Stacks of college brochures fill desks, dozens of open laptop tabs crowd screens, and calendars list ever-nearing deadlines. Seniors juggle essays, emails, and recommendation requests while simultaneously managing grades, art areas, extracurricular activities, test scores, and their social lives.

During college application season, seniors face the decision of whether to seek private college counseling services, rely on school-provided services, or complete their applications independently. 

“Palm Beach County doesn’t have dedicated college counseling positions like some other districts do, so as school counselors, we take on every aspect of the process,” counseling director Olga Middleton said. “We juggle a lot, but we genuinely care about our students’ futures. We want them to know they’re not navigating this alone.”

School counselors provide free services, including essay review, application planning, and resume creation, and are available to students who schedule meetings to discuss their applications.

“As school counselors, we do everything in our power to help students achieve their goals for the future,” Ms. Middleton said. “That’s why we offer college boot camps, college visits, and why we work individually with our students on essays, applications, transcripts, you name it.”

School counselors also assist with scholarship research, setting up college visits, and individualizing course selection plans that align with students’ goals. According to Ms. Middleton, college boot camps, which were offered 12 times throughout the fall semester, are among the “most important” resources the school counseling department provides.

“Boot camps are great for students who either don’t have the time or are too shy to meet with their counselor individually,” visual arts and digital arts and photography school counselor Mark Carson said. “The advice given at the boot camps about interviews, essays, and applications is critical for students.”

Ms. Middleton said that college guidance typically begins in junior year and includes individual meetings, workshops, and the use of tools such as Naviance, an online platform that helps students research colleges, explore financial aid options, and track application requirements. Visual arts and digital arts and photography school counselor Shae Hammack said that utilizing these tools and attending meetings is “crucial,” not only for planning courses and applications, but also for understanding the costs associated with certain schools.

“It doesn’t make sense to have somebody really excited to go to a school that even with financial aid, they may not be able to afford,” Ms. Hammack said. “My advice would be to start early and have those conversations with your parents and counselors to help find the right path forward.”

On the other hand, private college counselors offer services similar to those provided by school counselors, but for a cost. In a casual survey conducted by The Muse, 15.9% of students stated that they have worked with a private counselor. According to Hello College, private services typically cost between $100 and $300 an hour. “Comprehensive packages,” which may include multiple sessions and additional services, often reach $10,000 in cost and can exceed $20,000, depending on the level of involvement and the range of services provided. Thus, access to private counselors is often directly correlated with the income of the student’s family.

The Wall Street Journal reported that for Harvard freshmen who started in fall 2023, 48% of those whose families make over $500,000 annually used a private counselor during their senior year of high school, far higher than the 23% of all freshmen who used one. Of the Dreyfoos students who have not worked with a private counselor, 22.1% stated that they did so because they were too expensive.

“I didn’t get a private counselor because I never realized how ridiculously expensive they were,” visual senior Gemma Santarpia said. “Why would I ever pay that much money when I can just do it on my own or have a school counselor help me out?” 

For digital arts and photography senior Emily Tabora, however, working with a private counselor made the college application process “more organized” and “less overwhelming.” She said that her private counselor helped her stay ahead of deadlines and refine her college essays.

“I submitted to all 20 of the colleges I applied to by Oct. 14 and had my entire Common Application done by mid-summer,” Tabora said. “My counselor met with me in person and, to be honest, she helped me so much with revising my essay so that my point and growth came across clearly.”

Tabora said her private counselor also encouraged her to apply to additional out-of-state schools she had not considered originally, especially those that offered application fee waivers. She described the process as “very self-driven,” but gave credit to her school counselor, teachers, and family members for providing support throughout.

“I have for sure relied on Mr. Carson throughout this whole process, and (English teacher Nathan) Hesse has been a huge help in terms of essay help,” she said. “My mom was also a big help in assisting me with smaller things one person might not catch, so I am super grateful for her, even though at times I found her help annoying.”

National research conducted by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) suggests that access to counseling can positively impact college readiness and application outcomes. However, financial and staffing limitations affect availability. The ASCA stated that schools with more students per school counselor have “reduced capacity” for individualized college guidance, meaning counselors have less time to meet one-on-one with students and provide support throughout the application process.

The ASCA recommends that each counselor at a school be assigned to 250 students. At Dreyfoos, each counselor has an average of 270 students. The statewide average, according to the ASCA, however, is 432 students per school counselor. In a casual survey conducted by The Muse, only 25.8% of students said that they believe their assigned school counselor has enough time to give them personalized college counseling advice.

“I have been told that private counselors can be very helpful, but they’re certainly not necessary,” Santrapia said. “I know plenty of people in the past who have gotten into great colleges with only the help of their parents, friends, and school counselors.”

Regardless of the approach, vocal and theatre school counselor Cristelina Milan said that understanding the process early and taking initiative can help students make informed decisions about schools and potential programs. 

“My biggest advice for students is to not listen to other kids,” Ms. Milan said. “They are not professionals, they’re kids just like you. Listen to us. Start early. Look at your common application early. The more information you get and the larger head start you get, the easier your senior year and college experience will be.”