U.S. public high school students receive an average of just 38 minutes of college counseling per year, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
School counselors usually have other responsibilities in addition to college counseling. According to the National Association for College Admission Counseling, public high school counselors spend only about 25% of their time on college counseling.
The American School Counselor Association recommends a ratio of no more than 250 students per counselor. The national average in public schools is 424 to 1.
College consultants have much smaller caseloads than school counselors, and because they focus exclusively on college counseling, they can provide significantly more support and assistance.