Coming up short on counselors

In a recent Annie E. Casy study, it was found that Indiana is coming up short on counselors. On average, each counselor is responsible for over 500 students, that’s 30 more than the national average. Here at Penn, however, we are doing better than most other schools in the state. Our Freshman counselors are in charge of about 438 students each and our upperclassmen counselors take on about 441 students each, excluding alphabetical assignments or specialties. Overall our school average is 440 students per counselor. Though it’s better than most, the American School Counselor Organization recommends a student to counselor ratio of about 250:1.

Even with the larger numbers, Penn students are able to receive quality advice and guidance from their counselors, even if it takes a while to see them. To help make up for the wait times and general business of Penn’s guidance department, counselors run programs such as the freshman mentors, to help bridge the gap.  All in all, the Penn guidance staff is here for the students.

Click on photo for better view.