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Okay, so you think your guidance counselor's only job is to write college recommendations and help you select next year's classes? Think again. Here's what some guidance counselors are doing to go above and beyond your college prep process...

Wealth of Knowledge
"Oftentimes students don't realize the information counselors have access to, such as what certain schools look for in an applicant, and how well they know the high school the student is from," notes Anthony Accavallo, guidance counselor at Vernon Township High School (Vernon, NJ). Typically, colleges and universities have key admissions contacts who cover certain territories in the country and get to know the schools inside out, such as honors programs. As such, some counselors get the inside scoop on the type of student the school is looking for. For example, a student who gets B's in honors classes may be looked upon more favorably than a student who takes less demanding classes to get easy A's. Plus, guidance counselors have extensive knowledge on previous years of acceptances and rejections of students with grades and SAT scores similar to yours.

For instance, if you're considering applying early decision, Bruce G. Hammond, co-author of The Fiske College Deadline Planner, notes, "Go to your guidance counselor and find out the number of students who applied early last year to the school you're interested in. Find out if they got in, and ask about their SAT and ACT scores and GPAs." Hammond, also a college counselor and teacher at Sandia Preparatory School (Albuquerque, NM), strongly advises both students and parents to become actively engaged in the college prep process.

So how can you tap into your counselor's resources? Start by talking to your counselor often so he or she can learn about your strengths and interests. Pat McMillan, counselor at Central Junior High (Springdale, AR) and former president of the Arkansas School Counselor Association, mentions even with their junior high students, counselors maintain folders of their academic performance and extracurricular activities. "By the time the student is in high school, the high school counselor can establish a relationship with his/her students and look at the students' history and help determine their courseload and the types of schools to target." So if your junior high never did this, McMillan notes, "It's not too late to build the important relationship with your high school guidance counselor and look back to freshman year at the courses and extracurricular activities you've really enjoyed."

Been there, done that
Meghan Hargrave, a first-year student at Lafayette College (Easton, PA) agrees that a good guidance counselor should get to know your strengths, and go above and beyond in the primary thing they're trained to do -- counsel you.

Last year, when Meghan was a senior at the Academy of Holy Angels (Demarest, NJ), she says her counselor, Susan Jacques, went out of her way to make the college admissions process less stressful for her. "Mrs. Jacques made me feel as though I was the only student she was working with," she says. "Every day in school, she would make an effort to find me and ask how everything was going and if she could be of any help. She built my confidence, which inspired me to work hard on every single component of my application. She also convinced me that I was good enough to apply to top-notch schools." Not only that, Meghan's counselor went to her basketball games and cross country meets, always making sure she spoke with her parents. (Now that's going the extra mile!)

To build a similar relationship with your counselor, Meghan suggests introducing yourself as soon as you can, and stopping by his or her office at least once a week. This way, your counselor will know you are serious and ready to work.

Another Holy Angels alum, Christina Zisa, now a first-year student at New York University (New York, NY) couldn't agree with Meghan more. "I knew my counselor well, and she helped me a lot throughout high school, so it made it much easier for her to write a [recommendation] letter that was personalized. It's a good idea for students to know their guidance counselor. Their recommendation probably carries the most weight with the colleges."

Reality bites (well, only sometimes...)
Sometimes even when you don't want to know the truth, it really helps to know what your college chances are. Megan Moran, first-year student at Marist College (Poughkeepsie, NY) says, "Strive to apply to different schools to have enough safeties and enough reach schools. You may need to flat-out ask your counselor if you think you have a shot at your reach schools, otherwise you won't be applying to enough schools you can actually get into."

Megan also suggests asking to change guidance counselors if you're not happy with yours, which one of her friends at a different high school did. Also, she warns, be wary of deadlines. If a school requires a transcript to be sent by your guidance office, stay on top of it and follow up with your counselor to ensure it's sent on time.

Mr. Accavello adds another angle to the dose of reality. "Students and parents also need to know the facts regarding financial aid, and that's one aspect a counselor can definitely help out with. If you know you can't afford a certain school and the school is not generous with its aid packages, you should not consider applying there."

Just do it!
All in all, the key to getting the most out of your guidance counselor is similar to conducting a successful college search. Do your homework, ask questions, meet with your guidance counselor often, and let him or her get to know you personally. If anything, it'll only help ease the app process. According to happy, well-adjusted first-year students, like Megan Moran, "It's definitely worth it in the end!"

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