October, November, December… You might associate these months with the year’s finest holidays, such as Halloween, Thanksgiving, and winter celebrations like Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa. But at this time of year, that’s not what most high school seniors are thinking about—they eat, sleep, and breathe college applications. 

The application process is extremely stressful, especially nowadays as students juggle their courses, sports, clubs, and the pressure–looming overhead like a heavy rain cloud–to get into a “good school.” 

These pressures prompt many families to hire personal college counselors, who are paid generously to ensure a student is applying to schools in their respective range, writing essays on the correct topics, and having their questions answered by an expert in the process. 

According to Ivy Coach, a counseling provider, the mean college counseling fees across the U.S. range from $850 to $10,000, with average prices between $4,000-$6,000. Even in a community as wealthy as Marin, this level of investment is not universal across families, which can put certain students at an advantage and leave others confused and unprepared. 

However, thanks to the College and Career Center (CCC) and Tam’s counselors, students can get college admissions support, no matter their economic status or background. With the limited resources at their disposal, the CCC team and their partners have done an excellent job of providing a long-needed service to the Tam community. 

Without the Tam college support programs, students without college counselors would be forced to seek help from their parents, most of whom haven’t gone through the process of admissions in a long time or at all. 

Pursuing enrollment in colleges is arguably more complicated than it was for Generation X around thirty years ago. According to the National Association of College Admissions Counseling, 36 percent of students applied to seven or more colleges in 2017, while only 10 percent did in 1995. Since the 1990s, standardized test scores, financial aid, and the cost of applications and attendance have drastically changed. 

As a result of the increasing cost of postsecondary education, more students than ever before are relying on financial aid to enroll. About 43 percent of undergraduates were receiving some form of financial aid in 1993, as stated by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). In 2019, however, around 72 percent of students were receiving aid. The NCES also reported that only a little more than half of undergraduates attended college full-time in 1993, as most students attended school half-time or less than half-time. 

With all of these complexities to consider, college applicants are now being tasked with the responsibility of “selling” themselves. A teenager, who in many cases is far from certain what their future and career will look like, must present to colleges a well-established, driven, and centered image that gives them the highest likelihood of admission. And, when writing arguably the most important essay, the Common Application Personal Statement, a student must do so in the confinement of 650 words. 

Keila Itzun, Tam’s college and career specialist, continues to repair the college applicant disparity in the 2024-2025 school year. With the goal of providing free college essay and general application guidance to Tam students, Itzun partnered with 10,000 Degrees, a non-profit scholarship provider and college specialist organization, and Bridge the Gap, an on-campus Tam partner. 

“Together, we offer college application and essay workshops. These workshops are typically held weekly during tutorial periods,” Itzun wrote in an email to The Tam News. “Whether it’s helping students brainstorm their first draft or giving final polishing touches, no student should feel like they’re navigating the college application process alone.”

This new resource has helped make the difference for many Tam students, many of which praise the efforts of the CCC, as well as its partners, to actualize this vision. 

“Since I don’t have a private college counselor, like I know a lot of people do, I was going to the CCC pretty much every tutorial to get feedback on my essays and stuff that I wrote. It was really helpful because it trained me on what to look for in my own writing,” Tam senior Grace Kwong said.

Tam senior Nola Palestrant received similar support from the CCC. 

“I went to the College and Career workshop, and I talked to a volunteer who helped me with my essays and walked me through the ideas that I had,” Palestrant said. “They set the foundation for me to build upon at home.”

Beyond the CCC, Tam, as a public high school, has limited resources to provide students with the guidance necessary to aid them throughout this process. Itzun said she is trying to aid as many students as possible, which can become a challenge when some students come to her with misinformation. 

“This year, I’ve seen several students who received incorrect guidance from private counselors, leading to issues with completing the college application incorrectly,” Itzun said. “I encourage students to reach out for support as early as possible, and remember, it’s always a good idea to double check or ask questions if you’re unsure about something.” 

According to Tam’s official website, five counselors are distributed to the 1,540 students on campus. However, these counselors are well-versed in the intricacies of essay writing and general college admissions, so they are a major asset for the students who come to them for help. 

