In these first two weeks of school, students across campus are becoming very familiar with the auditorium and district policies as they attend class meetings during advisory. On Thursday from 8–8:55 a.m., the senior class has the opportunity to gather once again in the auditorium; but this time, to seek more senior-specific guidance from the counselors.
The senior guidance session offers a presentation and the chance to ask questions, touching on college applications, SAT and ACT testing, scholarship opportunities, and more. Seniors aren’t the only ones invited to this event, however, as parents are also invited.
“A lot of times we tell students one thing, and sometimes they misrepresent it to their parents,” Kiefer said. “But also, their parents can be a good support for them as they move through the college application process.”
On the other hand, while Kiefer highlights parental support, student independence is also encouraged throughout the college application process.
“[One piece of advice is to] remember you, the student, own the process,” Kiefer said. “You act as a legal adult so it’s not up to your parents to do it for you. It’s your process.”
With various different perspectives being given about college admissions, sorting through all the advice can be overwhelming, but it’s a much easier process when the campus counselors are available to answer as many questions as seniors have.
“In terms of the meeting itself, I’m excited to learn more about the college application process, since there’s so much information out there but I never know what to actually trust,” senior Arin Bhave said. “Like, some of my friends are doing essay counseling, and some aren’t. What should I do? Is it even necessary?”
Despite having already gone through the process once, senior parent Youn Cho still finds value in attending the senior guidance event.
“I want to attend because I want to see if they can give me any information I don’t already have,” Cho said. “I just want to know if there will be a college counselor doing one-on-one meetings with the seniors.”
After moving around frequently, Bhave appreciates the event and all that the counselors provide even more.
“I think that I’m really grateful to the Liberty Counseling and Admin for putting something like this together,” Bhave said. “A lot of the districts I’ve gone to in the past did not have the resources nor the time to care this much about students. It was a lot [more] like ‘try your best!’ so I really appreciate the efforts.”
