Effectiveness of the LVUSD Counseling Services in Supporting Students Related to College Admissions

Abstract

With the highly competitive college admissions process that occurs every year in the United States, many high school students often feel anxious and worried about getting into their “dream schools.” In an attempt to aid with this relatively new increase in competition, to combat widespread feelings of anxiety, stress, and worry among high school students, many school districts have implemented college and wellness counselors to aid students in this sophisticated problem, such as Las Virgenes Unified School District (LVUSD). With the recent widespread implementation of these innovative resources, nonetheless, there have been very few up-to-date studies evaluating the effectiveness of these programs in assisting the mental health of high school students around the U.S. 

Therefore, this study aimed to bridge this gap through a mixed-method survey that assessed the effectiveness of these services in LVUSD, and how they could be enhanced to better support students.

Results displayed that although the counseling services provided for the students in LVUSD are effective, they could be enhanced by adding additional counselors and increasing accessibility to these services in various ways to meet an increasing need for support. In addition, there were major differences as underclassmen tend to utilize and believe in the effectiveness of the wellness counseling services, compared to upperclassmen (specifically 12th graders), who believed in the efficacy and benefits of the college and career and academic counselors. By increasing awareness of the potential benefits and specific services provided by each counseling service, LVUSD high school students could be better supported.