Located in Woodland Hills, California, Taft High School (more formally known as William Howard Taft Charter High School) has the highest number of open enrollment students in California, which means that students from other areas have petitioned and now attend Taft. Taft is a public charter high school and offers free college counseling to help students apply to college.
How Taft High School College Counseling Works
Taft school counselors are assigned according to a student’s class and last name. The counseling staff at Taft must work not only as college counselors but as behavioral and guidance counselors as well — they pull triple duty at the school of about 2,300 students. Taft has two counselors who provide dedicated college counseling services. In a senior class of over 600 students, each college counselor is responsible for over 300 students.
Although all Taft college counselors currently on staff have Pupil Personnel Services credentials (an advanced school counseling certification that all public high school counselors are required to have), they may lack sufficient experience with college advising. With Taft High School college counseling, your child’s introductory session for college counseling services may not start until his or her senior year begins.
So what does that mean to you? Your child has worked hard at Taft to earn good grades, participate in clubs and organizations, and to grow as a young adult. And soon, you are going to invest tens of thousands of dollars in a great college education.
Would you like to make sure your child has the best opportunity to get into the right college and prepare for the life you wish for him or her?
Here’s how to do that…
Begin Planning for College Now
Don’t put off college planning until senior year. Earlier is better when preparing for college, and there are certain things that must either be planned or done before senior year begins.
College planning should include:
- Beginning in the 9th and 10th grades, your child should take the classes they need in their target college and major.
- Exploring and developing a college list during 11th grade.
- Researching and applying for college financial aid.
- Finishing a college essay draft before the start of their senior year.
- Preparing for and taking the SAT and ACT college prep tests at the right time.
This where you start, but there’s so much more, and your Taft High School counselor may just not have enough time to spend with your child, giving them the personal attention they need.
The counselors also take the summer off, like most public school employees. But preparing for college doesn’t stop when summer begins, especially for incoming seniors! That may mean you and your child have to navigate the college planning process without guidance or support during a very important time.
How Private College Counseling Can Help
A professional college counselor is the key to your child’s future. Compared to Taft High School College Counseling, Magellan College Counseling’s independent college counselors better prepare your child for college and make the process more organized and less stressful. We don’t just help your child get into college — we help your child get into the college that is best for them. And we take the time and make the effort to do it right.
Our college counseling services start with getting to know your child. We know that your child is more than just grades and test scores, so we learn about their talents, their goals, and their dreams. We then match your child with one of our professional college counselors.
Every counselor on the Magellan College Counseling team is a member of several college counseling organizations, and we and we abide by the standards set by those professional organizations.
Our counselors have conducted personal visits to college campuses located throughout the country. Together, our team has personally visited over 300 colleges and universities. We know what they offer and can help you find the right match for your child.
Each college counselor on our team is experienced with several specialty subjects, and that’s why there’s a counselor — just like there’s a college — for every student. Our specialties include STEM, engineering, athletics, liberal arts/humanities and more.
Unlike Taft High School college counseling, our college counselors only work with a handful of students at a time, because your child deserves personal attention. We begin with your child’s early hopes and dreams and guide them all the way through to making their final choice among the (often) multiple college acceptances. You and your student receive personal attention the entire way.
Want to talk about how Magellan College Counseling can help your child prepare for college? Then let’s discuss it! Contact us via our form or call us at 877-5-MAGGIE (877-562-4443).