<p>We have four counselors at our school. Two of them are not well liked by some honors/AP students, one because of her college pessimism, and the other for her insistance on an AP-heavy schedule (she's tried to encourage nearly every student in my old journalism class to drop Journalism for AP courses - including next year's editor-in-chief, AFTER she was announced as EIC). My assigned counselor isn't so much discouraging when it comes to my academics as just not-encouraging. She would ask my GPA or SAT scores and then clam up, as if they're not good enough. Ugh.</p>
<p>My counsler was horrific. When a person in my grade asked if she could take AP bio, the counsler applauded her for her motivation. Then I had to talk to her about it and she said that i wouldnt be able to handle it. So I had my mom overrde it and I did well in that class. Then next year I wanted to take Latin as an elective and she said that I would be able to handle it. So I yelled at her and told her that she said that about last year too. They don't know what you are capable of. Only you know and if you want to do it, then do it. I took Latin and got an A+ all year long. Now when she sees me in the halls she wont look directly at me and now she lets me take what ever courses I want. LOL Counslers are crazy and kinda bitter...</p>
<p>Ours is nice, but, well, I think she's a little unexperianced with the whole college appyling bit. She's been a counselor before at a tech school but there she didn't have the same kind of college questions & things to deal with (kids there mostly go into the work world right after or easily get into the next level of education they need). I think the big problem this year was that she's 1 person doing 3 people's jobs (we used to have 2 counselors & guidance sec. but w/ budget cuts & one retiring, yeah, things go crazy!) A lot of my college questions will go to one of my english teachers who have a bizillion yrs. exerpiance combined (Seriously, one's been there for 35 yrs. & the other coming up on 30) and they're real easy to talk to- they don't shoot college ideas down (I think my lit teacher is actually kinda excited that I'm interested in schools that are new to him, different form the usual Ohio State, Miami, etc.) So my counselor situation is ok provided my english teachers don't retire on me!</p>
<p>Jesus christ, you people frighten me. My counselor was never that bad. At least he never discourage me from taking some hard classes or from going to top colleges, though he never motivated me either.</p>
<p>My turn to complain:</p>
<p>At my HS, we are assigned one of 3 counselors based on our advisement (my advisor sucks but that's a whole 'nother story). My counselor was okay, not the best one and not the worst, but she's really young and wouldn't let me add freaking BAND to my empty schedule. BAND! (She relented once I had my band teacher email her)</p>
<p>But this year, when I really needed her for class scheduling, I find out that she went to ANOTHER SCHOOL for this year!!! So we got a replacement (the girls bball coach who knew nothing).</p>
<p>I also hate how even though my school is on block scheduling, we are not allowed to take 8 courses for 80 credits (the maximum number than can fit). Nope instead, we're limited to 70.</p>
<p>Yeah... so on the last day of finals one of the GCs handed out our transcripts and mine had an error. I emailed the GC to just to let her know and she was like 'okay i'll put the corrected copy on the door to the business office' so i go to the school which is 20 min away and i get the transcript... and it's the exact same one! she didnt even fix the error... grr</p>
<p>and also I attached my resume in an email to her (bc we were supposed to get brag sheets and resumes into the GCs by a certain date earlier this summer) and she emails me back and is like 'oh i dont have that program could you drop it by the school one day?' (the school is completely out of my way in a town like 20 min away but w/e)... but who doesnt have microsoft word on their computer?! i wasnt using some weird program...</p>