If you are a high school senior, your guidance counselor is a very important resource in the college admissions process. Working together with your counselor will save you and your parents time and unnecessary anxiety about your college applications. And time is of the essence. Every school district has more students preparing for college this year than they had last year. Talk with your guidance counselor as soon as possible to make sure you are on track for success.

After more than three decades as a guidance counselor on Long Island and in Westchester, Gwyeth Smith advises students and families on ways to build the best possible student/counselor bond. “The guidance counselor should be the conductor who keeps the whole orchestra in line…the applicant, the family, the teachers and the high school clerks who send their records,” Smith says.

Take The Initiative.

When you form the list of colleges you want to apply to, schedule an appointment to meet with your guidance counselor. Being proactive shows that you are committed and are taking the application process seriously. In the weeks following this initial meeting, stop in to see your counselor regularly to discuss your progress with the applications. These visits may only take a minute or two, but will show that you are engaged. “I’m not saying that all guidance counselors have hours and hours of time to devote to each applicant,” Smith says. “But if you signal that you’re gong to work with your counselor, you’ll be off to a better start.”

The 3R’s: Reach, Reliable, Realistic.

Better known as Reach, Target and Safety schools, these categories are key components to your college search. Make sure your list of prospective schools includes at least two from each group. You will need to consult with your counselor to define which schools comprise your three R’s. For example, one student’s Reach school might be an Ivy League college, while another student’s might be a state university.

Ask For Help Prioritizing.

Once you finalize your list of applications, ask your counselor to help you set priorities for which ones you should submit first. For example, students who plan to apply to the University of Michigan, Tulane, Indiana, or other colleges with “rolling” admissions need to prepare those applications first. This will help your application to be reviewed early in the admissions process and you will normally be notified of the decision within three to six weeks. However, Smith says that if you are submitting an “Early Decision” application with a November 1st deadline, these applications will not be reviewed until later, giving you a bit of breathing time. Your counselor can advise you on how to prioritize based on each school’s deadline.

Keep Your Counselor Posted.

“Counselors work with well over fifty seniors and sometimes hundreds,” Smith says. To avoid being just another name on your counselor’s list of advisees, provide him or her with a copy of your resume and a list of your hobbies. You should also share a good draft of your college essays with the counselor. Doing so will help him or her to write you a more detailed and personal recommendation letter. If nothing else, you may have common interests that will help you bond with the counselor right away.

Parents should also give the counselor what Smith calls a “brag sheet” about their child. “This isn’t just idle boasting…it gives the counselor insight into unusual talents, relationships, or situations that may have a bearing on the student’s achievement” he explains. And let’s be clear, more specific information in the hands of the counselor leads to a much more personal and effective recommendation to the admissions offices waiting to hear about the candidate. This is so important that many high schools include a “brag sheet” form in their take home packets to parents.

Have A Little Patience.

Always be considerate of your counselor’s time restraints and be patient with the fact that you are probably one of dozens of students asking for something that day. “You are not adversaries, you are partners on a journey,” Smith says about the relationship between students and guidance counselors.