How to Get Started in College Counseling

Answered

Hello! I'd be happy to give you some advice.

The first step in starting a career in college admissions is to get accepted to a reputable college yourself. Now, the career tracks for independent college counselors and university admissions counselors are quite different, so this is where the commonalities end. I'll go through my advice about becoming an independent college counselor, or IEC (independent educational consultant) first.

Clients typically only hire IECs when they have ambitious plans for college applications, e.g. they want to get accepted to the most competitive schools. As a result, IECs really need to have gone to a Top 25ish school or better to be successful. Their degree gives them most of the credibility they need to attract clients, since if they could gain admission to a top school, they must know how to replicate their success.

After gaining acceptance to a selective school, you can get started as an IEC by helping others with the applications process for free. Advise friends, family, and underserved high school students on every part of the process, especially the essays.

Once you gain some introductory experience this way, start networking! There are not many job openings for college counselors at companies, but you'll find that it's easier than you'd expect to create your own opportunities. Meet people at any professional gathering, and someone is bound to have a brother, grandchild, or friend in need of admissions help. Parents, rather than students, are the real customer for IECs, so try reaching them with your networking as well as promotional materials.

IECs typically work independently as entrepreneurs, so you should form a company ideally before you get your first clients.

The career path for university admissions counselors (ACs) is quite different. ACs are not hired based on the prestige of their alma mater, but rather their reading/writing competencies, their people skills, and ability to judge applicants holistically. The best way to get started in this track is to work as a student ambassador/tour guide or another role connected to the admissions office. Any major can benefit an AC - for example, Math majors can review STEM applications. From there, promotions are based on experience and performance like any other office job.

One thing to note is that while ACs cannot be IECs due to ethical concerns, retired ACs from top schools have the credibility to do well as consultants, even if their original alma mater was not a name brand school.

I hope this is helpful! If you would like any career coaching for admissions-related careers, feel free to schedule a consultation with me to discuss things further!