Beyond the model minority myth: Student–counselor interactions and college enrollment of Asian American students

Due to the model minority myth, scant attention has been given to the college preparation of Asian American (AA) students. Using the national sample of High School Longitudinal Study of 2009–2013, this study examined associations among student–counselor interactions, school connectedness, and college enrollment of AA students. The results of the structural equation modeling indicated that school connectedness fully mediated the association between student–counselor interactions and college enrollment. The findings from the current study suggest that when AA students interact with school counselors in the 9th grade, they tend to feel more connected to their school, which, in turn, leads to increased college enrollment decisions in the 12th grade. Implications for helping professionals in schools are discussed. Practitioner Points Contrary to the model minority myth, our findings from the national data set revealed that a substantial number of Asian American (AA) students had college enrollment rates below the national average. AA students' connectedness to school in 9th grade can contribute to enhancing college enrollment decisions in 12th grade. School connectedness explains how AA students' interactions with school counselors could facilitate their college enrollment.