The Road to College: Counselor's office is the first stop; go armed with questions
By: AGNES DIGGS - Staff Writer | ∞
When the time comes to talk to a counselor about forming a strategic plan for the immediate and long-term academic future, some advice to the wise ---- go prepared.
"It helps if they have at least started thinking about their future," said Vicki Montgomery, head counselor at Valley Center High School. "What are their plans beyond high school? If they have any idea what career they're interested in, that helps us plan."
Ditto and more, said Bonnie Laughlin of Carlsbad, director of college counseling at Francis Parker, a college preparatory school. Laughlin, also an independent consultant, teaches the ABCs of college counseling for the National College Board, Western region. She has a master's degree in college counseling and also teaches in the college counseling certificate program at UC San Diego.
"She's the guru on knowing what the colleges require for admission," said Jack Tierney of the San Diego County Office of Education.
Start with a list
Laughlin offered a wealth of advice for students and families whose goal is college.
"I always appreciated it when kids had their questions written out," she said. "That can open up communication. Give me a starting point, and we can go from there."
She suggests students start from the goal they wish to reach and map out the plan necessary to get there.
"Understand what needs to be done each year so when you get to your senior year, you'll be done," said Laughlin. "It's important to get off on the right foot, know your strengths and weaknesses.
"Make an advance plan for the next three years that you can revisit every year, before you sign up for classes the next year. (The plan) is always something we come back to, and it's always something very flexible. It's easier to tweak a plan than to create a plan at the last minute."
Don't be afraid to ask
Parents and young people should discuss and list questions they really want answered. During the meeting with the counselor, the student can take notes, then take the information home to discuss with parents, Laughlin said.
Other counselors note that while it's easy to tell students, "Ask questions," that advice is not so easy to implement.
"In the average class, students are reluctant to ask questions," said Joyce Suber, lead coordinator in the Advancement Via Individual Determination education program. Part of the problem, she said, is that they haven't been encouraged to ask questions.
"We're getting to the point where we give them everything," she said. "It handicaps them. They don't know how to problem-solve. For instance, calculators are good, but they (students) don't learn the process involved with finding the solution. In the process, they have to ask questions. They have to critically think about the answers."
Sometimes students don't know how to frame the question. Part of the problem is that they have to step outside their comfort level to get to the information they need.
"It's fears of whether the teacher will accept the questions," Suber said. "It's fears about what their peers will think, because students are more afraid of each other than anything."
How adults can help
Adults are crucial in helping motivate students to seek information and become more comfortable with question-and-answer exchanges, she said.
"Parents are in the forefront, the first teachers," she continued. "So they have to be part of that. If parents really want to know how their children are doing, they need to ask questions. Not just 'how was your day?' but what did they learn, what does it mean, how does it relate to what you learned last week. And if the child can explain it, that means they are learning the concept. If not, they know they have to go back and ask questions."
At Fallbrook High School, counselor Karen Ritchie and staffers in the career center begin an outreach program to students even before they hit the campus. It starts with making sure everyone knows about the four-year plan to meet graduation requirements and that everyone's on the right path to that goal.
"That would be a perfect world," Ritchie said. "And we don't live there. What we have is a lot of parents who don't know the importance of the four-year plans, and that creates barriers. When the child goes to high school, parents don't get to absolve themselves of responsibility. They have to make sure their kids are on track ---- to make sure the plan is being followed."
A typical question Ritchie gets is, "Are we doing what we're supposed to be doing?" The answer depends on what it is they want to do, she said. It's becoming more and more critical for parents and students to understand the importance of the four-year plan, Ritchie said, "because, with the competition for colleges and universities, we don't have a lot of time to backtrack and fix problems."
Her advice to kids and parents is to learn as soon as possible what resources are available.
"You can't wait for information to fall in your lap," she said. Parents should attend "school nights" so they can establish contact with teachers and school officials for the future. "It's just as important when the kids are in the 10th grade or 11th grade as it is when they are in the first grade or second grade," she said.
