It’s the time of year when students scour the Program Planning Handbook in search of a new elective or worry about how to fit in that music class next year. Registration appointments are here.
Beginning in February and extending through April, Carlmont students will meet with their counselor to discuss class choices for the next school year and plan for future years, as well as college.
In guidance counselor meetings, counselors help students choose between different electives and AP or honors classes, as well as making sure students have enough credits to graduate. Because conferences begin in the spring, they are often the first time a student gets to interact one-on-one with their counselor.
“ “I’ve never met her, but I know that she’ll be helping me and supporting me.” said freshman Holly Bazigian.
Although counselors can be a helpful resource for some students, others prefer to do their own research. The
The Program Planning Handbook, which gives an overview of all of Carlmont’s offered courses and pre-requisites, can be found on the Carlmont website. The Course Fair, held in January, is another resource for students to familiarize themselves with Carlmont’s course selections.
“Personally, they haven’t helped me choose classes, because I did the research beforehand.” said junior Gloria Capulong. “[The Course Fair] probably helped me more freshman year, but by junior year I already knew what I wanted to do.”
Due to Carlmont’s graduation requirements and the A-G UC Requirements, counselors have to steer students towards certain class choices. However, required classes can get in the way of electives students wish to take, causing disagreements between counselor and student.
“I went into the meeting [last year], and my counselor showed me what I needed to do, and what classes I could take.” said sophomore Eli Yofin. “My guidance counselor and I didn’t agree on some of my choices, but it wasn’t an argument. It was just disagreement.”
Although opinions vary, guidance counselor appointments are a fact of Carlmont life. Like spring break, course registration appointments are looming on the horizon, whether students are excited or not.