Tam senior Kit Kulina said that she hasn’t gone to the CCC—instead, she visits her counselor, Molly Couto. Kulina added that Couto, who spent a couple months as a University of California, Berkeley admissions reader in 2019, has a lot of experience helping seniors in the application process. 

Tam’s counseling support begins in ninth grade, Cuoto said. They talk about graduation requirements, and they later do individual or small group conferences with eleventh grade students. Students are able to see the timeline of college applications and know what should be done in the spring and summer before their senior year. After this, the counselors send out their letter of recommendation packets for students applying to private or out-of-state schools, which are usually due in the fall of senior year. 

Cuoto said that all of her students receive support from her, no matter if they’re also getting outside application help. 

“The truth is, I have no idea who has a private college counselor who doesn’t—unless they come right out and tell me,” Cuoto said. “I don’t ask, frankly, nor do I care. I’m going to do my job regardless of who else is helping them.”

Cuoto continues to battle misconceptions about the college application process with knowledge from her season as an admissions reader. She said common misinterpretations include students thinking they must take honors precalculus to get into college and that if one student gets into a competitive school, then no other students will be admitted to that school. 

“Ms. Couto has been extremely helpful, and is always willing to have a meeting or just talk with me during tutorial,” Kulina said. “I’m assuming the other counselors are just as supportive when helping with essays, application questions, or just general Common Application issues with info adding or classes to take or how to present activities.”

Although the workshops and counselor meetings are a strong step in the right direction, there is no feasible solution where every student is given an equitable amount of help. 

Cuoto said she sometimes struggles to keep up with all 300 or so of her students. 

“There are students having crises throughout every month. While I’m trying to also make sure my students are doing their applications and making sure they’re meeting their deadlines, there are also students who have immediate needs. So, it is a bit of a juggle of time management.” 

She added that the number of letters of recommendation she writes is “pretty crazy.”

“I’ve already written 48 or 52—I lost count,” Cuoto said. “Almost all of those were for early action, which is fantastic that our students are energized to apply early. But also, it’s really hard to write meaningful letters for that many students in such a short amount of time.” 

Kulina is involved in Conservatory Theater Ensemble, Tam’s drama program, and said she has trouble finding the time to meet with her counselor or go to the CCC. She has rehearsal after school most days and attends drama or club meetings during lunch, which leaves very few opportunities for her to seek the help she needs. 

Palestrant said she never had a meeting with her counselor as a junior at the end of the year, which Cuoto said was standard counseling procedure. This made her feel unprepared as she started the application process. 

“I told myself that I was going to do it all over the summer and that did not happen,” Palestrant said. “I started late and started with nothing.”

Kwong, Kulina, Palestrant, Itzun, and Cuoto all advised students to start the college application process as early as they can. It might seem unattainable, but every senior’s enemy is time, and deadlines sneak up on unsuspecting victims. But, Kulina said that if you’re one of these victims, don’t stress. 

“Pushing yourself to apply to 20-plus schools may not always be the best option for you,” Kulina said. “You can sometimes look back and think: ‘Would I really want to go to these 15 different out-of-state colleges?’ I didn’t spend my whole summer writing college essays, and I’m still on track to apply to the schools that I want to attend.” 

Inside Tam’s classrooms, some teachers are setting students up for success by helping them brainstorm essay ideas. Tam English teacher Barbara Kurita-Ditz reserves a unit at the end of her AP English Language and Composition course, after the AP test, to let students begin drafting their Common Application Personal Statement and University of California Personal Insight Questions. 

“The goal is really just to break the ice, so that students are less nervous about the whole process, and also to create some equity,” Kurita-Ditz said. “Junior year there are already students paying tutors to help with the process, and I think it is really important for everybody to have some guidance.”

Palestrant said she ended up using parts of the essays she wrote in Kurita-Ditz’s class, while Kwong said she was glad she explored those ideas before brainstorming more. 

More encouragement from teachers, counselors, and the CCC to start applications earlier wouldn’t hurt. Despite the fact that students feel behind, they should know that they are not alone in navigating this process. Tam’s resources might be stretched thin, but if students take initiative, they can find quality support on campus, without paying anything. 

“[I] feel a little bit disadvantaged, but honestly, the CCC support was really good,” Kwong said. “You just have to kind of go out and find it yourself. So for the most part, I feel like I’m caught up.”