School Counseling Application
The application to apply for fall 2009- 2010 will be posted soon. Please check this website often to ensure you have the necessary updated requirements fulfilled before submitting your application. To start early for your application, make sure you have signed up for CBEST, GRE, and applied for the certificate of clearance now.
There will also be a Future School Counseling Day sometime in the fall of 2008 that will contain information about our program.
Please e-mail the Graduate Assistant who will update you if you have any questions and concerns you may have as well as place you on the interest list for any important dates, times, and events this coming year.
The admissions process has two phases:
- Review of written application and supporting materials
- A small group interview of selected applicants
*Reviews of written applications will begin on December 15th, 2007. The final application due date is January 15th, 2008 preceding the beginning of the program in July 2008. Interviews will tentatively take place on March 1st or March 15th, 2008.
You must file two separate applications:
- The California State University Graduate Admission Application
- The School Counseling Program Application
Additional Information:
Graduate Record Exam (GRE) Information
California Basic Educational Skills Test (CBEST) Information
**Note: Out-of-state candidates can wait until they are admitted into the program to take the CBEST.
The candidate is strongly encouraged to have preparation and/or experience in the areas of psychology, anthropology, sociology, education, cultural studies and/or child development. This background facilitates a deeper understanding of some of the basic theoretical foundations which apply to the practice of school counseling.
If you are interested in pursuing other specializations (i.e., MFT/School Psychology) in addition to School Counseling, or if you wish to complete your first year of studies in the Community Based Block, you must complete separate applications to these programs as well.
In the first phase, each applicant is considered in the context of three primary questions:
(a) Does this person have the academic background and skills to succeed in our demanding graduate program?
(b) Does this person have sufficient knowledge of and experience with children, youth, and/or schools to predict professional commitment and development?
(c) does this person have the depth and/or breadth of cultural knowledge or experiences needed for service providers in culturally diverse schools?
While GREs and GPAs may be related to these questions, they are not the most important predictors. Thus, we give special attention to the applicants' related professional and life experiences, and compare their articulation of goals and objectives with the program's goals and objectives. However, a GPA of 2.85 is deemed an absolute minimum to gain entry into the program. Each application is reviewed by at least two faculty members who make recommendation for interviews. The final group to be interviewed is determined by the school counseling/psychology faculty.
Please Note: You must have the GRE completed prior to applying for the School Counseling Program
All of the selected applicants come to campus on the same day for a lengthy series of small group interviews with faculty and current students. The small groups rotate through a variety of interviews and activities. Interviewers consider each applicant's "match" with program philosophy and emphases.
All interviewers meet to discuss the applicants, until consensus is reached regarding admissions status. Recommendations for admissions are then made to the Department faculty as a whole. Admissions decisions are made shortly after the interviews; however, it takes at least two weeks before letters are sent to applicants.
This admissions process has resulted in a diverse student body: diversity essential to the process of learning to provide school counseling services to a diverse population. The School Counseling Program seeks and encourages a variety of applicants with respect to culture, ethnicity, gender, age, academic background and experience.
*Subject to change of dates and times