New Trier is known for having not only a high graduation percentage, but also a large percentage of students who go off to higher education.

While some students know exactly where they want to go and what they want to do, while many students need help to figure this out.

“I’ve only met with my counselor once, but he did help me a lot. He confirmed that where I want to go is a good fit for me, and I can imagine other students have successfully narrowed down their array of options with the help of the New Trier college counselor,” said junior Jacalyn Joseph.

Post High School Counseling Department Chair James Conroy explains, “New Trier’s counseling service won’t just hold your hand and do everything for you. Often, the outside services can hold your hand too much. We worry about students who have their hand tightly held throughout the process because no one is going to be there to do it for them in college.”

Despite the fact that private college counselors can be effective, they can also cost thousands of dollars for their time, and they often aren’t even certified counselors.

“All of New Trier’s counselors are certified by the state of Illinois and the service is free,” Conroy continued “The outside counselors are far from free and often they don’t have certification in any state and their methods don’t work.”

However, some students don’t always find New Trier counseling helpful. “My sister used the New Trier service and it didn’t really help her at all beyond the necessary measures,” said junior Chris Artinian. “She wanted to go to about seven different schools and her counselor here told her she wouldn’t be able to get into any of them. Her top choice was Marquette, and she’s going there now.”

Some students choose to use both services in tandem. Often times, their schedules don’t match up properly and the private counseling help can be beneficial.

Senior Thomas Hanley explained, “The school service felt impersonal. Granted, they did a great job at actually helping me figure out where I wanted to go, but Amy Simon [College Counseling] helped a lot too.”

These other services offer a more tailored and one-on-one experience when it comes to the college process.

“We help with essays and psychological tests and with different levels of testing to find out which schools are best for you,” said Nancy Crowley of US College Counseling.

According to Conroy, PHSC spends time with each student to discuss options. “If a student says they never want to see snow again, we know where to send them. We also work with the parents who often veto things like that for various reasons, and with all of this information in place, students do research and find specifically which school is a perfect match for them.”

New Trier’s model for college is “College is a match to be made, not a prize to be won,” and for a school of high-performance, this slogan is important to remember so that students aren’t overwhelmed.

“Finding a college that’s right for you does take a lot of research and a lot of time, and New Trier’s service guides students more than actually doing it for them,” concludes Conroy.

“We think that guiding students through the process is more effective at helping them find a school that’s right for them rather than the best school imaginable, and our results are generally incredibly positive.”