March 15, 2024
by Amber Wilson
Why Personalised Admission Counselling? Benefits and Services
Securing a place in international universities can be worrisome for university applicants. When faced with such a challenge, most students opt for admission counselling, i.e., personalised or group-based. As its name suggests, personalised admission counselling assists a student throughout the admission process. It is, hence, a customised guidance that takes into consideration a student’s interests, goals, and background.
Having a personal counsellor can then help students take advantage of a personalised admission strategy that guarantees their admission. Hence, personalised counselling allows students to explore the international universities of their choice.
Having understood the basics of personalised admission counselling, let’s look into its services and benefits.
Services Provided by Personal Counsellors
Since personalised admission counselling is also referred to as end-to-end counselling, a student is guided from start to end. The services that are a part of personalised admission counselling are listed below.
- Programmes and Universities' Finalisation
- Extracurriculars and Academics
- Personal Statement, Resume, and Work Experience
- Test Preparation
- Portfolio Development
- Interview Guidance
- Scholarship Planning
- Application Review
Programmes and Universities' Finalisation
Once you have communicated your interests, goals, and aspirations to your counsellor, you can begin the process of finalisation. The list of the programmes you are choosing and the universities you should apply to is approved by the counsellor.
The approval will be based on the information provided by you, your academics, and previous performance. If a counsellor feels like you have unrealistic expectations of getting admitted to either the Ivy League or the top UK universities, then, they will guide you towards a more realistic approach.
Interesting Read:
Secure Admission in the Top Universities of the UK
Extracurriculars and Academics
The counsellor will also be responsible for managing your academics and extracurriculars. If you are falling behind in your grades, they will strategise to overcome the issue. Furthermore, if your extracurriculars are not up to par with the university standards, the counsellor will help you navigate through them.
Personal Statement, Resume, and Work Experience
One of the most essential parts of your application is the personal statement. Resumes and work experiences are also added to the application if applicable. As a result, all three components of the application are specifically designed with the help of a counsellor.
Keeping in mind your preferred course and university, the counsellor will help you form a personalised statement, resume, and work experience.
Check Out:
Personal Statement: Your Chance to Study Abroad
Test Preparation
The admission committee closely examines your performance in standardised or entrance exams. They also heavily emphasise scores in English language proficiency tests. It is, hence, a counsellor’s responsibility to create a plan for all your test preparations that target your weak areas.
With a well-thought-out plan, your scores will not only significantly increase but your chances of being accepted will also improve.
Portfolio Development
Portfolios are subject-specific and, hence, referred to as supplementary material. Not all courses or universities require a portfolio. However, when demanded, they should display evidence of your previous work in the best way possible.
Counsellors, when helping you with your portfolio, will be mindful of aligning it with the overall narrative provided through the application. Hence, in the absence of a counsellor, there is a possibility that you fail to showcase your best work innovatively.
Interview Guidance
Interviews are not compulsory for all international universities. However, some universities continue to call their applicants for interviews, both online and on-site. These interviews can be a determining factor in your acceptance.
To not leave anything to chance, your counsellor helps you prepare for interviews. The preparation will include answers to the commonly asked questions alongside the key points you should repeat. The counsellor will also help you list down the questions you should ask the interviewer.
Scholarship Planning
A counsellor is responsible for planning your finances too. International students can face issues with their finances since studying abroad is costly. Hence, the counsellor can arrange scholarships, finance plans, etc for you. They will also guide you regarding the living costs and tuition fees at the universities you are applying to.
Application Review
Once all the admission requirements are fulfilled, the counsellor will finally review your application. The application review will provide you with a second opinion on the parts handled by you.
Benefits of Getting Personalised Counselling
Mentioned below are the benefits of opting for personalised admission counselling.
