News
1.16.07 Jason was interviewed for an article titled "UCLA officials de-emphasize rankings" in the UCLA Daily Bruin.
Excerpt from that article:
Jason Katz, founder and counselor at JKatz College Counseling in Silicon Valley, has noted the influence of the rankings on his clients.
"A lot of students use the rankings as a sort of guide. It's not viable, though. I generally tell them that it doesn't make a difference where you go to school, it makes a bigger difference what you do at the school," said Katz, who puts more weight on books such as "Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College," than on rankings.
This article originally appeared in The Daily Bruin on January 16, 2007.
11.13.06 Jason was quoted in an article called "Clambering for Counseling" by
Sarah Stringer of the Campanile (Palo Alto High School).
Excerpts from that article:
Jason Katz, founder of JKatz College Counseling and a weekly college columnist for The Palo Alto Daily, assists students with college applications, beginning with helping them choose colleges that fit their interests.
"The main thing I do to help students is to help them find the college appropriate for them," Katz said. "This is more difficult than it sounds because the knowledge of the students is often limited and the knowledge of their parents is often out-of-date."
Katz also helps with many steps in the actual application process.
"I do many different things to help students," Katz said. "These include evaluating transcripts and test scores, brainstorming essay topics for college applications and essay critiques, helping prepare a college resume, discussing teacher recommendations, establishing timelines throughout the process, discussing strategies for college interviews and assisting in final decision making."
"Many high school counselors are often swamped with work," Katz said. "The end result is that the student does not get to spend sufficient time with his or her high school counselor."
Katz also mentioned that independent college counselors have more time to dedicate to each student and his or her needs.
"[A private college counselor] can customize a 'getting into college' plan for each one of his or her clients," Katz said. "If that client only needs a minimal amount of help, then he or she can meet with the private college counselor for just a few hours. However, if the client wants help throughout the entire process, he or she can begin meeting with the private college counselor during their sophomore or junior year and can spend as much time with the counselor as he or she deems necessary."
"Unfortunately, the college admissions process, which should be an exciting and positive experience, has become for many an experience in lost self-esteem," Katz said. "There really is no need for the process to be negative, because there are many excellent choices out there for a wide variety of students. Helping students to make that choice in an environment of peer and family pressure is what makes my job challenging."
This article originally appeared in The Campanile on November 13, 2006.