Students avoid counselors when it counts

By Thy Lam

 

With classes being cut every semester and students fighting every minute for the classes that they want, seeing a counselor and being prepared for the meeting always helps students and can save time and money.

Making appointments with a counselor can help students, especially ones who are struggling with their educational plans.

However, students are used to waiting to the very end of the semester to make an appointment and here they are, getting stuck on a long waiting list.

Some are lucky to meet the counselor before all the classes they want are filled up.

S o m e a r e n o t that lucky, and they have to design their plans themselves which leads to taking unnecessary classes.

Counselors are not waiting to help only one student; they wait for thousands of them.

Instead of getting stuck on the waiting list, a student can help themself by reviewing their educational plan and making an appointment with the counselor as soon as it is needed.

The busiest period of the Counseling Department usually starts when the latest schedule of classes is out.

It’s when the schedule comes out that many students rush to a counselor for advice.

Then they are met with long lines at the Counseling Department and have to see a c o u n s e l o r w h o i s being bombarded with questions and may be tired.

Meanwhile, students who already know which classes they need, just simply register for their class without waiting for a counselor’s advice.

The midterm period seems to be the least busiest period for the Counseling Department.

This is the best time to make appointments, because students do not have to wait a long time and they can make an appointment with the counselor whom they prefer.

Nevertheless; many of them do not know about this or they just ignore this precious chance.

Many students are not aware of the necessity of having a counselor help them develop their educational plan.

One of the most important advantages of seeing a counselor is to know your educational goal in advance.

Some students do not choose the right classes to meet their goals.

If students just takes classes because they simply like them without being concerned if they are needed for their educational plans, they could waste time and money.

Subjects taken are supposed to serve the student’s educational plan effectively .

At the very least they should include r e q u i r e m e n t s t o transfer or graduate with an Associate’s Degree.

There is one more reason a student waits in a long list rather than meet with a counselor when they have the chance.

That is because they want to see the counselor whom they prefer.

It would be fine if that student has no problem with his study plan and just wants to meet the counselor for a less important issue.

However, sometimes students can’t take their time to meet with a counselor because some classes fill up quickly.

In this situation, the student should meet with any counselor as soon as possible.

Then, a student can make another appointment with the counselor they prefer at a later date.

A student usually has only one chance to meet with a counselor per semester due to busy schedules of the counseling staff and student.

That’s why they should review their educational plan before the meeting.

Being prepared and knowing what questions to ask a counselor will help in determining the proper classes to take.

There are various ways to make an appointment with counselors. Student can schedule appointments in person, by telephone or online.

Online counseling is coming soon which will help to reduce the burden that the onsite counseling is shouldering.

 

tlam@elaccampusnews.com