The new and changing school year presents tough times for students. Luckily, the counselors are here to help. However, sometimes a student will receive a new counselor. There is no need to panic because each counselor provides the same benefits.

During your high school career, it is a good idea to form new relationships with different groups of people. More likely than not, you will need some help, whether at home or at school. Help ranges from switching classes or periods, writing college essays or just needing someone to help you through a tough time. Your counselors will also write college recommendations for you. That means it is important to get to know them. If you have had multiple counselors during your high school career that you have gotten to know, you can have multiple counselors write recommendations to send to colleges. “Change can often be uncomfortable. Learning to adapt to new people and new situations can be helpful in future situations (college, career) when one is placed in a new circumstance and has to assimilate to a different situation,” counselor Brian Gregory said.

Switching counselors can also offer students a different perspective in your academic career. Some counselors might be more lenient than others in letting you switch your classes. Since each counselor is their own person who has their own ideas, it can be a helpful to experience different ones. “When my counselor got switched, they let me switch a class that my other counselor didn’t. It was great to have a new perspective on my academic career,” junior Dennis Moore said.

Another reason why switching counselors is great is that students might not be able to form a strong connection with their first counselor. They might not like their personality or counseling style. If students switch, they have a fresh start with a new counselor, and might just form a stronger connection with them. “I switched my counselor after my sophomore year, and it was really great because I was able to really connect with them,” junior Andre Khoury said.

Counselors also reap the benefits of students changing around. Sometimes, students are switched to different counselors in an effort to make counselor caseloads more even. This helps the counselors’ workloads be more in sync with his/her colleagues. Other times, switching to a different counselor might lead to a better fit,” Gregory said.

Counselors also provide important emotional support for their students. If a student is having trouble at home or working through a tough social situation in school, counselors are always there to help. If students have had two counselors during high school, they have double the resources that they can talk to. “When I was having trouble with my parents, I was able to talk to my counselor and work out a plan of action. I am so glad that they are here to help,” Moore said.

Adam Friedman

Staff Writer