What the fluff am I talking about graduation in October? Well, believe it or not, the DEADLINE to file for a Spring graduation is right around the corner…and by right around the corner, I mean that for some colleges, the deadline to file is as early as this week.
This is super important, all my community college lovelies out there, get into your admissions and records office this week and find out what the deadline is for YOUR college. If you even suspect that you might have all the credits you need for your AA, AS or college Certificate, you’ve got to find out and file.
For those of you who aren’t sure or even if you know you aren’t close to graduating just yet, this is the perfect time to arrange a mid -semester meeting with your guidance counselor, or better yet, the admissions counselor for the school you’re hoping to transfer to (if transfer is your goal that is). I know it’s mid October and it’s the time of year for all of us students when you’re swamped with homework and running low on motivation. I know, I get it, trust me. However, it really is the best time to meet with your counselor and figure out where you are on your path to your educational goal. You can even talk about course planning for next semester!
The counseling offices are dead this time of year, there shouldn’t be a long wait to see your counselor and you can really get some good one-on-one time to talk about your future and the rest of the road you have to get where you want to be. This is something that I neglected to do during my time at community college and it definitely contributed to the reasons I was stuck in community college for twice as long as I wanted to be there. I can’t encourage you enough to get in to see your counselor and ask some questions!
Don’t know where you are or where to start with your counselor … Here’s some questions you can ask to help you get to your goal faster!
First: Make an appointment with your counselor … if possible ask to see a COUNSELOR and not an advisor.
Counselor = YES
Advisor = NO
A whole blog post could be written to explain the difference between the two but here’s the short answer why you want to see a counselor… A college counselor is a FULL TIME employee of the community college. They have their masters degree in college counseling and are in the know-how about how to meet your goals and the matriculation process.
An advisor is (in my opinion) a slightly misleading title. An adviser may be a part-time staff member, a faculty member with another job title who also attempts to advise students, an adjunct faculty member, etc. An advisor does NOT have to have a master’s degree in counseling and may not have received the proper training in matriculation, colleges requirement, course planning, etc.
INSIST THAT YOU SEE A COUNSELOR
Okay, enough of that… once you get an appointment to see a counselor, here’s some questions you might ask to get a clearer idea of where you are at, where you are going and how to get to where you want to be!
1. My goal is _______________________ (to transfer to a UC or State college/Get my AA degree/ Get my AS degree/Complete a Certificate program)…. how close am I? Can we look at my transcripts so far? Can you show me where I’m at? Am I ready to file for my degree or certificate?
2. If I’m not ready to file just yet, how close am I to reaching my goal? If I attend school full-time, how many more semester will I need to finish before I am ready to reach my goal? If I attend school part-time, how long will it take me then?
3. Can we do some course planning for the rest of my time at community college? Can I make an education plan? I need to see an exact path to graduation and reaching my goal.
4. So now that we have made (or updated) my education plan/path to graduation… when should I file for my degree? When should I start my 4-year college applications? Will I be ready to file next semester? Next year? What is the deadline that I need to pay attention to?
Following these questions should help you get a clearer picture of your path to your educational goal. One last thing, don’t be afraid to push for answers. Don’t be afraid to take the time your need with your counselor. Don’t be afraid to insist on seeing a counselor and not an advisor. YOU are paying to go to community college, YOU are working hard to get your degree, YOU deserve the proper help to meet your goal.
It’s the counselors JOB to help you, I hope you have a positive experience with your counselor but if you are feeling like you are being rushed, just take a breath and remember that you need questions answered and you deserve time and attention. If you feel like you aren’t having your questions answered, don’t be afraid to respectfully insist that you get a clear answer.
It’s your future and your responsibility to push for the help that you deserve.
To those of you who are ready to file for graduation, CONGRATULATIONS! To those of you who aren’t quite there yet, GO GET EM’!
gradguru.org 