Collaboration and cooperation are keys to a successful college search

American transportation systems, infrastructure and community amenities have all benefitted from public-private partnerships, which are contractual agreements between a governmental entity and a commercial one.

But there’s something much simpler and easier to initiate that benefits college-bound students and their families: an informal public-private collaboration.

Whether a student is in a public or private high school, the college search journey requires time, patience, homework and lots and lots of knowledge. High school counselors, who may have responsibility for as many as 500 students, can’t possibly keep up with changes in financial aid, coach every student through their SAT or provide feedback on admission essays.

Even home-school parents, who only have their child’s best interests at heart, may not be equipped for the intricacies of merit aid, need-based aid, scholarships, choosing a college or a major, or any of the million other decisions that have to be made.

It’s worth it, therefore, for a high school or community organization to collaborate with those who have expertise.

Before entering into a collaboration with a private company, a public school needs to be sure that families won’t be subjected to a sales pitch.

 Workshops should simply be about sharing resources, information and knowledge, to the benefit of the students, their families and the high schools themselves.

These partnership workshops help high school counselors offer their students additional assistance with college selection, essays, application support, and other areas in preparing them for college.  

Students are especially eager for one-on-one help.  They often need the special attention that a school counselor simply doesn’t have time to provide. 

Nonprofits, high schools and community organizations are right to be wary of partnerships with for-profit firms, and they should do their due diligence to ensure a good experience for their constituents. A company should be able to provide references and reviews from previous partners, as well as demonstrate the expertise of its staff.

Erin Hack, a high school counselor in the Chicago area, has more than 15 years’ experience in high school and college career counseling. She is also an advisor with www.MyCollegePlanningTeam.com  For a list of workshop offerings for your school, visit MCPT’s workshop page. You can also email info@collegeplanningteam.com