The First 50 Days

The first 50 days of senior year will fly by not only for students and parents, but also for their college counselors.  While students work on their essays, applications, and visit colleges, the counselors are busy scheduling college visits and writing recommendations.  Many students and parents don't realize the time and effort put forth by college counselors during this time of the year.  Although I have a small senior class, I still write a two-page recommendation for each student. I can only imagine the time crunch the larger schools feel!

To add to our pressure, many universities have bumped their deadlines up.  As a Maryland school, many students will be applying to the University of MD, College Park. Our outstanding state flagship university has pushed their proioirty deadline to November 1.  While this forces students to submit both parts of their applications earlier than previous years, it also requires the counselors to complete the student recommendations a month earlier than previous years.  While I recognize the reasoning UMD admissions professionals used for pushing this deadline forward, it doesn't make me any less stressed.  College counselors take the recommendations very seriously. We put a lot of time and thought into accurately portraying our students and advocating for them.  While working on recommendations, the counselors are also balancing other duties and helping students complete applications.

Here are some tips that will help relieve some of your counselor's stress during the first 50 days of the school year:
Students...
- Adhere to deadlines.  If we have to rush to get your recommendation and transcripts ready by an early date, you should be on top of that deadline too. It's YOUR future.
- Communicate.  Talk to your counselor about your likes, dislikes, passions, interests, life struggles, etc. Sharing this information will help us write a better recommendation that shows various aspects of your life.
- Say thank you.  It means a lot to us. 

Parents...
- Be aware of your child's deadlines. Although your child should advocate for himself, you can serve as a steady reminder.
- Be patient with the counselor. He/she is balancing a lot early in the year. 
- Trust us.  We will advocate for your child and work very hard to help your child reach his/her college admissions goals.

49 days to go!