Troubles in Guidance Counseling

By: Esther Kane

“You’re exactly like any other Asian, do better.” My college counselor glared at my transcript as her words dug into me. I stared back in disbelief. I was a straight-A student balancing orchestra, basketball, and club activities, and yet that apparently was just the standard for “people like me.” I remember blinking back tears as I left her office, vowing never to set foot in there again. At that point in my freshmen year, I was lost and burned by the experience. I vividly remember losing confidence in myself because I was constantly comparing myself to the other Asians in my grade. I never went back to the guidance office for help because the other counselors were either on leave or were non-POC. My high school years were spent second-guessing if I was taking the right classes and whether I was “unique” enough to get into college. 

My senior year I had to ask them for a college letter of recommendation, but it was extremely difficult to find an appointment due to the shortage of college counselors. I spent the college application process overwhelmed and clueless. Unfortunately, I was not the only one who struggled. Other students also had difficulty accessing the counselors or encountered similar biases that I did. I wish I had better access to a college counselor to help me during the most pivotal years of my life. 

Having diversity in college counseling is crucial for better preparing students of color for college or career readiness. Counseling should be a safe space for all students, but this space is difficult to provide due to both too many students per counselor and a lack of counselors of color. In California, the average ratio is 500+ students for every counselor. We need better school funding to provide the counselors students need to access higher education.