How to submit a proposal for a college-counselling conference

College-counselling conferences are one of the most exciting aspects of our job. Getting to meet like-minded colleagues from across the world, connecting with university representatives, learning and discussing best practices, you’re bound to walk away inspired and rejuvenated. 

A significant portion of a college-counselling conference is devoted to breakout sessions. Offered by counsellors and university representatives alike, these sessions are crash courses in college counselling. This type of professional development is more dynamic and up-to-date than more structured opportunities, as new proposals are submitted and accepted every year, reflecting the pressing issues and questions of the times. 

Attending these sessions is a great way to progress in your career. But another exciting step forward is to present a session. And, fortunately, college-counselling conferences are incredibly accessible. It’s not only experts and seasoned counsellors who are presenting at these – anyone can, if you have fresh insight to bring. 

So where should you start? Here are some tips.

Initial steps 

1. Identify conferences you can present at

The very first step is to identify conferences you can present at. Here is a sample list (not exhaustive), with their usual locations and dates. 

• International ACAC Annual Conference: North America, July
• International ACAC Regional Conferences: around the world, variable times
• CIS-EARCOS Institute on International Admissions and Guidance: Thailand, September. 
• CIS Global Forum on International Admission and Guidance: Europe, November 
• IC3 Annual Conference: India, August
• IC3 Regional Conferences: around the world, variable times
• Global University Counsellor Connect: Singapore, May 
• IB Global University Conference: around the world and online, variable times 
• Ucas, CollegeBoard and NACAC offer conferences in the summer as well. 

2. Check deadlines for submission

Conferences open for submission well before the actual date – often half a year before. Check when the submission deadline is – it may be different from the registration deadline. 

Session proposals can take some time to put together. And if you’re collaborating with someone (which is very likely), it may be tricky to find meeting times across different time zones, so start early.

3. Check Facebook groups for opportunities for collaboration

Try identifying Facebook groups of organisations hosting the conferences and join them if you haven’t already. Before submission deadlines, colleagues from all across the world may be looking for collaborators. If you’re not yet confident of spearheading a session by yourself, jump on a bandwagon if the idea is interesting to you. 

Putting together a proposal 

1. Think of a topic, issue or question 

You’ve decided to put together a proposal. Now, where do you start? 

A question to ask yourself is: “What am I usually thinking/wondering/reflecting about in the world of college counselling?” We do a lot on a daily basis, so the answer may be varied.

Maybe it’s working with certain stakeholders effectively – whether that’s parents, university reps, SLT or a particular group of students. Perhaps you’ve been thinking deeply about how to put together an effective application for country X. 

Or you may have been irked about the changing admission policies for a certain region or an aspect of application (for example, standardised tests). Maybe you’ve been exploring various AI tools or crunched interesting numbers. Or has something worked really well at your school – or really badly – and you learned a lot from it? All of this is perfect material for a proposal. 

2. Collaborate with others 

Collaboration is key for 95 per cent of conferences. There may be a requirement that two or more people present. Or even if they accept solo sessions, they may appreciate diverse perspectives – so collaboration could increase your chance of being accepted. 

How can you aim for diverse perspectives? Look for colleagues who have a different role or angle, or who live in a different region from you. For instance, if you’re a counsellor, ask a uni rep. Or ask a counsellor in a completely different region, doing a different curriculum. 

Collaboration will also improve your ideas. An idea develops and flourishes when it’s no longer just sitting in one person’s mind. Talk about it with others and see what results.

3. Work to the accepted format

An idea is effective only when it’s put forward. And for a conference, it needs to be put forward in a specific format. 

When you’ve found your collaborators and have a nascent idea, download the guidelines and note the word or character count. Your development of the proposal idea (content) should be done in tandem with drafting the proposal to character count (style). 

Polishing stages 

1. Be fresh and original – and relevant to the conference theme 

Many conferences have themes. Bonus points to you if you can somehow align your proposal topic with these. The themes are generally very broad in nature, so finding some common ground won’t be that difficult. 

However, do ensure that you’re proposing a fresh and unique take, either on the theme or the idea. For instance, you may notice that there have been a lot of sessions at previous conferences on how to write an effective personal statement. However, if you can put your own unique spin on it by introducing an angle or activity that hasn’t been dealt with yet and which has worked wonders with your students – that would be a great direction to take. 

2. Focus on helping others

It’s about the process, not the outcome. Putting together a proposal is valuable and enjoyable in itself. You get to step out of your daily grind and think about a bigger-picture view – or really reflect on best practices with colleagues you don’t usually work with. If your idea isn’t accepted, you can keep trying – there are a lot of conferences out there.

A good proposal is one that’s not intended to boost yourself and build your own career – it’s one that aims to help others. If you must focus on the outcome, think about it in this way: will this session help other counsellors? If the answer is a resounding yes, go for it.

I look forward to attending your session one day.