I'm not sure what kind of school your kid is in, nicolesdad, but certainly around here parents meet with guidance counselors. I know we are lucky to have a good guidance department; they are a huge asset and their services are well-used. There are group informational meetings where general information and timelines are discussed, but parents are encouraged to email and ask to meet whenever questions of concerns arise. These meetings can occur separately from counselor meetings with the student, or all together, often a mix as everyone is busy.
The complexity of choosing courses as well as navigating the testing strategies (SAT subject testing, APs, which tests when, etc), discussing volunteer work choices, out of school opportunities, whatever an individual needs help with- not something most here would leave solely in the lap of their 14 year old kid. The school has them working on college admissions stuff from middle school on, but I think it is a rare student that handles this alone, and as NotherBen notes, lots of kids don't always relate all the relevant details.
