What does a college counselor do?
It is the job of a college counselor to help students explore and find their careers. College counselors make students consider and organize their priorities for their experience in college. They assist students in researching the available options for a college degree. Their job is to ensure that all the necessary steps in student applications are complete. They even send letters of recommendation and transcripts to make sure that students land their own careers.
College counselor responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real college counselor resumes:
- Lead mathematics courses to help students prepare for the math section on the SATs.
- Utilize Salesforce to manage advertising programs for business owners.
- Educate students about the financial aid process, FAFSA application, opportunity programs, and scholarships.
- Provide support with essay critiques, resumes, applications, scholarships, FAFSA and standardize test preparation.
- Maintain student records including GPA's and transcripts.
- Serve as school coordinator for NCAA eligibility for student athletes.
- Comply with university deadlines, policy, and procedures including FERPA.
- Create and execute diversity, language, and scenario training for campus ambassadors.
- Design and teach a skills and interest inventory class to juniors using the Naviance data base software system.
- Attend IEP meetings to discuss students' needs and education plans for the remainder of their high school career.
- Develop a critical thinking, tertiary study and life skills program to help prepare students for their college and career.
- Demonstrate and encourage the use of Naviance, for all aspects of the college process, in large and small groups.
- Supervise assigned programs (scholarships, peer counseling, special education, ESL, IEP, behavior management, etc . )
- Work with kids from kindergarten to high schools, pick them up from their school, help them do their homework.
- Provide daily support in kindergarten classrooms.
College counselor skills and personality traits
We calculated that 14% of College Counselors are proficient in Colleges, Social Work, and Professional Development. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Compassion, and Interpersonal skills.
We break down the percentage of College Counselors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Colleges, 14%
Communicate with admission officers at multiple colleges & universities
- Social Work, 10%
Mentored by staff Social Worker, in order to hone counseling skills, as pertaining to the high school population.
- Professional Development, 8%
Prepare reports on student status, service utilization, student performance / professional development activities.
- FAFSA, 8%
Provided one-on-one admissions and Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) advising to Boston Public High School students and their families.
- Admissions Process, 7%
Provide comprehensive college access services to grades 9-12 on career awareness, financial aid, and the admissions process.
- Scholarship Applications, 6%
Process college applications, recommendations, and scholarship applications.
Most college counselors use their skills in "colleges," "social work," and "professional development" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential college counselor responsibilities here:
Analytical skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a college counselor to have is analytical skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "school and career counselors and advisors interpret student records, schoolwide data, and assessments to match interests and abilities with potential careers. ." College counselors often use analytical skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "researched and analyzed colleges to determine success rates for african american young men. "
Compassion. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling college counselor duties is compassion. The role rewards competence in this skill because "school and career counselors and advisors often work with people who are dealing with stressful and difficult situations, so they must be able to empathize with their clients and students." According to a college counselor resume, here's how college counselors can utilize compassion in their job responsibilities: "provide at-risk youth with therapeutic and compassionate services. "
Interpersonal skills. college counselors are also known for interpersonal skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to college counselor responsibilities, because "school and career counselors and advisors must be able to work with people of all backgrounds and personalities." A college counselor resume example shows how interpersonal skills is used in the workplace: "counseled students individually regarding crisis, mental health, and interpersonal situations. "
Listening skills. For certain college counselor responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "listening skills." The day-to-day duties of a college counselor rely on this skill, as "school and career counselors and advisors need to give full attention to students and clients in order to understand their problems." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what college counselors do: "provided crisis intervention using empathy, active listening, and other techniques to keep students safe. "
Speaking skills. Another crucial skill for a college counselor to carry out their responsibilities is "speaking skills." A big part of what college counselors relies on this skill, since "school and career counselors and advisors must communicate effectively with clients and students." How this skill relates to college counselor duties can be seen in an example from a college counselor resume snippet: "advised assigned students and student groups, planned and presented classes, seminars, workshops on personal development and/or college/career planning. "
The three companies that hire the most college counselors are:
- Arizona College4 college counselors jobs
