This study investigated the influence of high school counselors on students' perceptions of their college preparedness. Data were collected from 248 freshmen and sophomore college students enrolled at the University at Buffalo. Participants were administered an 18-item questionnaire containing items that addressed demographic and academic background variables as well as those regarding students' discussions about college preparation with their parents, teachers, and school counselors. Results indicated that discussions with counselors did not significantly predict students' feelings of college preparedness, above and beyond discussions with parents and teachers. There was a significant difference found in the frequency of meetings with counselors between students of differing socio-economic statuses. On average, low SES students met significantly more frequently with their school counselors to discuss college preparation compared to high SES students. Implications of findings and suggestions for future research are discussed.
“The College Solution helps readers look beyond over-hyped admission rankings to discover schools that offer a quality education at affordable prices. Taking the guesswork out of saving and finding money for college, this is a practical and insightful must-have guide for every parent!” —Jaye J. Fenderson, Seventeen’s College Columnist and Author, Seventeen’s Guide to Getting into College “This book is a must read in an era of rising tuition and falling admission rates. O’Shaughnessy offers good advice with blessed clarity and brevity.” —Jay Mathews, Washington Post Education Writer and Columnist “I would recommend any parent of a college-bound student read The College Solution.” —Kal Chany, Author, The Princeton Review’s Paying for College Without Going Broke “The College Solution goes beyond other guidebooks in providing an abundance of information about how to afford college, in addition to how to approach the selection process by putting the student first.” —Martha “Marty” O’Connell, Executive Director, Colleges That Change Lives “Lynn O’Shaughnessy always focuses on what’s in the consumer’s best interest, telling families how to save money and avoid making costly mistakes.” —Mark Kantrowitz, Publisher, FinAid.org and Author, FastWeb College Gold “An antidote to the hype and hysteria about getting in and paying for college! O’Shaughnessy has produced an excellent overview that demystifies the college planning process for students and families.” —Barmak Nassirian, American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers For millions of families, the college planning experience has become extremely stressful. And, unless your child is an elite student in the academic top 1%, most books on the subject won’t help you. Now, however, there’s a college guide for everyone. In The College Solution, top personal finance journalist Lynn O’Shaughnessy presents an easy-to-use roadmap to finding the right college program (not just the most hyped) and dramatically reducing the cost of college, too. Forget the rankings! Discover what really matters: the quality and value of the programs your child wants and deserves. O’Shaughnessy uncovers “industry secrets” on how colleges actually parcel out financial aid—and how even “average” students can maximize their share. Learn how to send your kids to expensive private schools for virtually the cost of an in-state public college...and how promising students can pay significantly less than the “sticker price” even at the best state universities. No other book offers this much practical guidance on choosing a college...and no other book will save you as much money! • Secrets your school’s guidance counselor doesn’t know yet The surprising ways colleges have changed how they do business • Get every dime of financial aid that’s out there for you Be a “fly on the wall” inside the college financial aid office • U.S. News & World Report: clueless about your child Beyond one-size-fits-all rankings: finding the right program for your teenager • The best bargains in higher education Overlooked academic choices that just might be perfect for you
Community colleges spend little time gathering data on how they are perceived by the various publics they serve. Such feedback is vital to making marketing decisions concerning college programs and services. Community colleges need to know more about their constituencies to not only make better marketing decisions but also improve and strengthen image. One of these constituencies is the high school guidance counselor. Considered one of the "top influencers" of high school students who are navigating the college choice process, high school guidance counselors are in a position to impact, favorably or unfavorably, community college image and enrollment (Stamats, 2004). The purpose of this study was to explore and describe high school guidance counselors' perceptions of community colleges in a Mid-Atlantic state and examine characteristics that were likely to influence the perceptions. Perception theory guided the investigation in an effort to understand counselors' perceptions and predict their advisement practices. For example, studying counselors' perceptions of community colleges as well as factors related to the perceptions may help to determine what is communicated to high school students concerning postsecondary options. A quantitative research design was used for this study. A 51-item questionnaire was mailed to 636 high school guidance counselors and 255 surveys were completed and returned, representing a 40% response rate. A combination of descriptive and inferential statistics along with content analysis for two open-ended questions was used to analyze and interpret data. High school guidance counselors held 10 major perceptions of community colleges, and seven institutional and personal characteristics were likely to influence these perceptions. During content analysis, counselors' perceptions emerged into five themes---image and reputation, gateway to higher education, partnerships and transitions, student preparation, and affordability. Community colleges can use these findings to not only make better decisions concerning marketing and recruitment practices but also to strengthen relationships and communication with high schools. -- Abstract.
