Black male counselor in tie talking with Hispanic male student against lockers

The Best Time to Ask Your School Counselor These Important Questions

Need answers about the college search and application process? Go and ask your counselor! Here are some important questions you should ask and when.

There’s one phrase that a huge amount of high school students lament every spring: “Why did nobody tell me about X?!” This question usually comes after getting denied from a college because they did not take a language in high school or math class senior year, or because they sent their application in too late. The harsh truth of the matter is that nobody told you about X because you didn’t ask. So here are some important questions to ask your high school college counselor—before it’s too late. 

Sophomore year

You may not think much needs to be done in terms of your college search in your sophomore year of high school, but there are a lot of things to start thinking about and preparing for! Talk to your counselor about the following:

What do I need to do to get into my dream school?

Although sophomores seem to have a long way to go before graduation, what you take and how you perform throughout the rest of your high school career can fully make or break where you go to college. Sophomores have room to dream big, so do your research on colleges, tell your counselor about your ideal school options, and ask them to help you research what classes you should take, what GPA you need to get in, how many extracurriculars you should participate in to bolster your application, etc. Then get going.

Should I take the SAT or ACT?

Ask about this early so you can start taking the PSAT or Pre-ACT and see which test you score better on. Sometimes college counselors have their own strategies for what you should take when, how many times you should take each test, or whether you should take one at all. Your counselor also knows about your grades and specialties in school, so they will be able to give you more specialized advice on this topic.

Related: Is It a Good Idea to Take Both the ACT and SAT? 

Junior year

Junior year means stuff is getting real. It's time to start asking the tough questions and diving into your college search. Meet up with your counselor and ask:

Which colleges should I visit?

My high school counselor gave everyone a personalized list of schools she thought we should check out. For instance, if someone really liked New York University, she would suggest they visit Pace University as a backup school while they were in the area. Tell your college counselor which schools you plan on visiting already so she or he can give you some more suggestions.

Related: An Important Checklist to Plan Your First Official College Visits

Should I take AP exams?

While most students take the ACT or SAT, AP exams are a different consideration. These tests could help you earn college credit if you score high enough while strengthening your applications and demonstrating subject mastery. However, they come with costs—both financially and with time spent studying—so taking an AP test may not be the right choice for every student. Ask your counselor about AP exams during your junior year (or earlier if you're taking AP classes as an underclassman) to determine which ones align with your college and career goals.

Senior year

It's time to apply to college! Your counselor is there to offer advice on big decisions, like: 

Who should I ask to write my college recommendations?

A lot of students think you should just ask your teachers to write your college recommendations, but this might not be ideal. Maybe you went to a really amazing summer program and want to ask your favorite professor there for a recommendation. Or perhaps there are some teachers who are too swamped to write recs this year. Whoever you plan to ask for recommendations, run them by your college counselor first for an opinion, and be sure to give them plenty of time to write! 

Should I apply Early Decision, Early Action, or Regular Decision?

There are more advantages to applying early at some schools than there are at others. Make sure to ask your counselor about this one at the beginning of the year so you can get your early applications in or figure out which school to spend your Early Decision on, if any.

Should I take a gap year?

Malia Obama famously took a gap year before starting school at Harvard University, giving thousands of college students pretty great evidence to help convince their parents to let them take a year off. After all, if the President let his kid do it, why shouldn’t your parents? Parents across the country might find themselves stumped on how to answer that question, but your counselor, on the other hand, will definitely have answers. Starting college right away isn’t right for everyone, so make sure to ask your counselor's opinion if you have any doubts. 

Related: 3 Practical Benefits of Taking a Gap Year Before College

Taking charge of your college journey starts with asking the right questions at the right time. Your high school counselor is one of your greatest resources, but they can only help if you’re proactive about seeking their guidance. From mapping out your classes as a sophomore to deciding on application timelines as a senior, these discussions can shape your future in meaningful ways. Don’t wait until it’s too late—start the conversation now and take control of your path to success!

If you have questions your school counselor can't answer, you may find what you're looking for in our Ask the Experts section!

Like what you’re reading?

Join the CollegeXpress community! Create a free account and we’ll notify you about new articles, scholarship deadlines, and more.

Join Now

Tags:

About Phoebe Bain

Phoebe Bain is an avid writer, reader, runner, ukulele player, and user of the passive voice. Her favorite show is How I Met Your Mother, and she loves how giraffes look when they sleep.

 

Join our community of
over 5 million students!

CollegeXpress has everything you need to simplify your college search, get connected to schools, and find your perfect fit.

Join CollegeXpress

College Quick Connect

Swipe right to request information.
Swipe left if you're not interested.


Keydi Banegas

Keydi Banegas

Scholarship for Students of Color Winner, Class of 2022

CollegeXpress is a great application that helped me search for many different scholarships, and it narrows the scholarships depending on how you set your profile. Not only that, but it helps you choose different colleges to apply to by finding matches through the description of your profile. It was the best experience for me.

Josiah Kegg

Josiah Kegg

High School Class of 2021

I want to sincerely thank you all for this amazing website that's legitimately helped me find so many different scholarship opportunities. I've been stressing out for the longest time about paying for college since I would rather stay out of debt and have been working days trying to find any scholarship opportunity. When I found CollegeXpress, I discovered many easy scholarships that have given me hope for the future. Thank you and God bless!

Ana Sophia Garcia-Cubas Assemat

Ana Sophia Garcia-Cubas Assemat

$10,000 Scholarship Winner, 2020

CollegeXpress has been an instrumental resource for my scholarship search and has given me the opportunity to try my best so I can graduate from college debt-free.

Monica

Monica

High School Class of 2023

Being a sophomore in high school, I never really worried about college. I thought it wasn't important to worry about until senior year. Through this program opportunity I came across, I realized how important it is to start looking at colleges early and start planning ahead. CollegeXpress has opened my eyes to what colleges require, what colleges are near me, and what they offer. The daily emails I get from CollegeXpress really help me look at the different options I have and what colleges I fit into. Without this website, I would not be taking the time out of my day to worry about what my future will be nor what opportunities I have. I could not be more grateful for such an amazing and useful website. It's thanks to CollegeXpress that not only me but my family now know how much potential I have in to getting into these colleges/universities that we thought were out of my reach.

Jenna

Jenna

High School Class of 2021

CollegeXpress has helped me greatly during my college search. I used their college search feature often and it helped in comparing schools I was looking at. Now that I’ve found a college the scholarship search feature is helping me find a way to find my college experience. CollegeXpress has many helpful features and resources for anyones college search, it truly is a wonderful tool for anyone entering college level!