College Success Bulletin Thanksgiving Special Report

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College Success Bulletin Thanksgiving Special Report

Dear Subscriber -

I realize that this piece may offend, but it’s important
information and I don’t care if I get flack from the thin-
skinned.

But to be clear, I am NOT the one saying guidance
counselors suck.

THEY are.

The College Board recently conducted a national
survey of high school counselors.  They graded
themselves in several areas.

One question asked “How successful is a school
in connecting college and career choices to
academic preparation?”

Guess what percent of guidance counselors thought
schools are successful here?

30%.  (Not a misprint.)

What about “Connecting students to resources to
pay for college?”

24%.

“Promoting an early understanding of the application
and admissions process?”

31%.

“Providing information on how to afford going to
college?”

36%.

I could go on but even I have limits.

Look, 70% is a C-Minus.  30% is atrocious.  So
counselors have flunked themselves in these
important areas.

Of course there are exceptions. I’m the first to
admit that I know a handful of smart, dedicated
high school counselors who do a great job.

But you should pay heed to how counselors perceive
themselves.

One reason they cannot do as good a job as they’d
like is because of severe budgetary constraints.

Time constraints are a factor too.  Frequently, counselors
are responsible for hundreds of students each.

They’re dealing with pregnancies, drug use, class
cutting and other “lowest common denominator”
issues.

They certainly cannot be asked to master the 1,100-
odd pages of regulations behind the FAFSA (the EASY
financial aid form).

If you’re concerned that your student is not getting
the best advice, I have help for you. It’s a
brief video called “The 10 College Commandments”
that outlines the most important admissions and
scholarship information you should be aware
of. 80% of this material is not covered in my
typical college finance workshop.

And for now, it’s 100% f.ree as my way of saying
“Thanks” for being part of my subscriber list.
It is the month to give thanks, after all.

Here’s the link:

www.10CollegeCommandments.com

Happy Thanksgiving, Pilgrim!

- Andy Lockwood

P.S. Don’t be a Jive Turkey – forward this info
to a friend who’s stressed about the college
admissions and finance process.  They’ll
thank YOU!

P.P.S. Re: the “Pilgrim” comment – I realize it’s
historically inaccurate – the first Thanksgiving
was celebrated by Puritans, not Pilgrims.  But
John Wayne never called anyone “Puritan” to the
best of my knowledge.

Andrew Lockwood
Lockwood College Consulting, Inc.
497 South Oyster Bay Road
Plainview, New York 11803