John Cooper Counselor offers college advice to incoming seniors

THE WOODLANDS, Texas -- Laura Schroeder, director of college counseling at The John Cooper School, shared her expertise in a column published online in April in The New York Times. The informative monthly column, entitled THE CHOICE: Demystifying College Admissions and Aid, seeks to keep students on track during the college admissions process.

The New York Times asked Schroeder to write for their April College Checklist that was aimed at current high school juniors. Schroeder has written blog postings on related topics for the Association for College Counselors in Independent Schools (ACCIS) and provides similar information for juniors as part of Cooper’s college counseling program.

Schroeder’s “to do” list for members of the class of 2014 gave pointers on how to lay the groundwork for an organized application process in the fall. Topping her list was to maintain focus on academic work to complete this school year, and to plan an individualized senior year curriculum covering a wide range of core subjects. She advised keeping track of testing deadlines and discussing options with family members in order to refine a college list.

For juniors, Schroeder says the college application process is just beginning and highly recommends staying proactive. She also suggested doing something enriching over the summer. “Do something that is important to you,” she stated. “Find a job to help pay for your college costs, shadow some professionals in your area, or volunteer. Most important, embrace the opportunity to learn more about yourself.”

Cooper has two full-time college counselors. Schroeder, who has been a college counselor for nine years, six at Cooper, said writing the column was fun and interesting. “It was a very different tenor from the college recommendation letters I typically write,” she said. “There is so much to say and I was writing for a much broader audience. The challenge was to keep it concise and to-the-point.”

The New York Times column can be read by going to: http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/02/counselors-calendar-april-juniors/#comments..