About College Admission Counsellor
The personality, professionalism, and perception of a student are built on the foundation of quality higher education. The ultimate goal of a student’s life is to pursue his/her dream profession. Although the journey of career planning starts from school, the ultimate goal is achieved when they graduate with a degree of their choice from the college of their dreams.
But getting admission into one’s dream college needs more than just academics in the current scenario. A student has to go through the whole nine yards of building a profile, researching and shortlisting colleges, filing applications, etc. And even before that, the first step in this process is deciding which college or university best suits their unique needs. They have to work hard and smart to match their aspirations with reality and aim for the best institutions for higher studies.
College selection depends on the following factors:
In India, the college enrollment ratio has increased from 25.8% to 26.3% in the past few years. Every year, over 3.74 crore students apply for college admissions and very few of them get into their dream colleges.
The reason could be a number of things:
There are other factors too that help students secure admission into one of the reputed colleges in India/ abroad. As students/parents can’t think of every factor for college admissions, they approach experts. These expert professionals are known as college admission counsellors.
As the name suggests, college admission counsellors are responsible for supporting students in their college application processes and course selection, meeting application deadlines, and more. They also inform students & parents about financial aid, scholarship programs, and meet with college alumni to create a good networking system to help students more effectively.
Career Prospects
As far as the career prospect of a college admission consultant is concerned, it’s huge. The majority of students in India don’t get support in terms of career guidance. Either they follow their parents or peers. They are often unaware of the best way to go through the college admission process. They need the guidance of an expert. Hence, the scope of counselling for college admission is huge.
There are lakhs of students who need assistance for college admissions. Therefore, there’s a massive requirement of admission consultants who can guide these candidates at every step to let them study into their dream colleges.
Talking about the education, an admission counsellor should possess:
An admission counsellor informs students and their parents about the education and courses offered, the admission process of the school or college, the expertise of the faculty, fees and scholarships, and other related aspects. They work at reputed colleges/ universities to recruit students, assist them with admission paperwork, establish outreach programs, and more. Not only colleges, but admission counsellors also work at the school level to assist students with the college application processes.
Admission consultants have a variety of responsibilities at school and college levels. They work to enhance the visibility of the institution and invite potential applicants. They guide students at every stage, from school level to college and even while choosing professional course options.
In a nutshell, the role of a college admissions consultant can be described as:
Required skills to become a college admissions counsellor:
If you're thinking about diversifying your career as a college admission consultant, all you need to have:
Jobs & Salary
A college admissions counsellor performs different tasks to help students decide which college to choose for higher education. The duties of admission consultant can be summarized as:
The projected growth rate of college admission professionals is estimated to be 8% by 2024.
The employment opportunities for college admission counsellors have increased in recent years. The average salary of an admission counsellor lies between 4.0 and 5.0 LPA in India. Freshers usually start their career from this range which increases with experience.
Pros & Cons
To get admission to one of the reputed colleges/ universities, students need to write essays, personal statements, LORs, SOPs, and other documents. The thought of it all makes students’ heads spin, but the good news is - admission consultants are there to help them out.
However, like every other profession, there are some pros and cons to being an admission consultant too.
Here, in this section, we are listing a few advantages and disadvantages of being a college admission consultant so that you can also make an informed decision.
Pros:
Cons:
Testimonials
Anupama Joshi
Assistant Controller & Global Career Counsellor, MumbaiFor me, GCC Specialization sessions have added the feather in the cap. These sessions were really informative and have given me a lot to learn. These have provided me with insights into various focused areas and addressed the key points. All the sessions were interactive, interesting, and truly informative. I would recommend these specializations to every career counsellor.
Lakshmi Neti
Trained Global Career Counsellor, HyderabadGCC specializations are very good and essential specializations for any counsellor. Thanks for helping to build and facilitate these courses.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How to start an admission consultancy?
If you want to help students more effectively and efficiently, opening up an admission consultancy is a great idea. To do so, you can follow these steps:
How do I become an admission consultant?
If you like the idea of helping students get into a suitable college, becoming an admissions consultant might be a good career for you. To become an admissions consultant, you need:
Is admissions a good job?
Yes, of course. Being an admissions consultant is one of the most reputed and satisfying careers. You can help students with college admission related queries. You can guide them through the application process, documents verification, scholarships, and more. Resultant, gain substantial exposure and increase your earning potential too.
How much does a college admissions counsellor make?
The average salary of an admission counsellor lies between 4.0 and 5.0 LPA in India as a fresher. They usually start their career from this range which increases with experience.