that they know what they are doing and trying to support families as best as they can and make it equitable.