- Expert opinion and experienced guide
- Authentic information at your disposal
- Advice curated according to you
- Recognising your strengths and weaknesses
- Customised strategies for the application process
- Emotional support and peace of mind
- Creating a competitive application
- Consistent feedback for your work
- Deadline and priority management
- Better chances of acceptance due to informed decisions
Expert opinion and experienced guide
We should know when to leave things for the experts to handle. Through personalised counselling, you get to closely associate with an experienced guide. Counsellors can, hence, help you in the admission process and in making informed decisions.
Authentic information at your disposal
Information provided on various websites for international students can be outdated. The best possible way of getting authentic information is through a counsellor. No one knows the information better than the person familiar with the education system. Hence, you will get updated information regarding the eligibility criteria, average GPA, test scores, etc.
Advice curated according to you
The advice, given to you by the counsellor, will not be generic. The counsellor will consider your goals, academics, and overall personality before advising. As a result, the advice given will differ for a student opting for top medical colleges from a student pursuing arts. Hence, a personal counsellor will vary his/her advice depending on the student being dealt with.
Recognising your strengths and weaknesses
Regardless of how self-reflective you are, you can be clueless about some of your shortcomings. A counsellor does not only help your application but also you. Your counsellor will recognise your strengths and weaknesses. This awareness will help you overcome your weaknesses and work better on your strengths. With your weaknesses actively being worked on, the admission committee will consider you more.
Customised strategies for the application process
Strategising plays a prime role in application procedures. A strategy that is vague and used by all will not help your application. However, if a counsellor personalised the strategy according to your course and university, your application could be improved. This will include choosing a narrative for the personal statement, selecting recommenders, and emphasising specific achievements.
Emotional support and peace of mind
As discussed earlier, the application process for studying abroad can be worrisome. Having a personalised counsellor will give you the assurance you need. You will be certain that your work will be done on time and assured of securing admission. Hence, the emotional support provided by a counsellor is unmatched.
Creating a competitive application
Creating a competitive application is made easier when a counsellor is helping you with:
- Identifying your strengths
- Deciding your courses
- Strategising
- Highlighting your academics and extracurriculars
Hence, to stand out, you can opt for a personalised admission counsellor.
Consistent feedback for your work
Working on your application without a counsellor can be very stressful. You are never sure if your application will be successful and if you will secure admission. However, working with a counsellor means constant feedback. The feedback will, hence, make room for adjustments and improvements. As a result, the overall quality of your application can improve significantly through the feedback.
Deadline and priority management
Deadline management is essential for admission procedures. If you are applying to a handful of universities, you can easily miss a deadline for application, test submission, interview, etc. However, a personalised counsellor will keep a record of all your deadlines. Since a missed deadline is a missed opportunity, you will surely succeed.
Furthermore, priority management can play a key role in your application. If you fail to be organised, you might prioritise an element that is not needed yet. This can, consequently, impact your application quality and acceptance chances. Hence, choosing a personal counsellor is the smart way to go.
Better chances of acceptance due to informed decisions
Making informed decisions is important. If your grades are not fit for, say, the Ivy League, you are making useless attempts. Nonetheless, if you apply for a university that you can successfully get into, you are saving both your energy and money.
As a personal counsellor, it will be their responsibility to help you make informed decisions. They will be honest and steer you clear of unrealistic expectations.
Read more:
Secure Admission in the Ivy League
Get Personalised Admission Counselling Through CounsellingX
You might be confused about where to find a counsellor. This is where CounsellingX comes in. CounsellingX is an admission counselling service platform that houses over 1000 counsellors. You can look into how our platform works and get a free 15-minute consultation with your preferred counsellor. Sign up today to explore the world of international admission counselling.
Final Thoughts
- Do your research and get personalised admission counselling
- Get customised advice, strategies, and university/course listing
- Perfect your personal statement, resume, academics, extracurriculars, and work experience
- Be guided for entrance and standardised tests
- Prepare for your interviews
- Form a competitive application through informed decisions, feedback, and strategising
- Explore counsellors on CounsellingX.