Roundtable Discussion: Establishing Graduate Courses in Admission Counseling

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Roundtable Discussion Establishing Graduate
Courses in Admission Counseling

• National Association for College Admission
  Counseling
• Legislative Conference
• March 10, 2008

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Presenters

• Robert Bardwell
• Monson High School, MA
• Art McCann
• Great Neck North Senior High School, NY
• Patrick OConnor
• Roeper School, MI

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Agenda

• Welcome Introductions
• Why teach a college admissions counseling course?
• Getting Started
• Course Content
• Resources
• State level advocacy

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Why College Admission Coursework and Resources
for School Counselors?

• an increase of between 4 and 11 percent more
  students moving on to four-year colleges and
  universities after high school
• a 4 percent increase of students moving on to
  four-year college education after high school
• a 4 decrease of students moving on to four-year
  college education
• a 6 percent decrease of students moving on to
  four-year college education

• Designating postsecondary education planning as
  the counseling departments top priority
• Spending 10 percent more time on postsecondary
  planning
• Each additional 10 of counselor time spent
  scheduling courses
• Each additional 10 percent of counselor time
  spent proctoring tests

Source NACAC, 2004
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Why Is College Admission Counseling Coursework
Needed?

• 43 of school counselors spend more than 20 of
  their time on post secondary education admissions
  selections
• 49 on course selection
• 33 on attendance, discipline and personal
  problems
• NCES High School Guidance Counseling, 2003

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Why Is College Admission Counseling Coursework
Needed? (continued)

• Our graduates are no longer meeting the needs of
  the schools
• Not getting interviews
• Not getting jobs
• New counselors are not assigned to juniors
  seniors needing college admission counseling
  services
• College counseling services have been outsourced
• Times have changed very complex process

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Why Is College Admission Counseling Coursework
Needed? (continued)

• 96 of school counselors felt that assisting
  students in the college search, application and
  selection process was very relevant
• Yet only 66 of respondents had received some
  sort of training during the past year
• 24 said they received graduate coursework in
  college admission, higher education and/or
  enrollment management
• NACAC, 2004

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Why Is College Admission Counseling Coursework
Needed? (continued)

• Students from low socioeconomic status relied on
  high school counselors as the single most
  consulted source of information about college
• Cabrera LaNasa, 2000

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Why Is College Admission Counseling Coursework
Needed? (continued)

• IT is COUNSELING!!!!
• It is related to ASCA Standards counselors help
  students in development of personal/
  social/career planning goals
• The process leads to counseling of other often
  embedded concerns

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Students perspective

• While I draw constantly from the knowledge I
  gained in all of my coursework, nothing stands
  out for me more, or is utilized more, than the
  class I took dealing with college counseling... I
  was able to hit the ground running the minute I
  walked in the door of my practicum and that was
  because of my strong knowledge base. I am more
  marketable because of that class... I feel that
  this class is an absolute necessity in any
  graduate school counselor curriculum.
• Springfield College student, July 2003

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Colleges offering graduate credit for courses
dealing with college counseling

• Boston University, Boston, MA
• Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH
• Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY
• Loyola College, Baltimore, MD
• Lewis Clark College, Portland, OR
• Lindenwood University, St. Charles, MO
• Long Island University, Brentwood, NY
• Long Island University, C.W. Post campus,
  Brookville, NY
• Long Island University, Rockland, NY
• Long Island University, West Point campus, NY
• Manhattan College, Riverdale, NY
• Mercy College, Dobbs Ferry, NY
• Portland State University, Portland, OR
• Southern Connecticut State University, New Haven,
  CT
• Springfield College, Springfield, MA
• St. Thomas University, Miami, FL
• University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY
• University of Hartford, Hartford, CT
• University of Maine, Orono, ME

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Getting Started

• Locate programs in your vicinity
• Do your homework
• Meet with the program director
• Resume and proposal preparation
• Offer experimental class

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Format Options

• Online
• Semester
• Fall vs. spring
• Summer
• Week long

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Sample Course Description

• This course provides systematic,
  developmentally-based training in counseling
  students for the postsecondary education process.
  Through lectures, discussions, presentations,
  cooperative learning activities and the use of
  technology, graduate students in school
  counseling and/or student personnel services will
  develop practical skills to help traditional and
  special student populations. Current trends in
  college admission and financial aid, as well as
  legal and ethical issues, will be addressed.

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Sample Course Outline

• 1. College Choice and Developmental Theory
• 2. Defining The Secondary School Counselors Role
  in the College Admission Process
• 3. Early Awareness and Academic Planningthe
  Middle School Years
• 4. Understanding Options in Higher Education
• 5. Admission Requirements for Colleges and
  Universities (Public and Private)
• 6. Basics of College Admission Testing
• 7. The Student Essay
• 8. Writing Effective Letters of Recommendation
• 9. Using Technology in Counseling for College
• 10. Need-Based Financial Aid and Merit-based
  Scholarships
• 11. Working with Diverse Populations
• 12. Counseling Students With Learning Differences
• 13. The Student Athlete, the School Counselor,
  and the NCAA
• 14. Legal and Ethical Issues in College Admission
• 15. Helping Students (and Parents) Through the
  Transition
• 16. Resources and Professional Organizations

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Resources

• People
• Websites
• Print
• Professional organizations

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Fundamentals ofCollege Admission Counseling

• NACAC publication
• 2008 edition coming in April
• New chapters
• Written by practitioners and
• counselor educators

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Advocating at the State Level

• It is best to work with other counseling groups
  and grad school directors
• Support from the state level can be beneficial
• New rulemaking and legislation can be time
  consuming
• Legislative influence can be effective.

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For More Information..

• Bob Bardwell
• bardwellr_at_monsonschools.com
• Art McCann
• amccann_at_greatneck.k12.ny.us
• Patrick OConnor
• patrick.oconnor_at_roeper.org