The College Counseling Crisis: How Near-Peer Advising is Revolutionizing Student Support

Imagine yourself about to make one of the biggest decisions in your life while also having no clue about how you're supposed to make it. What if there are not enough resources to sufficiently prompt you to make this decision? As a high school student begins to start looking into and applying for college, it may seem to be an entirely unfamiliar realm. This feeling of the unknown, along with the life-changing effects that result from college applications, can cause a student to be stressed and misguided. Some students may choose to receive guidance in the form of seeking help from their college counselor or seeking private college advising. Each of these options has its own advantages but may not be accessible to the majority of the student population.

With a high volume of students who are unfamiliar with the college application process, many of them could potentially improve their chances of college admittance with proper guidance. Many schools may have guidance counselors to provide insight to the students, but it is oftentimes restricted by budgetary needs, ultimately resulting in some schools not having any type of guidance counselor. In addition, schools that do have guidance counselors at the students' disposal are often paired with unrealistic ratios such as one counselor for every 408 students. These discrepancies can cause students to only receive an average of 10 minutes of one-on-one time with a counselor every school year. On the other hand, seeking guidance from a private college counselor perhaps may pose a better quality of guidance but could be a costly endeavor for the student. Private college counselors cost an average of $250 an hour, with some entities billing students up to a few thousand dollars. These two options are often the only two that a student who is applying for college may have.

Near-peer advising allows for a student to connect with a mentor who has recently graduated and has been accepted into an academic institution. 86% of College Contact's student base is accepted into their top university of choice and 100% are accepted into college. With a more intimate connection between the mentor and the peer, there is more likely to be an opportunity for students to voice their concerns and needs when applying to college. The younger mentor base paired with similar shared interests between the mentor and student can yield a more positive and impactful experience for both the student and mentor.

Perseies says “Participating in this program feels really good. It has removed the stress of wondering what I need to do…given me more confidence to continue in school and to continue on this path towards college.” after her experience with a mentor on the College Contact platform.

Near-peer advising can have a positive influence on a student’s college application process while also providing them with much-needed guidance through this unfamiliar process, therefore causing an increase in the student’s overall chances of admittance into their top school of choice.