College Counseling: Getting Started Junior Year

Story by Thea DeMarco ’26

Sacred Heart Cathedral drives students to be as prepared as possible before moving on to college. In January, Sacred Heart Cathedral juniors will be assigned a college advisor in preparation to make decisions for their future. To learn more about the college advising process, I spoke with College Advisor and Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging, Dr. Angelica Bailon.

How does SHC start the college advising process?
Despite being given a school counselor freshman year who will support you in selecting classes and discussing certain majors, SHC prepares you further by assigning a college advisor in the second semester of junior year.

What preparations do the advisors take to support the students?
All of the advisors bring lots of different experiences. I was an evaluator, someone who looked at admissions, which allowed me to gain more knowledge about what is important and trending for the applications we are accepting. Advisors take a lot of time to look at trends that happen in the admissions process. Additionally, we do a lot of professional development, college tours, conferences and talk to college representatives, which allows us to learn more about the current admissions process. The goal is to have productive conversations with the students to help them make the right decisions.

How should juniors prepare for college advising in January?
Explore your personal interests! It can be really hard to know what you want for your college experience until you understand what you like and don't like. I would recommend beginning with the career exploration we offer on Naviance and other websites. Think about what you want to experience in college, sports, atmosphere, academic goals, and price. What is it that you genuinely like and what are you willing to do?

After meeting with Dr.Bailon, I am eager to begin this process with an advisor and look forward to my college experience. From the beginning of high school, students can feel overwhelmed with applications looming in their future and the pressure of getting into a top school. However, this conversation allowed me to realize that there are many schools out there and one will be the right place for me. Ultimately, working hard and doing what you enjoy will bring success.