How to Design and Run an Effective College Counseling Department
An Online Course for Counselors and Educators — Led by Mr. Sanjay Mitchell, Director of College and Alumni Programs at Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter High School in Washington, D.C.
What we're covering:
Building the Infrastructure
...for a Mission-Aligned College & Alumni Program
Systems and Processes (Part I)
Establishing timelines and creating the systems for information gathering
Systems and Processes (Part II)
Codifying the systems and processes for getting in and getting through the application process
Caring for Self & Community
Building self-care while growing your professional development acumen
Counselors often wonder…
- Do my school’s expectations align with the changing postsecondary landscape?
- Why aren’t new colleges visiting my school in the fall?
- Is my counseling program setting up my students for success after high school?
- Schools are now test-optional. Okay, what else must I include in my letters to show the whole student?
- How do I get more students to complete college and financial applications?
- Are my recommendation letters having an impact in the application process?
- How do I get students to write more effective and thoughtful personal statements?
- How do I avoid burnout in the process?
- The process has become unpredictable and overwhelming for me. Am I passing this down to my students and families?
- Is my counseling program equitable for my diverse student body?
- How do I increase my knowledge about different colleges?
We’re also covering:
- Ways to design an equitable and efficient postsecondary/college program
- Strategies for engaging your 9th & 10th grade students
- Effective ways to build relationships with colleges and admissions representatives
- Learning how to build accountability through college access timelines for grades 9-12
- Maximizing the value of your high school profile
- Quick ways to build trust with students and families
- Recommendation letters that work
- Increasing efficiency and building student autonomy and agency
- Navigating the pitfalls of multiple college application deadlines
- Strategies to ensure FAFSA completion
- Examples of building and maintaining a scholarship database for students
- Methods to engage alumni after two years of high school graduation
- Strategies for navigating local, regional, and national professional learning communities
- Three ways to engage in professional development outside of conferences
- Stepping Away: Self Care as an act of resistance and gratitude, not guilt or shame
Creating a counseling ethos that supports your students/families and self Creating a counseling ethos that supports your students/families and self
Automate systems and practices that encourage ownership and accountability throughout the process Automate systems and practices that encourage ownership and accountability throughout the process
Taking care of yourself and your community while expanding your professional growth and acumen Taking care of yourself and your community while expanding your professional growth and acumen
This four-part course will equip college counselors with practical strategies and resources to make your counseling program more efficient without compromising care or equity for you or your students/families. The course will provide strategies and resources on automating systems and workflow for the college and financial aid application processes. We will also explore how to include alumni in your counseling program and leave time to discuss ways to mitigate counselor burnout and professional growth.
Laura Pretl
Novato High School
Rachel Ambrose
Ambrose College Consulting
Audrey Fisch
More Than Bootstraps
Meet Your Facilitators
Mr. Sanjay Mitchell is the Director of College and Alumni Programs at Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter High School in Washington, D.C., where he ensures that 100% of seniors are accepted into college and more than 60% persist and graduate within five years. He previously served as Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions at the University at Albany (SUNY). He serves on the board of the National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC) and the college advisory board for The College of the Holy Cross. In addition, he previously served on the boards of Colleges That Change Lives (CTCL) and the college advisory boards for George Washington University, Muhlenberg College, and the community advisory board for The Common App. Mr. Mitchell earned both his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees from the University at Albany and a Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management Executive from Georgetown University. Currently, he resides in Washington, D.C.
Ethan Sawyer has been eating/sleeping/breathing college essays for most of his waking hours since 2003. He is a nationally recognized college essay expert, sought-after speaker, and author of the Amazon bestsellers College Essay Essentials and College Admission Essentials.
Each year he helps thousands of students and counselors through his online courses, workshops, articles, products, and books, and works privately with a small number of students.
A graduate of Northwestern University, Ethan holds an MFA from UC Irvine, two counseling certificates, is certified in Myers-Briggs and hypnotherapy. He lives in Los Angeles with his beautiful wife and daughter.
Ready to build an effective counseling department?
One-time Payment
Payment Plan
- Access to the Full Course
- Recordings of Live Sessions & Q&A
- Course Resources
$199.00 x 3 months
Can’t afford this course?
Access is really important to us. In fact, it’s at the heart of most of everything we do and is why so many resources on our site are free. It’s why we’re offering pay-what-you-can spots for high school college counselors in schools, CBOs, or non-profits with small budgets and few resources for professional development.
“Wait, so if our counseling department doesn’t have a budget, we can still join?”
Yep. If that’s you, request a pay-what-you-can spot. Don’t be shy; we’d love to have you.