<p>These days, do guidance counselors help students assess reach/match/safety including cost considerations? For example:</p>
<p>Student: Do I have a realistic chance at NYU?
GC: Based on your previous mention of your family being short of money, you should be aware that you are aiming for NYU’s top merit scholarships, because NYU does not give good financial aid, and you are unlikely to be able to afford to attend if you do not get one of the top merit scholarships. See the net price calculator on its web site if you want to know the details.</p>
<p>It does seem that college counseling is more complicated now. Back when I was in high school, most colleges other than the super-selective ones were much easier to get into. Most four-year-college-bound students went to the state universities anyway, and could reasonably tell if they would get admitted to one based on looking up their GPA and test scores on a chart (the flagship was more selective than the chart, but students understood having safeties among other less selective schools in the state university systems). Many more just went to community college (some to later transfer to the state universities). Costs were less of an issue back then due to being significantly lower (after adjusting for inflation). So the GC’s job advising college-bound students was probably not difficult compared to now.</p>
<p>On the other hand, information about various out of area and less well known schools is much more accessible than it was back then. If a student back then wanted to know if some little known far away school was suitable for his/her academic interests, s/he or the GC would have to order a printed course catalog or something and wait for it to be delivered, instead of just going to the school’s web site.</p>