For seniors, the beginning of the school year is incredibly stressful.   College applications are of the utmost importance, with both early and regular deadlines quickly approaching.  The school’s guidance office is the number one place for students to receive free, crucial help with applications from our knowledgeable counselors.   Our counselors have the answers to all of our questions, and have the seemingly magical effect of being able to put our minds at rest.

However, this is only possible if they are available to us.   This time of year, the guidance office is overbooked for weeks on end; getting a meeting with your counselor right away seems almost an impossible task to accomplish.  However, seniors are not the only people in need of assistance.

“While there is a priority for seniors because of their deadlines, we try to strategically set the schedule up because other students also have priorities,” said Director of Guidance Mr. Hank Hardy.  “We have tried though to give seniors the extra help they need.  Last year we held many meetings and set up a timeline of events for seniors so that they can do their part and not need us as much.”

Seniors are not necessarily more important than the other students in other grades.  They too have stressful situations that may require the assistance of their guidance counselors.   Whether it is a junior who is trying to figure out whether to stay in Advanced Placement United States History or a freshman who needs help acclimating to his or her new environment, they are a priority to the guidance counselors as well.

Our seniority should not mean that we are more important and that our college applications trump the concerns of the other students at school.

“While, yes, our applications are extremely important and are such a huge influence on us because they determine our future, this does not mean that we should have priority over other students,” said senior Chloe Klug.  “We are just as important as the rest of the students in the school.”

While I do wish that there was more time in the day to make guidance appointments to answer my many college-related questions, seniors should not necessarily be the counselors’ top priority.

All students should have equal opportunities to make use of the guidance office’s services.   Seniors of the past have never had priority in guidance, and they still survived the college application process.  The same should continue this year and in the future.