- Columbia University in the City of New York2 college counselors jobs
- Americorps2 college counselors jobs
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College counselor vs. Admissions representative
As the name entails, admissions representatives assist prospective and new students attending a university. They give these students the information they need to make a well-informed decision regarding enrollment, make admissions decisions, and review documents. It is also their job to decide which students need to be followed up, ask students their choices, and hold new and prospective students to deadlines. They may be assigned to several areas depending on the department's needs, including prospect management, graduate admissions, and undergraduate admissions.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a college counselor are more likely to require skills like "colleges," "social work," "professional development," and "fafsa." On the other hand, a job as an admissions representative requires skills like "customer service," "patients," "phone calls," and "enrollment process." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Admissions representatives tend to make the most money working in the health care industry, where they earn an average salary of $50,011. In contrast, college counselors make the biggest average salary, $61,444, in the pharmaceutical industry.On average, admissions representatives reach lower levels of education than college counselors. Admissions representatives are 22.2% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.4% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.College counselor vs. Job coach
A job coach is responsible for evaluating people's skills and qualifications, advising them with career paths, helping with their aspirations, and promote employment opportunities. Job coaches help the clients build self-confidence and explore their maximum potentials to develop their professional growth. They provide counseling, understanding the clients' strengths and weaknesses, analyzing clients' personal goals, and guiding clients through job interviews and assessments. A job coach must have excellent communication, listening, and analytical skills to handle their clients' challenges and match their interests for the best career suited for them.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that college counselor responsibilities requires skills like "colleges," "social work," "professional development," and "fafsa." But a job coach might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "developmental disabilities," "cpr," "rehabilitation," and "customer service."
On average, job coaches earn a lower salary than college counselors. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, job coaches earn the most pay in the education industry with an average salary of $38,362. Whereas college counselors have higher pay in the pharmaceutical industry, with an average salary of $61,444.job coaches earn lower levels of education than college counselors in general. They're 23.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for college counselors in the next 3-5 years?
Director, Quality Enhancement Plan Program Coordinator, M.S. Professional School Counseling Associate Professor, Curriculum and Instruction, Angelo State University
College counselor vs. Admissions coordinator
Admissions coordinators work in different industries but are often found in higher education and healthcare settings. They have varied duties and responsibilities within an organization that include maintaining admission guidelines, marketing programs and facilities, and screening applicants. Also, they are responsible for resolving any patient or family dissatisfaction and preparing admissions reports. As an admissions coordinator, you also must protect the organization's reputation and ensure that your knowledge of the job is up-to-date by maintaining personal networks or taking part in educational opportunities.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a college counselor is likely to be skilled in "colleges," "professional development," "fafsa," and "scholarship applications," while a typical admissions coordinator is skilled in "patients," "customer service," "home health," and "rehabilitation."
Admissions coordinators earn the highest salary when working in the education industry, where they receive an average salary of $38,512. Comparatively, college counselors have the highest earning potential in the pharmaceutical industry, with an average salary of $61,444.When it comes to education, admissions coordinators tend to earn lower degree levels compared to college counselors. In fact, they're 20.1% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.3% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.College counselor vs. Peer mentor
A peer mentor is an individual who builds a relationship with another person or mentee who is new to the career or at the same level. Peer mentors must serve as a social role model and educate mentees on various resources and services. They coordinate and facilitate social programs and training and discuss any mentee concerns with the top management. Peer mentors are also required to maintain confidentiality with any shared information between mentors and mentees.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between college counselors and peer mentors, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a college counselor might have more use for skills like "colleges," "social work," "fafsa," and "admissions process." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of peer mentors require skills like "mental health," "role model," "peer support," and "community resources. "
In general, peer mentors earn the most working in the non profits industry, with an average salary of $30,162. The highest-paying industry for a college counselor is the pharmaceutical industry.In general, peer mentors hold lower degree levels compared to college counselors. Peer mentors are 26.1% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of college counselor
Updated January 8, 2025











