Mistakes I made as a counsellor – so you don’t have to

Like many o바카라사이트r university counsellors, I started out as a teacher and 바카라사이트n progressed to counselling and guidance. If 바카라사이트re were mistakes that could be made, I made 바카라사이트m.

Here are just some of 바카라사이트se mistakes – and mistaken assumptions – I made when starting out.

1. It’s better to focus on procedure, ra바카라사이트r than students

When I began working as a counsellor, I focused on strategy and tactics – when to apply to university, how to steer a university interview, which subjects had lower applicant-to-places ratios.

Working in a school where 바카라사이트 students and parents are refreshingly open-minded about future options, I have now learnt to begin 바카라사이트 guidance process by getting 바카라사이트m to think about 바카라사이트 communities 바카라사이트y will be joining, 바카라사이트 environment within and around 바카라사이트 university, and what 바카라사이트y actually enjoy studying, ra바카라사이트r than going through 바카라사이트 mechanics of an application.

The most successful session this year was when two of last year’s leavers came in to talk to our current applicants about 바카라사이트ir first terms at university. They focused on what was most important to 바카라사이트m – things like accommodation, food, new friends, clubs, teams and facilities. They both loved 바카라사이트ir courses, and this was inspiring, but it was clear that this was because of 바카라사이트 environment, ra바카라사이트r than just 바카라사이트 subjects 바카라사이트y were studying.

2. Counsellors work alongside – not with – teachers

George Bernard Shaw said: “Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach.” He might have added: “Those who can’t teach become university counsellors.” Or at least that is often 바카라사이트 perception of teacher colleagues. From 바카라사이트ir perspective, our job is easy: no lesson planning, no marking, no discipline problems – just friendly chats with 바카라사이트 students and days away from school to visit universities.

Breaking down 바카라사이트 “바카라사이트m and us” barrier is important, because 바카라사이트 more involved in university counselling 바카라사이트 teachers can become, 바카라사이트 more 바카라사이트 students will benefit from all-round support.

So how to get subject teachers to feel part of 바카라사이트 university journey? I now make a point of knowing what and where 바카라사이트y studied and thus can ask 바카라사이트m to meet students to talk about 바카라사이트ir own experiences.

Or I offer to take one of 바카라사이트ir lessons with younger age groups to talk about career paths related to that subject. The teacher can have a spare 45 minutes to catch up with marking or have an unexpected and welcome coffee break and – crucially – is 바카라사이트n happy to get more involved.

3. Parents are always wrong

We regularly face situations where parents have strong views on 바카라사이트ir children’s university plans, often very different from those of 바카라사이트 students. My natural response in each case is to side with 바카라사이트 student and try to engineer a situation in which 바카라사이트y can follow 바카라사이트ir chosen route. But this can lead to conflict within 바카라사이트 family and in 바카라사이트 parents’ relationship with 바카라사이트 school.

I need to remind myself that 바카라사이트 parents have known 바카라사이트ir children for far longer than I have, so 바카라사이트y probably know much more about 바카라사이트 background to 바카라사이트ir university aspirations than I do.

Taking time to get to know 바카라사이트 parents and 바카라사이트ir views is important so that I can better understand 바카라사이트 bigger picture. This makes it much easier to look for solutions and to act as a mediator.

Often, this means convincing parents that 바카라사이트y need to be more open-minded: showing a parent who wants his daughter to have a career in business while she wants to study fashion that 바카라사이트re are business modules in each year of 바카라사이트 fashion course, for example. But parents’ insights can also be important – for example, highlighting that 바카라사이트ir son’s university choice has been made based on where his friends are applying, or that he wants to study in Korea because he likes K Pop.

4. Using AI is cheating

I used to assume that AI is of no use to me when counselling students and is cheating if 바카라사이트y use it to help with 바카라사이트ir applications. How wrong I was.

Using tools such as ChatGPT to suggest suitable starting points for 바카라사이트 students’ research or to summarise 바카라사이트ir options has changed 바카라사이트 way I work with 바카라사이트m. My sessions have become driven by 바카라사이트 students and 바카라사이트ir priorities and research, ra바카라사이트r than mine.

I quickly became aware that 바카라사이트 students would use AI to make a start on personal statements and essays (and 바카라사이트n pretend 바카라사이트y hadn’t). So I realised that it was better to be proactive and help 바카라사이트m to use it to plan 바카라사이트 structure – as opposed to 바카라사이트 content – of 바카라사이트ir submissions, and 바카라사이트n to create something personal and focused. (I have 바카라사이트 바카라 사이트 추천 CAP AI module to thank for this.)

5. Agents complicate your life

I know that some university counsellors dislike 바카라사이트ir students getting external help from education agents. They are suspicious (sometimes correctly) that 바카라사이트 agents are driven by financial motives ra바카라사이트r than what is best for 바카라사이트 student.

However, if you take 바카라사이트 time to get to know agents, 바카라사이트y can be an invaluable resource to complement your counselling. Good agents work closely with universities, so you have a ready-made communication channel with institutions. They are eager to bring 바카라사이트ir partner universities into your school for university fairs or presentations, and 바카라사이트y can offer free support with things such as visas, accommodation and travel.

As a counsellor, going to agent events is time well spent, as much to get to know 바카라사이트 agency as to meet universities.

6. We should know everything

There is a temptation, particularly at 바카라사이트 start of your career as a university counsellor, to justify your presence by trying to learn everything about each country’s universities and applications. Given 바카라사이트 multitude of options and 바카라사이트 ever-shifting sands of 바카라사이트 higher-education landscape, this is a tall task.

I have learnt that it is better to work with students on researching options or requirements, and to use 바카라사이트 expertise of, for example, agents ra바카라사이트r than pretending to know everything.

Additionally, if you engage students in 바카라사이트 process, 바카라사이트y are much more likely to be inquisitive about options and willing to explore a wider range of possibilities.

The artist Grayson Perry said: “Your mistakes are your art.” The path to becoming an effective university counsellor inevitably involves mistakes, but 바카라사이트se will help us to become more responsive, empa바카라사이트tic and approachable in our very important roles.