Understanding why hiring a diverse college counselor may help you
As the college admissions process begins, it can bring both excitement and understandable anxiety. In some cases, school guidance counselors may be able to offer advice, but even if they are, it’s always helpful to have a third party to help you with this process. Looking for a college counselor near me is a good first step. The college admissions process is a monumental moment that will have a significant impact in your child's life. As such, parents should approach it with the same depth of thought they use when making other big decisions, like buying a home or changing careers. One thing that many parents searching for a college advisor near me may not consider, however, is the importance of diversity. Hiring a diverse college counselor can yield enormous benefits for your child as you approach the college admissions process. We'll explain why below.
Initial Comfort level in Connecting with a Diverse College Advisor
In these challenging times, students need people in their circle that they can trust to help steer them in the right direction. While each college counselor aims to have their client’s best academic interest in mind, the student should also be able to relate to their college counselor on a level that makes the student feel comfortable building a professional academic relationship. For this reason, many students benefit from having a diverse college counselor.
A diverse college counselor means someone who is not only equipped with excellent college advisor training, but also understands how diversity dimensions impact one’s outlook. This, in turn, means that a diverse college advisor can better understand the unique concerns some students may have when embarking on their journey to college admissions.
Being comfortable with the person who is guiding you through college admissions is a basic expectation those hiring a college counselor should have. Many of Wisdem USA’s clients attend schools with low levels of diversity and inclusion. Students at these schools may face hurdles of social isolation due to underrepresentation. This can sometimes lead to academic struggles, which leads to embarrassment and a reluctance to express oneself. Here at Wisdem USA, we’ve navigated education in similarly non-diverse environments, we can understand the feelings of isolation some students may endure. This understanding helps us our students develop an initial comfort level with us more easily.
A Diverse College Advisor’s Understanding of Social Burdens
Some students are easy for a parent or college counselor to understand on an academic, social, or career ambition level. They open up to their parents, college advisor, and others with no hesitation, freely pouring out their heart and soul. This is not the case for all students, however.
Some students may have to explain the social burdens of current events that leave them triggered or scared for what their future holds. These difficulties may prohibit them from focusing on their goals and leave them feeling helpless. These students may also feel uncomfortable sharing such anxieties with a college counselor because they fear they will be judged or misunderstood.
In the world of technology and social media, the pressures and noise of information that plagues the mind of young people can be damaging and detrimental. This especially rings loudly for certain students, who may feel they can’t escape the noise no matter what. By having a diverse college counselor, students can voice their concerns in a psychologically safe environment, as Alliant International University has pointed out. They don’t have to feel they need to shy away from their thoughts or, even worse, suppress their emotions altogether, leading to high levels of stress and anxiety. With the genuine compatibility of a trained professional to guide and uplift a student, they can focus on academics and stay on their chosen path towards college.
A Diverse College Counselor Builds Trust More Easily
Working with a diverse college advisor, students can build trust with their college counselor more readily. Having a relationship built on trust is imperative in receiving effective college counseling. In cases where both the student and college advisor have comparable backgrounds, the mutual understanding eliminates potential barriers to relating. The student can feel confident knowing that their diverse college advisor can understand them and what they say is not lost in translation. They will also be more inclined to share their hopes, dreams, fears, things they like, and things they don’t like.
With the advantage of a diverse college counselor, a student can make a true connection and profess sound concerns without the feeling of being misunderstood. Although, to some, these benefits come naturally and do not require an additional thought process, the benefits of a diverse college counselor can be life-changing. They can provide a student with the emotional and strategic support that they truly deserve in embarking on this new incredible journey, resulting in better college admissions outcomes.
Why Hire Wisdem USA When Seeking a Diverse College Counselor Near Me
At Wisdem USA, our team is diverse by design. In launching our company, we noticed that many other elite college advisors aren’t led by teams that reflect the diversity of the college-bound population. Parents looking for a college advisor near me don’t just come from one background or one perspective. So, the college counselor they hire shouldn’t come from one background or one prospective either. For that reason, we’ve constructed our team to be diverse across multiple dimensions. Some are more obvious, such as race, ethnicity, and gender. Others are more subtle, such as career background, geography, class background, first generation college student experience, or age. In the case of age, we are especially proud to boast a multi-generational team, with contributions from the millennial, baby boomer, Gen X, and Gen Z epochs.
Being a diverse college counselor enables us to connect with our clients more easily. They’re willing to open up to us because they know that we’ve been where they are. The authenticity we bring allows us to gain a better understanding of our clients’ wants, needs, hopes, and dreams. By building a strong understanding, we help clients find their fit better than other college advisors. We don’t just rely on cookie cutter playbooks and steer clients to certain schools reflexively. Instead, because we have a deeper understanding of their needs, we make recommendations based on a holistic assessment of each student’s circumstances. This includes diversity dimensions. Diversity dimensions are more than just something to check off on a form. They impact people's lives in numerous meaningful ways. Wisdem USA recognizes this, and we incorporate that understanding into our advising so that we position our clients to thrive.
Want to learn more about Wisdem USA’s approach as a diverse college counselor? Contact us today. We serve customers nationwide and internationally, so we'll happily help you wherever you are.