ABSTRACT
High school counselors, in particular, play a significant role in shaping the opportunities that African American students have to attend selective institutions. Counselors help students meet college admissions standards and plan students’ academic trajectories. Researchers assert that counselors play a vital role in the college choice process. Depending on the nature of the counselor’s relationship with the student and the student’s access to qualified counselors, counselors can have positive or negative effects on students’ experiences with the college choice process. The number of counselors and the quality of counseling services varied depending on the high school context. Students who attended schools with smaller student to counselor ratios had an advantage because their counselors were able to tailor counseling services to each student’s individual needs and interests. Teachers also promoted their own alma maters through school paraphernalia and shared conversations with the students.
