Director of College Counseling, Bishop O’Connell High School
The director of college counseling has overall responsibility of supervising the college counseling office
functions and staff and guiding members of each year’s senior class through the transition to postsecondary education. The director is responsible to/reports to the Dean of Faculty and Counseling.
This is a 12-month position.
The director writes letters of recommendation. S/he divides the responsibility for the appx. 300 seniors
with the two college counselors. S/he accomplishes most of this writing in the summer in order to be
available to students, their families, and their advisors during the fall.
The director works with students and parents. S/he:

reviews, adjusts, and improves the college counseling program each year.

establishes and teaches the college counseling curriculum in small group and full form classes
from February to December.

addresses parents at Parents’ Nights.

meets with parents about their students’ college process.

meets with students individually in fall, winter, and spring.

oversees progress through the junior year spring process of preparing a summer visit list.

participates in academic advising and its consequences in the college selection process.

prepares regular mailings to parents.

oversees progress through the fall process of finalizing their list of colleges and sending off
applications.

coordinates with faculty to offer a college essay and application workshop in classes.

helps seniors to understand and decide among their financial aid packages.
The director works with college representatives. S/he

visits college campuses to establish and maintain mutually beneficial relationships with college
admission staffs. Counselor tours hosted by multiple, geographically-linked colleges are
particularly useful. The director participates in three or four such tours each year.

attends professional development workshops and conferences, such as:
o
The National Association for College Admission Counseling
o
The National College Board Forum
o
The Regional College Board
o

College Board Fall Counselor Workshops
works with Counseling Office Manager in inviting and receiving college visitors to campus each
fall.

speaks on the phone with college representatives to discuss our applicants for the ‘early’ round
in December and for the ‘regular’ round in March.
The director enjoys the support of two additional college counselors and shares an administrative
support. All work together to assure the smooth functioning of collective efforts. The director guides
the work of the office through:

weekly office meetings.

close daily communication, both face-to-face and through email.

regular contact in July and August.

assistance to the Dean of Faculty and Counseling in regular and systematic evaluation, followed
by explicit initiatives to address recommendations.
The director assumes the responsibility of counseling students with Personal/Social and Academic
Needs. S/he:

is available to counsel students in caseload for counseling needs other than college counseling.

follows the curriculum for school counselors in this responsibility.
The director works with the faculty, administration, and board. S/he:

may be asked to attend Principal Team meetings.

prepares for the Board of Governors three reports on the college admission process for a given
class (fall, winter and spring).

attends weekly meetings of the School Counseling Office facilitated by the Dean attends regular
Academic Council meetings. In these meetings the director strives to explain how college
admission readers view our curriculum. Such information is gleaned from the many phone calls
the director makes to support seniors’ applications in December and March.

advises the new faculty in their writing of college recommendations.

counsels advisors and coaches on how to help students through the college selection process.
The director works with the business office. S/he:

make recommendations to the Dean of Faculty in establishing and maintaining a yearly budget.

seeks approval for all expenditures from the college counseling budget.
The director is responsible for the effective use of multiple technological tools, such as:

the online database Workspace K-12, formerly called TCCI – Naviance. This is the backbone of
the office’s collective efforts.

current and regularly updated software.

a college counseling website, through our Counseling Office Web site. (Updating these pages
requires close coordination with our Director of Communications.)

a deep and broad set of network files that are safely backed up each night.
The responsibilities of the director of college counseling are numerous and wide-ranging. Such a varied
and rich professional life is its own reward.
Travel to college campuses and participation in conferences is vital and requires absences from school.
A strong work ethic, excellent organizational skills, flexibility, ease and experience with computers, and a
willingness to coordinate efforts with others will be important qualifications in the director of college
counseling.
Enthusiasm for working with students and parents of students is also essential. Experience in a college
admission office would be a plus, though not a requirement.
Above all, the next director of college counseling must bring to this job abundant energy and a lifelong
desire to learn.