This paper begins with a review of past sociological research on the influence of counselors. Most of this past research views the counselor as a "gatekeeper," perpetuating the social status ordering by giving students advice which is compatible with their social status. The research reported in this paper takes a different approach to counselor-student interaction by looking at the processes which predict student perceptions of the strength of counselor influence. The outcomes of this research address the earlier literature in two ways. First, the process outlined in this paper indicates that the channeling of students, if it occurs, may occur in an atmosphere in which counselors are regarded as warm and concerned about the welfare of the student. Those students who, in the gatekeeping literature are most likely to have their aspirations lowered by counselors, are also those who, in this study are most likely to report the counselors as warm (friendly and concerned). Secondly, this study actually strengthens the impact of the channeling argument. While past studies have indicated that counselors affect students in the direction of lowering the aspirations of certain students, this study adds that counselors are most likely to have a strong impact on these students' thinking about the future. (Author/BP)