How is a university counsellor like an admissions rep?

Over the past couple of years, I’ve noticed that an increasing number of folk working in university admissions are hopping across the desk to work in school counselling – and vice versa. 

For those thinking about making this shift, it can be a rewarding transition. But I’ve noticed that there are often misconceptions about each role, and indeed about the overlap between the two. So, here I will lay out five ways in which the roles are surprisingly similar – and five ways in which they fundamentally differ.

How is university admissions like school counselling?

1. We focus on helping students through transition 

Counsellors and admissions representatives meet students at pivotal points in their lives. Counsellors have the task of supporting students through academic choices, future planning and the emotional weightiness of their decisions. Admissions officers engage students as they prepare to leave school and step into the world of higher education.

In both cases, we are working with students who might be anxious, hopeful, uncertain and stuck. The work of both roles involves helping individuals feel comfortable that they have the right information to make a decision, and confident in the choices they make.

2. Listening and advising are equally important

In my former life as a student recruitment manager, I used to attend those big exhibitions in giant convention halls the size of aircraft hangars, and would be amazed at the stream of information that would spew forth from fellow university representatives. No one seemed to actually listen to what the students were looking for. 

A good admissions representative, like a good counsellor, knows how to listen carefully. Both roles involve a balance of delivering information and imparting advice, signposting to useful resources and listening carefully to understand an individual’s unique situation. Active listening – without judgement – is essential in both professions.

3. The heart comes before the head

Working with feelings of rejection, disappointment, overwhelm and self-doubt are mainstays of both roles. Counsellors are on hand to help students process setbacks such as unexpected exam results, university rejections or social-emotional challenges. Admissions staff regularly communicate difficult decisions that can feel deeply personal to applicants. Both roles require patience, a high EQ and the ability to put yourself in a student’s shoes.

4. We adhere to professional and ethical guidelines

Underpinning both professions is an adherence to professional and ethical frameworks. These may come from different professional bodies, such as the NACAC Guide to Ethical Practice in College Admission or the CIS Member Code of Ethics, but they ask members to make a commitment to always act in students’ best interests.

Setting unrealistic expectations, giving out false information and having conflicts of interest can do real harm. Counsellors and admissions reps operate on a code of trust with the students and families they support, which starts with being honest, even when the message is difficult.

5. Success is not always visible

When these roles are done well, the impact is not always visible or obvious. Students who feel reassured by advice, who find their dream institution or who feel emboldened to make confident decisions might never explicitly say so. Like counselling, admissions work often involves quiet or invisible successes that only become clear later on.

How is school counselling unlike university admissions?

1. The depth of the relationship

School counsellors typically build long-term relationships with students, sometimes over several years. Many counsellors work with students across the four years of high school. They have the privilege of gaining insight into a student’s academic history, family circumstances and personal development over time.

Admissions professionals usually have only brief or time-limited interactions with students, often in their final year of high school. Even when interactions are meaningful, they rarely develop in the same holistic way that counsellors enjoy.

2. The scope of responsibility

Even if you are only managing careers and university guidance, school counsellors have to address a wide range of student issues and concerns: academic planning, determining personal values and best fit, financial aid support and sometimes safeguarding concerns; comprehensive counsellors deal with much more.

University admissions roles are typically narrower in scope. Although admissions staff may have discussions about motivation, preparedness or the support services their institution offers, they are not usually responsible for ongoing pastoral care or mental health support once a student enrols at their institution.

3. The power dynamics

One of the clearest differences lies in authority. University admissions professionals are directly responsible for selection decisions that determine access to opportunity. Counsellors signpost, advise and advocate but they do not usually have the same power or responsibility over outcomes. Even nominating students for scholarship opportunities is ultimately determined by an admissions committee or representative.

This power imbalance creates a different dynamic between student and professional, which impacts the nature of the relationship

4. Breadth of expertise

Admissions professionals specialise in entry requirements, selection criteria and application processes; some admissions staff represent a specific faculty or department and have even more specialised knowledge. On the flip side, school counsellors require much broader knowledge, encompassing a broad variety of pathways and opportunities across multiple institutions on a truly global scale.

5. Institutional focus

School counsellors are typically embedded in a school community, which can be a close-knit and supportive environment. Yes, you might have to wear many hats (it is not uncommon for school counsellors to work simultaneously as teachers, heads of department or senior leaders) but the overall institutional focus is on each student’s well-being, academic development and career progression.

Admissions professionals must balance individual cases with institutional priorities, industry regulations, capacity constraints and fairness across thousands of applicants. Even when they empathise with a student, their decisions are shaped by broader systems, often outside their control.

A shared commitment – but different expressions

Ultimately, the training, responsibilities and boundaries of each role are distinct, and provide significantly different work environments. The nature and frequency of interactions with students also differs.

However, both roles share a commitment to supporting young people at formative moments in their lives, and require guidance through pivotal transitions. Both require empathy, clarity, integrity and a strong sense of responsibility. 

In those liminal spaces between guidance and decision-making, between listening and signposting, both school counsellors and admissions officers have a shared responsibility to bring clarity, confidence and a sense of opportunity to an important moment in a young person’s life.