One of the scariest things about being a senior in high school is the college application process. Applying to college is a stressful, time-consuming, and complicated process no matter where you are applying to. However, for those applying exclusively to out of state schools, that process is even more difficult due to the complexities of lesser known processes and documentation, highlighting the need for a school counselor in our building dedicated exclusively to the college admissions process.

         Let us preface this by saying that the counseling office does a very good job at preparing students to apply to certain colleges. Students who have their eyes set on UNL, UNO, or any other state school are in good hands. Counselors know the application by heart. However, for many students, that just isn’t the case. Their eyes are set beyond the borders of our state, and those students in nearby resource-rich schools have a much easier time applying to out of state colleges, since they have access to dedicated college advisors who can help them choose which schools to target and how to perfect their applications for each school’s unique specifications.

         Frankly, it is unfair to fault the counseling department for their shortcomings when it comes to applying to out of state colleges. It just isn’t a thing that they have time to focus on. Our counseling department is short-staffed as it is, and with the rise in student mental health issues following the COVID-19 pandemic, our counselors are swamped dealing with students who are experiencing mental health issues or having conflicts in school. It is unfair to expect our counselors to be able to mediate conflict, deal with students’ personal issues, and assist students with their college applications. However, it is also unfair to force students who wish to attend college out of state to complete their applications unassisted.

 The district needs to step up in this regard and supply each high school with a dedicated college counselor who can help seniors navigate the college application and scholarship process. This would be beneficial to the counselors who could focus more on student mental health with a reduced workload, senior students who would receive assistance on their college applications, and to the district who could boast that they placed more students in prestigious universities. Adding a dedicated college admissions counselor could drastically improve the satisfaction of Millard students in their decisions after high school.

Without the necessary guidance, too many high-achieving students wait too long to begin the college search and application process and end up getting pigeonholed into going to an in-state college, despite it not being their first choice. 

Adding a dedicated college advisor to the counseling center staff would not only reduce the workload of the counselors but also make it easier for people to follow their dreams and attend an out-of-state college.