4 Benefits of Attending a Counselor Fly-In

Are you sick of wondering where all of the fun and unique opportunities are for growing professionally as a high school counselor? Have you considered attending a Counselor Fly-In event?

Never even heard of a Counselor Fly-In before? Here are “7 Insider Things You Need to Know About a Counselor Fly-In” to catch you up.

I truly believe these are a hidden treasure of high school counseling or college counseling professional development. I’ve learned so much while having so much fun on these trips!

If you’re wondering why you should partake in a Counselor Fly-In event, here are 4 benefits to attending a Counselor Fly-In.

1- You’ll visit a new college campus on a Counselor Fly-In.

This one is obvious, right? Visiting a new college campus is probably the part of the Counselor Fly-In that you’d be most excited about. You get to see a new city, experience a new college campus, and then go home and tell your students about it! A big part of your trip will be touring the campus and hitting the highlights of what makes that school unique. You’ll learn the campus’ history. When you’re on campus, you can visit the bookstore and grab some new swag for your office decor, for yourself, or for giveaways to your students!

2- You’ll have personal connections with admissions officers after your Counselor Fly-In.

One of my favorite parts of a Counselor Fly-In is meeting new people: school counselors, college counselors, and admissions counselors. When you finish an event like this, you’ll have new contacts and colleagues to reach out to for help! You will have put a face to a name for someone you may need to reach in admissions or for your particular regional admissions counselor. (This is so valuable!) You now have this unique, shared experience together!

The networking doesn’t have to stop after your trip is over. Sometimes the college may invite you to a Counselor Fly-In “alumni” Facebook group to continue connecting with others who were on the trip.

3- You’ll hear about other fun Counselor Fly-In opportunities.

While you’re on your trip, you may hear of other fun Counselor Fly-In opportunities that you might be interested in or that would be worth applying for! Others on these trips were always telling me the inside scoop on different Counselor Fly-In programs to check out.

Others counselors’ expertise areas were so unique depending on their school population, their students’ demographics, and their own personal counselor roles. I loved hearing about what they did at their schools and how it impacted students.

4- You now have an excuse to add another trip to your calendar!

If your trip is in the summer, you could add another fun excursion, outing, or longer vacation to the front or back end of your Counselor Fly-In. Give yourself one more way to make memories with your summer!

Most of these trips allow you to request a double occupancy room (or at least a king size bed) in order to accommodate a guest. They won’t allow the person to come to the events, but your guest/spouse/partner/family member can come enjoy the city or college town you’re in, too!

Depending on the details of the trip, you may be able to put the hotel points (even though it’s paid for by the school) on your own rewards account. Rack up those travel points (airfare and hotels) for future travels!

If you’re traveling to a city where you know other people, you’ll probably have some free time to get to meet up with them! You’ll also get to explore a new city or town!

If you have an itch to travel and get exposure to some new college settings, Counselor Fly-In programs are a great way to satiate that! You’ll probably have to put your contact information on a waiting list or interest list, but do your research and get your name out there! Colleges are usually very particular and intentional about who they invite from where. Some colleges are just starting to plan their events again after the pandemic, so there seem to be fewer opportunities right now for Counselor Fly-Ins.

Get your name on the waitlist for the Clique Collaborative, a high school membership community. You’ll be the first to hear when doors open next!

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