He’s Got Some Great Advice For You: Relax

For nearly 40 years, college applicants in the New York suburbs have sought the wisdom of an extraordinary guidance counselor known as Smitty. He routinely contradicts parents and guidebooks. He tells kids not to choose a college based on an intended major, "because if you're like most youngsters you'll change that major three times before graduation." He goads top students to look beyond big-name campuses: "It's about the fit, not the brand." In boom times and recessions alike, Smitty urges high-school seniors to avoid taking on big loans: "It's better to have savings for grad school than to be handcuffed by $70,000 in debt."

 

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With his silver-flecked hair and his gravelly voice, Gwyeth Smith Jr. has a way of making families listen to his unconventional notions. He sees the months- or years-long period of considering colleges and writing essays as a journey of self-discovery—America's rite of passage. He reassures parents with the message that where kids get into school is less important than how the process has prepared them to become critical thinkers.

I shadowed Smitty during his last two years at Long Island's Oyster Bay High School, leading up to his retirement in the summer of 2008. By then, he'd worked at six schools with students from all sorts of backgrounds. He'd sent them on to Princeton and Caltech, as well as his favorites—lesser-known campuses like Lewis & Clark College in Oregon, Miami University in Ohio and High Point University in North Carolina.

I told Smitty's story in a book, Acceptance: A Legendary Guidance Counselor Helps Seven Kids Find the Right Colleges—and Find Themselves. Smitty the guidance guru is now Smitty the admissions consultant. Forget economic malaise—he has a packed schedule of teenage clients, at $500 or more per session. Perhaps the most important point he makes: slow down! In Smitty's view, applying to college is all about dreaming. Yet he frequently tells seniors to defer their dreams and spend a year earning money or doing community service. That way, they will be ready not merely to get through college but to relish every day of it.

Here are Smitty's answers to questions gathered from parents and students by the editors of the NEWSWEEK-Kaplan College Guide.

What advice do you have for an average student who wants to go away but has no idea what to study?
Don't go to college next year. Instead, take a "gap year" to work, do community service or dabble in courses at a community college. Grow up, find a passion, save some money. You'll get far more out of college when you're ready—and not everyone is at age 18. College is too important and too expensive to waste on those who aren't prepared.

Is it worth doing the optional college interview?
The interview shows genuine interest in the college, allows the student to demonstrate interpersonal skills, interests, and maturity. At the same time, it's good to have questions about the college answered by a reliable source.