Many parents are frustrated that they can’t get face time with the college counselor at their teenager’s high school.
All too often families can’t meet with a counselor until the spring of their child’s junior year. By then overworked counselors are finished with their latest batch of seniors and they are ready to devote their attention to the juniors.
What few parents dwell on, however, is the quality of the advice they receive. I wrote a post at my other college blog at CBSMoneyWatch.com that examines whether the financial aid advice that counselors are dispensing is any good. Here’s my conclusion: many high school counselors are sadly lacking in this department.
What can families do? If you keep reading my college posts you can learn a lot for free. For those who want to hire an independent college counselor, you’ll find suggestions at one of my other posts.
Lynn O’Shaughnessy is the author of The College Solution.