5 Questions for Your High School Guidance Counselor

When it comes to your future, you have big dreams — but getting into the right university is half the battle.

Your high school guidance counselor can play a fundamental role in helping you land a slot in the college of your dreams. They have a wealth of experience when it comes to college preparation, academic testing and the college admissions process. They’re also more than willing to help you find tons of academic opportunities.

If you haven’t done so already, it’s time to schedule an appointment to speak to your high school guidance counselor. First, however, you need to know what questions you should be asking. Here are some suggestions:

1. What can I do right now to improve my chances of getting into the best colleges?

This answer may vary (a lot) depending on what stage you are in on your high school journey. Your guidance counselor can help you plan your schedule, decide which advanced placement classes you should take and help you find electives and outside activities that will ultimately enhance your transcript and better prepare you for college.

It’s really a good idea to schedule regular check-ins with your guidance counselor (at least yearly) so that you can go over your courses and credits and discuss the next phase of your college prep process.

2. What schools do you think would be the best fit for me and my goals?

As we’ve discussed previously, there are a lot of great schools out there — and they differ dramatically in location, size, diversity and the opportunities they hold. Every college application is stressful and time-consuming to complete, so you really want to hone in on the schools that fit your personality and needs the most before you start applying.

Your guidance counselor can talk to you about your interests, hobbies, career goals and your personal preferences (like whether you’d feel more comfortable in a small college or a large university). Then, they can start offering specific suggestions for you to explore. (They may also be willing to give you their unvarnished take on the reputation and worth of each school you’re considering, and that’s not something you’re likely to get from a brochure.)

3. What is my transcript and application package missing?

The closer you are to graduation, the more you should be asking this question — but it really doesn’t hurt to start in your freshman year of high school. Sure, you may have excellent marks in your classes, but you may not have the right extracurriculars to make you a well-rounded candidate for admission to the top schools.

Your high school advisor’s job involves keeping in touch with exactly what admissions boards are looking for in a student’s transcripts, tests and recommendations. They can even help you better understand what schools want in a personal essay.

4. What scholarships, grants and other financial aid packages are out there for me?

High school guidance counselors are also excellent at guiding students to scholarship opportunities and helping them look for grants.

They may even be able to advise you about which schools tend to be the most generous with their financial aid money and which ones will be particularly accommodating for a student with your aptitude, skill set, challenges or background.

5. Will you give me a recommendation letter when I apply to college?

Finally, your high school guidance counselor can be a great source for a recommendation letter when you’re actually applying to schools.

This is particularly true when you’ve been working with them for several years toward your goal. After all, if they’ve been an intimate part of your journey, who better to vouch for your character, work ethic and talents?

Working with a college admissions counseling firm can give you unprecedented access to one-on-one counseling and admissions assistance, but that doesn’t mean you want to overlook the other valuable resources that you already have.