College Counselor

As a school recognized for academic excellence where 100% of our students attend college, the South Carolina Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics (GSSM) invites applications for a College Counselor. This is a full-time, 12-month position reporting to the Director of College Counseling and Advising.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree and experience in college admissions and/or college counseling. Master’s degree preferred.
• Possess an in-depth knowledge of colleges and universities as well as an understanding of the current college admissions landscape.
• Proficiency in MS Office, specifically Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and familiarity with using a student database for college admissions such as Scoir or Naviance.
• Intimate knowledge of the financial aid process.
• Excellent communication, writing, and public-speaking skills.
• Availability to work evenings and weekends for special programming.
• Ability to coordinate and accomplish tasks in a deadline-driven environment.
• A strong sense of ethics and professionalism.
• A team-oriented approach to all aspects of the college counseling process and a collaborative spirit of engagement in all professional endeavors.
• Commitment to building a diverse, equitable and inclusive school community
• Ability to work collaboratively on a team with humility, patience, and a sense of humor.
• Experience working with high school students in an advanced and specialized academic environment is preferable.
• Experience working with students virtually (i.e. via Zoom) is a plus.

Position responsibilities:

• Working closely with the individual students in their assigned caseload (residential, virtual-at home high school, and virtual-at home students), recommending colleges for each student to consider based on the student’s interests, and helping each student with the college application process, including reviewing essays.
• Counseling the student and parent(s)/guardian(s) through every stage of the college admission process, including applications for merit scholarships, honors programs, and applying for financial aid.
• Write supportive, relevant, and compelling letters of recommendation.
• Preparing school documents for student’s applications and submitting via SCOIR.
• Communicating effectively with parents, via individual student/parent meetings and written correspondence.
• Participate as an instructor in GSSM’s College Planning Seminar in fall and spring, conducting classes on applying to college, resume building, and writing compelling and effective college essays.
• Build and foster strong relationships with college and scholarship representatives to best advocate for our students.
• Assist with the administration of standardized testing (PSAT, SAT, ACT, Career Readiness exams, and AP exams).
• Develop and expand long-term relationships with colleges and universities.
• Pursue on-going professional development by attending conferences and college tours.
• Demonstrate proven ability to multi-task, organize events, shift gears, make decisions quickly and most importantly, have fun. 

This is a full-time (12-month) position with State benefits and salary commensurate with qualifications and experience.  The position start date is as soon as possible, but it will remain open until filled.

Please apply electronically.  Forward a cover letter and resume, along with the GSSM/State Application, available on our website (www.scgssm.org/employment), to Careers@gssm.k12.sc.us.  Include “College Counselor” in the subject line.

The Governor’s School is an Equal Opportunity Employer.