No matter what country a student is from, what language she speaks, what school she has attended, or how supportive her parents are, there is one thing that every applicant to American colleges can agree on: the process is demanding, confusing, and uncertain.
Almost no one gets through the process without help. The premise of the Overseas Association for College Admissions Counseling, and its sister organizations under the NACAC banner, is that high-quality counseling is essential, for the good of students, families, and colleges alike. As the process has gotten more competitive and increasing numbers of international students have ventured overseas, the question frequently has become, "help from whom?"
We tried to answer that question in our session, “Why Can’t We Be Friends? A Discussion on Utilizing the Collective Power of Admissions Counselors, School Counselors and Independents in the International Setting” at last week’s OACAC conference in Tampa, Florida.
We don't have the exact numbers, but it's safe to say that membership of independent college counselors (ICC's, for short) has expanded dramatically in the past few years, as has their attendance at the OACAC conference. The proliferation of independent counselors (or consultants, as some call themselves), has prompted both celebration and criticism. Often, the criticism has come from school counselors, who may be concerned that ICC's will interfere with their counseling program and, potentially, offer counterproductive guidance.
As we told the audience, our panelists—Katy So (College Ave., based in Atlanta), Kristin Dreazen (EdVice, London), and Josh Russo (Top Scholars, Bangkok)—are not the "experts" on this topic. Every counselor and school has their own approaches to this relationship. Our goal was to present a few perspectives.
We felt that the time had come to discuss this issue and, ideally, to discern how ICC's and school counselors can coexist and, sometimes, even collaborate for the good of their students. As expected, our session did not arrive at any definitive conclusions, and we are pleased to have spurred further conversation.
Prior to the session we sent a survey to ICC's, school counselors, and college representatives. We received 111, 20, and 35 responses, respectively. Some highlights of the data points with selected quotations are listed below. For a copy of our slideshow, please click here.
We welcome comments, questions, and participation in next year’s iteration of this session!
- Katy, Kristin, Josh, & Josh
Survey Responses
OACAC Membership
Since 2012, individual ICC membership in OACAC has increased from 110 to 194. Companies providing counseling services have increased from 39 to 79.
ICCs’ Clientele
Just over 50 percent of ICC's said that their clients usually have support from their high schools. 43 percent said that most of their clients do not have support from their high schools.
ICCs’ Background
24 percent of respondents previously worked in university admissions
50 percent of respondents previously worked in secondary school counseling
Communication between ICC's, School Counselors, and Colleges
- 79 percent of ICC's have communicated with school counselor
- 93 percent of these describe collaborations as mostly positive
- 83 percent have found SSCs to be open to communicating
- Of those who have not communicated with an SSC, 81 percent would like the opportunity to do so
- 72 percent of school counselors are willing to communicate with ICC
- 55 percent have communicated with IEC
- 73 percent describe these communications as positive
- 100 percent of university representatives who responded (30) said that they would be willing to field a phone call from an ICC
School Counselors on ICC's
“Independent counselors can be wonderful but they are best utilized by students who do not have strong counseling programs in their own schools.”
“I have lots of friends who are independents and I would totally trust my students with them...”
“Time spent with an independent counselor is time that could have been spent with their college counselor.”
“There are many areas of specialised knowledge which a generalist counselor cannot cover. Making use of independent counselors can provide the best outcomes for students, which is surely the number one factor in all our work.”
“...It is the unknown counselor, however, that I would be leery of.”
“Outside counselors have given ambitious advice that leaves the family seeking my help in damage control come April.”
“Communication is the key to a good relationship. That way, we don't confuse the student by sending different messages.”
College Admissions Officers on ICC's
“A counselor could have unique experiences with that applicant that provide context to an application.”
“On one end they can be very overbearing and unreasonable and on the other they offer great insight into the student and do not make demands about the student's admission decision.”
“Our office is often making decisions regarding independent counselors depending upon the region in which he/she is located.”
“Students applying from independent counselors often have a good idea of schools that are the best fit for them and their applications arrive tidy and ready to read, what is there not to like about that?”
“We expect [ICC’s] to be affiliated with one of the national or international groups.”
ICC’s in Their Own Words
“For reasons of transparency, collegiality, and student benefit, I generally reach out to school counselors as part of my general practice. If the student prefers complete confidentiality, however, I do respect the wishes of the student/family.”
“When there is no 'school counselor' then we take on the role. When there is a counselor, independents can support their work and give students much more individual attention.”
“We are not constrained by the objectives/internal politics of the secondary school.”
“I often use the analogy of teacher vs tutor. As IEC's, we serve the role of individualized tutor for students who need the personal attention.”
“In my opinion, as a consultant, I am dismissed almost immediately and unethical practices are assumed. I am simply trying to do what is best for the students, just like a college counselor.”
“It has been a shock to have been highly respected as a school counselor, but viewed with suspicion as an independent counselor. I have not changed, though some of my role has.”
