The Heritage School - College Counsellor & Head - Student Development Program

Role Purpose :

Department of Career and Guidance has an underlying philosophy that is four pronged, viz. self assessment by the student, generating career options, exploring them and bringing them to fruition; knowing and believing that one's career choices is an important step in this process.

Key Responsibilities & Corresponding Tasks :

- Educating students and parents about colleges, the college admissions process, trends, procedures, and testing; advising and supporting classes of Students and parents as they go through the process; and helping students and families aspire realistically and choose wisely.

- Meeting with all college admissions representatives who visits the school campus and facilitating meetings between college representatives and our students. The College Counselor also serves as a liaison with College admissions offices throughout the year.

- Analyze and advise the undergraduate study programs that best match the students career goals with their intellectual skills

- Acting as lead advisor to the senior class as a whole and advising several individual seniors each year, providing academic and personal counseling. In addition to working with senior class on class events, class meetings provide an opportunity to disseminate information about the college application process.

- Maintaining and disseminating information about standardized tests such as SAT, CAT, and TOEFL, helping to administer exams, and working with the Registrar to arrange for or extended time on these tests, as warranted.

- Updating an annual College Search Handbook, a resource mailed to junior and senior parents each summer, an extensive assembly of information about the college search process. The College Counselor also keeps parents informed through a monthly column, a newsletter for parents, and in letters about test dates, local college events, and financial aid.

- Keeping track of admission decisions, statistics, and preparing reports.

Qualifications :

- Necessary skills include excellent written and verbal communication skills, strong organizational ability and the ability to meet deadlines. Experience in college admissions or high school college counseling, teaching experience, and computer skills are plusses.

- The ideal candidate will have strong interpersonal, communication, and organizational skills; familiarity with the goals, objectives, and mission of an independent college preparatory school; the ability to respond effectively to the needs of a diverse and demanding student and parent population; knowledge of colleges, their academic programs, admission policies, and financial policies and procedures.