<p>It’s not a matter of bashing guidance counselors. However, if they are holding themselves out as being well-informed about the maze which is the college application process, then they should BE informed. If they can not possibly manage that part of their job, they should refer the students to outside sources, whether it be a paid counselor or this forum. I would not attempt to give legal advice on a subject I knew nothing about, so neither should a counselor tell a kid Harvard is attainable if he or she is not up to speed on the current selectivity of many colleges. In summary, they don’t have to know everything, but they need to recognize what their shortcomings are so that kids are not penalized.</p>
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<p>Sorry, since this is a forum that relates to the transition from high school to college, we DO have the right to discuss the inefficient links in the system. One problem is that the typical high school is committing to have the resources (they have) and deliver a competitive product (they don’t) in exchange of parents abdicating their rights to control their kids’ education. </p>
<p>Offering a litany of activities GC do is still nothing more than a lame excuse. If they are unable to deliver the “goods” the right thing to do would be to admit this and WARN parents that the school input will be minimal and probably a lot less valuable than advertised. Parents should count on the GC’s input into the schedule and should be prepared before high school. Parents should be ready to check and double check everything that passes through the hand of the GCs, and this includes transcripts and records.</p>
<p>My point has always been simple on this: parents need to kiss the GC’s a$$ in order to ensure that the asinine LOR will be available and that the forms won’t disappear in the office shuffle. </p>
<p>Readers of CC should be warned of the pitfalls of trusting a system that had different priorities. The sad reality is that the GC (even if well-meaning) perform as well as the public high schools in general, and this means that incompetence, mismanagement, and mediocrity are rampant. </p>
<p>Within the context of college admissions, I could not care less if the GC is an arm-chair psychologist or a glorified parole officer. People placed in the position to DISPENSE advice should have their pulse on the marketplace of 2008, and not 1998’s. Running of out time is NOT an acceptable excuse, considering the work hours that average a fraction of most taxpayers. Adding 30 days to the current 180 days of the typical school would still represent a LOT less than any other jobs. </p>
<p>It’s easy to be overwhelmed when trying to fit in what SHOULD BE a 50 weeks/40 hours full schedule in short days and short years. When one goes to a doctor, one can expect to be cured without having to be concerned about the doctor’s golf schedule, extended vacations, or need to keep abreast of new drugs.</p>
<p>Well said, MOWC. Students BELIEVE that their counselors know the college admissions process, and that belief is a reasonable one. If counselors do not undertand the process, whether it’s because they’re incompetent or because they’re overtaxed, they at least need to let students know the limitations of their knowledge, and perhaps send them to websites like this one or IPEDS College Navigator to do their own research.</p>
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<p>The best high schools in Texas are known for NOT ranking their students. Such students are excluded from the top 10% pool and have to participate in the selection process with the non-automatic top 10% and the out-of-state students. </p>
<p>As a rule of thumb, UT loves to offer the non-ranked student a place in its summer program. </p>
<p>As far as students coming from districts that are hardly comparable in performance, the 10% rule was created to increase the number of students from areas that did not consider UT as a great choice. Fortunately for the army of vocal suburban parents, few students from lower performing districts utilize their “free pass” as they prefer (or have) to stay closer to home. </p>
<p>If all students with a “free pass” were to exercise their right, the system would collapse overnight.</p>