Bonnie Laughlin suggests that the optimum plan, especially for seniors, would be to have a short list of schools they are interested in and why. Then, she said, they should do some self-analysis. "Ask yourself what you like and don't like. What kind of learner am I? What sports, clubs, subjects, types of other kids do you like? All that becomes fodder for a counselor when they sit down to plan. All those things can help a counselor pinpoint colleges that are going to fit."
Colleges have personalities, she said, and it's important to find the right fit for the student. "One size does not fit all," she said. "Harvard is not for everybody."
Tutoring can help
Besides planning for college, students should make sure they have a plan to meet the demands of the school year.
"You have to be proactive, not reactive," Laughlin said. "If you know that math has not been your favorite subject, then you line up a tutor early on. You don't wait until the going gets tough, and then expect the tutor to do all the work to bail the student out. That will help with testing, too."
Students must not be afraid to ask for help early from teachers and parents.
"To raise your hand and say, 'I didn't understand a word you said' is embarrassing to a kid, and they try to just gut it out," Laughlin said. If they find themselves to be weak in math, for instance, they can mention to a parent that a teacher is a little tough this year and they want to get off on a good footing with tutoring. Better to start with a tutor and decide you don't need him than to be scrambling at the last minute, Laughlin said.
Students should make judicious use of a tutor's time, she said. "Don't wait for the tutor to teach you what the teacher did. Tell them what you covered and what you didn't understand. Try to do the homework and tell the tutor what you don't understand. Having the tutor do the work doesn't help a kid learn on his or her own and it also doesn't help them formulate questions."
Nine's the number
The ninth grade is a good place to start planning, Laughlin said. It marks the beginning of the cumulative grade average. The ninth grade is an adjustment between middle and high school, and colleges are aware of the fact. "Colleges are forgiving of a blip, but a blip should make you stronger," Laughlin said. "If you get a 'C,' you should be looking at how not to get a 'C' next time."
Choose classes carefully, she counsels. "Go in strong and come out stronger. If you start off strong, you lay a strong foundation, and it can stand a few cracks."
Another important element of the plan, particularly for freshmen, is to visit some of the local colleges. A smaller one like Point Loma Nazarene will give them an idea what a small campus feels like. San Diego State University has a medium-sized campus close to the city, with a more urban flavor. The University of California San Diego has the largest campus physically, though it has fewer students than San Diego State.
"You get a chance to see what each type of school is like without having to fly to the East Coast or visit 40 or 50 colleges," Laughlin said. "Students can decide whether they like the anonymity of a big school or the intimacy of a small one. That's a huge thing to understand. And I can't think of any better way to get a ninth-grader really motivated than to take them to a college campus and see what it's about. Chances are they'll work harder to get there."
Where the anxiety sets in is when the students wait too long to know what they want to do or what they need to do, Laughlin said.
"My last statement in almost every parent workshop is that it's not where you go to college, it's what you do at the college you go to. This should be a fun, learning discovery project, but if you wait until senior year, it's not. It's an anxiety-ridden process," she said.
"I just want kids to never feel they have reached a dead end on the road map. There may be detours or dips, and we may get stopped along the way, but we can always get where we want to be."
Try this exercise
Bonnie Laughlin of Carlsbad, director of college counseling at Francis Parker High School, suggests this exercise to start getting into the college mindset:
Quiz your teachers, coaches or parents. Ask questions such as, "Where did you graduate from college? Did you start there or at a two-year college?"
"It's important to get comfortable with asking questions of adults," Laughlin said.
Also, interview a professional person such as a doctor, veterinarian, lawyer, or even just a neighbor. Ask what they studied in college, what was their major, what did they do to reach where they are right now?
Checklist for you and your counselor
Every school year should begin with an appointment with the guidance counselor to check your course requirements. You don't want to reach senior year and find you have to make up a class.
When you meet, ask the counselor for:
Other tasks for you:
For advanced reading (or search Web for information on): "Bloom's Taxonomy of Knowledge," by Benjamin Bloom. Or "Levels of Questions" by Art Costa.
See the full "Road to College" package at www.nctimes.com: Click on "The Road to College."
Contact us at roadmap@nctimes.com.
Contact staff writer Agnes Diggs at (760) 740-3511 or adiggs@nctimes.com.
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