The recent growth of the internet has altered the way people obtain information on various topics. This dissertation sought to better understand how high school students from varying backgrounds perceive the usefulness of this new form of information gathering relative to other college search resources throughout the college selection process. The literature review presents many classical models of the college selection process followed by an analysis of literature on college search resources, the Millennial Generation, and the growth of the internet as a college search resource. To better understand how the college selection process may be changing, I created and administered a survey to approximately 1700 Western New York high school students. The data analysis included MANCOVA tests to determine how students' perceptions of different college search resources varied according to their racial background, parents' educational backgrounds, academic ability, academic aspiration, and geographic focus of their college searches. The data from this study revealed that academic ability, academic aspiration, and parental education had no effect on how students rated the usefulness of any college selection resources during the search and choice phases of the college selection process. Small differences did exist in how students' racial background and geographic focus of their college searches affected their usefulness ratings of the college search resources. However, further analysis revealed that these differences accounted for small amounts of the total variation of students' ratings. Additional t-tests were run to determine, regardless of the between-subjects factors, which college search resources were perceived to be the most helpful. During the search stage, students rated college/university websites as most useful. During the choice phase, students perceived campus tours to be the most useful search resource. Results indicate that the web may be playing a greater role in the student college compared to the findings of previous studies.
Higher education is not equally accessible for low-income students, first-generation students, and students of color, nor are these students equally prepared for post-secondary success. Although much has been gained from substantial research identifying factors that predict college access and retention for underrepresented students, the role of the high school counselor, which has been identified as critical for college planning among urban students, has been conspicuously absent. Based on the role of school counselors in providing influence on underrepresented students' postsecondary planning, this study examined the experiences of urban high school counselors. Two rounds of semi-structured interviews were conducted to gather qualitative data on counselors' perceptions of their ability to influence college access and retention of their students. Participants consisted of eleven urban high school counselors who have had experience college planning with low-income, first-generation, and students of color. The interviews were transcribed, coded, and analyzed using HyperResearch software. The results of this study were examined within the context of social capital theory and its role in understanding how the transmission of capital is critical for educational attainment. Five major themes surfaced in relation to counselors' experiences: counselor under-preparedness, urban school settings, complex college planning process, accountability, and vocational commitment. The findings reveal that urban high school counselors believe they have the ability to influence college access and retention among their students; however, informal and formal policies and a lack of preparation for their work constrain their ability to exert this influence. Despite these challenges, urban counselors remain committed to their work and thus continue to transmit social capital through their relationships with students. These findings suggest that policy efforts should be geared towards increasing urban high school counselors' capacity to build quality relationships with their students in effort to improve their ability to promote the educational attainment of their students.
Based on interviews with students, parents, and counselors as well as case studies of the college guidance environments of a working-class public school, an upper-middle-class public school, a private preparatory school, and a Catholic school, McDonough examines the everyday experiences of high school seniors as they choose their colleges. The author shows that college choice is a more complex social and organizational reality than has been previously understood and shows how families and schools mutually influence individual student outcomes and our higher education opportunity structure. After half a century of increasing federal, state, and private investments in higher education, phenomenal growth in the number of colleges, and enrollments of almost fifteen million students, Choosing Colleges asks why it is that there are vast differentials in college access. McDonough addresses access and equity issues by documenting how student college-choice decision making is influenced by colleges, high schools, parents, friends, and the media.
Examines the everyday experiences of high school seniors as they choose their colleges and demonstrates that college choice is a more complex social and organizational reality than has been previously understood.
