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What are you going to study in college?</a> What do you want to be when you grow up? These are the types of questions that you want to be able to answer before graduating from high school. Thankfully, your high school counselor can help you answer them.</p>
<p>Guidance offices and high schools might help students answer these questions by:</p>
<ul>
<li>Administering career and/or aptitude assessments</li>
<li>Requiring students to shadow a professional as part of a graduation project</li>
<li>Reviewing the student’s strengths and talking through potential career paths</li>
<li>Pushing students to take more advanced classes in the subject areas they’re interested in</li>
<li>Encouraging students to participate in <a href=https://plexuss.com/n/"https://plexuss.com/news/article/what-is-dual-enrollment">dual enrollment</a> or take classes at a technical school</li>
<li>Hosting a career fair at the high school</li>
<li>Requesting that teachers incorporate career information into the curriculum</li>
</ul>
<h3>Finding a College</h3>
<p>Think of your guidance counselor’s office as a library of college promotional materials. College admissions counselors send pamphlets, course guides, application materials, and more directly to high school guidance counselors. If you want information about a college, your guidance counselor’s office is a good place to look.</p>
<p>Don’t have any idea where you want to go? Your guidance counselor can help you with that too. For example, if you’re caught up on factors like <a href=https://plexuss.com/n/"https://plexuss.com/news/article/urban-vs-suburban-vs-rural-college-campuses">urban vs rural</a> or <a href=https://plexuss.com/n/"https://plexuss.com/news/article/reasons-consider-religious-christian-colleges">secular vs. religious</a> or <a href=https://plexuss.com/n/"https://plexuss.com/news/article/in-state-vs-out-of-state-colleges-how-do-i-choose">in-state vs. out-of-state</a>, your guidance counselor can walk you through it all. Unsure if your SAT scores are good enough? They can recommend study resources or <a href=https://plexuss.com/n/"https://plexuss.com/news/article/test-flexible-and-test-optional-colleges-and-universities">test-optional colleges</a>.</p>
<p>If you need help getting in contact with a college or finding a <a href=https://plexuss.com/n/"https://plexuss.com/news/article/high-school-college-fairs">college fair</a>, they can help you with that too. In fact, many high school guidance offices host college admissions representatives throughout the year. Students can get out of class to visit with the college representative in the guidance office, ask questions, and learn more about the school.</p>
<h3>Applying to College</h3>
<p>Narrowing down your college list is only part of the process. Next comes the application phase. Whether you need help choosing references, securing financial assistance for application fees, or creating an application timeline, your guidance counselor has you covered.</p>
<p><strong>Essay</strong>: At some schools, guidance offices host CommonApp seminars or college essay seminars. It might seem like an English teacher would be better equipped to review your <a href=https://plexuss.com/n/"https://plexuss.com/college-essays">admissions essay</a>, but it’s not necessarily the case. Guidance counselors understand the college admissions process. They know what colleges are looking for and can make sure that you cover the correct content.</p>
<p><strong>Recommendation Letter</strong>: Most colleges request a recommendation letter from your high school guidance counselor. The more time you spend in the guidance office, the more personalized your recommendation letter will be. Colleges truly care about this letter too. Approximately <a href=https://plexuss.com/n/"https://www.nacacnet.org/globalassets/documents/publications/research/2018_soca/soca18_ch3.pdf">57% of colleges assign moderate to considerable importance to your counselor recommendation letter.</p>
<p><strong>Extracurriculars</strong>: How does your <a href=https://plexuss.com/n/"https://plexuss.com/news/article/writing-about-high-school-accomplishments">high school resume look</a>? If it’s looking thin, your guidance counselor can recommend ways to improve it. They might connect you with local summer internship or job opportunities, high school leadership events, dual enrollment programs, or volunteer opportunities.</p>
<h3>Paying for College</h3>
<p>Along with helping you find and apply to colleges, high school guidance counselors can also help you navigate college financing. </p>
<p><strong>FAFSA</strong>: If you want a shot at any federal financial aid or need-based scholarships, you must <a href=https://plexuss.com/n/"https://plexuss.com/news/article/filing-the-fafsa-everything-you-need-to-know">file your FAFSA</a>. The whole process can seem a little daunting, especially if you’re the first in your family to attend college. Guidance counselors are a great resource if you have questions about the FAFSA. Many guidance offices even host college finance nights that educate parents about the FAFSA.</p>
<p><strong>Scholarships</strong>: When it comes to paying for college, free money is the best money to use. The <a href=https://plexuss.com/n/"https://plexuss.com/apply-for-scholarships">Plexuss scholarship search tool</a> can help you find lots of relevant scholarships, but not all scholarships can be found online. Most high school guidance offices organize a scholarship program each year, where local businesses and community groups award scholarships to the graduating class. Your guidance counselor can give you a list of these local scholarships. They can also help you find additional scholarships and review your scholarship materials. </p>
<p><strong>Financial literacy</strong>: Do you know what return on investment (ROI) means? Or the <a href=https://plexuss.com/n/"https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/types/loans/subsidized-unsubsidized">difference between a subsidized and unsubsidized loan</a>? How about where to go if you need a loan? If you don’t, don’t worry. Your guidance counselor can help you become financially literate. They might suggest that you take a personal finance course, attend a seminar, or check out some books on the topic.</p>
<h3>Next Steps: Schedule an Appointment</h3>
<p>It’s never too early or too late to schedule an appointment with your high school counselor. Not matter where you are on your college search, they can help.</p>
<p>To recap, your counselor can help you:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href=https://plexuss.com/n/"https://plexuss.com/news/article/how-to-choose-you-college-major">Choose a major</a> and potential career</li>
<li>Find and choose a college</li>
<li>Apply to college</li>
<li>Write your college essay</li>
<li>Improve your high school resume</li>
<li>Apply for the FAFSA</li>
<li>Become financially literate</li>
<li><a href=https://plexuss.com/n/"https://plexuss.com/news/article/where-to-find-college-scholarships-for-high-school-students">Find and apply for scholarships</a></li>
</ul></div>"/>
