Graduate School Essay: Pursuing a School Counseling Career

Introduction and Career Goals

My goals for graduate study and my future career revolve around working in a counseling capacity with adolescents in a school environment. During the counseling program, I intend to study with strong determination, aiming to attain the highest grades I am capable of and to learn everything that will bring me closer to preparation for my chosen profession. I am very dedicated to building a successful school counseling career, and I believe that graduate studies are the way to achieve that.

I also believe that my past experience is beneficial to what I would like to do with the rest of my life, and that it will not only help me in my career but also in my actual studies. In the past, I worked with eleven- to thirteen-year-old girls on the development of psychology in adolescents. During that time, I had the opportunity to speak with them on a personal level and to counsel them as well. This real-world experience was very important to me and only helped enhance what one learns in the classroom.

Academic Background and Classroom Experience

I also have an academic background in this area, having excelled in all of my psychology and education classes, as reflected in my grades. As a history major with a minor in psychology and a teacher education certification nearing completion, I found my greatest interest in my psychology and education courses. In one of my education classes, I tutored a student at a local middle school. As a tutor, I worked individually with this student during his eighth-grade year, meeting with him once a week for an hour each session. I helped him prepare for the state standardized test and brought in different materials to help improve his verbal skills, which was an area in which he was struggling.

At the conclusion of the program, both my student and I noticed significant improvement in both his confidence and his verbal skills. The tutoring experience gave me direct insight into the academic and personal challenges that adolescents face — insight that I believe will serve me well in graduate-level counseling study.

Tutoring and Conflict Resolution with Students

In addition to academic progress, my student also began speaking with me on a personal level, and this was probably the most meaningful part of our time together. He explained that he was being bullied and that he also struggled with organization. I was able to provide academic advisement by suggesting ways he could become better organized and avoid procrastinating with his work.

I also listened to his problems and suggested ways he could deal with them more constructively. I encouraged him to practice confidence and to address the bully verbally, while never responding with anger. At our next meeting, he told me he had tried it — and that the boy had stopped bullying him. This outcome reinforced my belief in the power of calm, structured counseling interventions when working with young people facing bullying and peer conflict.