HS2 was exactly what I needed during my time in high school. My counselor, John, gave me guidance for many aspects of my academics. Not only did he give me advice on class decisions, he also provided resources for any classes I needed help in. Additionally, counseling never took an excessive amount of time out of my schedule. It was all necessary to keep me on track with my academic performance and progress. Even when I was on academic probation and had to meet with John more often, I realized that it was necessary to have more "check-ups" and it actually helped me raise my grades!
In terms of college applications, I don't think I would've survived without the organization and assistance of a counselor. John's system of small deadlines and steps to the application process made it much easier and much more organized than I could've done on my own. All I had to do was follow this schedule and fulfill the deadlines. This made the application process less stressful and decreased the chances of procrastination. Regarding essay writing, John was also very helpful. He never wrote a single word for me, but instead helped me create ideas and worked alongside me to express them the way I wanted to. Overall I had a great experience applying for colleges, but I don't think it would've been this way without someone to guide me through it. This also applies to my academic performance throughout high school as well. I was able to enjoy it and improve because I had someone helping me put my thoughts into actions.