Why aren’t more school counselors trained in helping students apply to college?

The other day I was reminded of a funny story that happened to me when I was about four years old.

True Story. Back in the day we had a neighborhood ice cream man “Dick” that use to roam the block. You may remember the candy, Slap Stick, square caramel sucker on a stick with red yellow swirls in the middle. They only cost a nickel. One day I could hear the jingle tune of Dick’s red and white truck fast approaching. I couldn’t wait to get a slap stick. Mind you, they were only a nickel. I had a dime in my pocket, so I started running around frantically trying to trade my dime for a nickel, after all, the nickel was larger and a bit shinier. I won’t tell which one of my brothers took advantage of me. But later that day I learned that a dime was worth two nickels.

Today many parents and students are still choosing the nickel over the dime. When parents decide or allow the student to select noncritical extracurricular activities over educational learning activities, students learn to prioritize the nickel instead of the dime.

The neighborhood a child is born into and grows up in should not be the determining factor of the quality of education the child receives.