As the second semester starts, underclassmen have begun the stressful process of scheduling for the upcoming school year. Throughout this long process, students have the opportunity to meet with their counselor one-on-one to discuss their future plans.
The process is nerve-wracking for students of all ages as they prepare for a new chapter in their high school career. Incoming freshmen are most susceptible to these nerves as they are essentially setting up the beginning of their future.
“You are gonna be doing the rest of your life and you have to decide at a very young age which is definitely putting a lot of stress on the students,” Addie Hood (8) said.
Students should be prepared to make these challenging decisions however, as the classes they pick can set them up for success.
“Choose what is best for you and not just what your friends are doing,” school counselor Erica Thomas said.
Highlands does a good job of offering a wide variety of different courses and pathways for all types of students with different interests but this can make the choosing process more difficult.
“Some might not know what they want to take by the deadline that you have to submit your classes,” Parker Short (9) said.
This class variety can also be stress inducing as students want to ensure they decide on what is right for them and their own path.
“I think a lot of students understand the importance of picking the right classes and they are oftentimes very worried that they’ll pick the wrong ones or something they’ll regret,” Brady Smith (11) said.
On top of the wide class variety, Highlands’ counselors provide extensive support to guide students as they set up their schedule, one being the four-year plan.
“I also appreciate how there is a 4-year plan. That helped me a lot when I was a freshman and sophomore to get a good look at the path I will be taking and what classes I can take that will help with that path in the future,” Smith (11) said.
Scheduling also brings up thoughts of graduation. Students must select certain courses in order to achieve all of their requirements while also working towards finding potential career paths.
“Graduation requirements always take precedence. However, electives are utilized to help students utilize opportunities to learn more about career paths that students are interested in,” Thomas said.
Despite the extensive help from counselors, there are still a number of issues that students can run into during this process because of the demand for certain classes.
“I have run into a few conflicts because there are a lot of classes I want to take, but I can’t take all those classes at once because a lot of them are very difficult to get into,” Hood (8) said.
Even with all of the difficulties with scheduling counselors make sure to guide students every step of the way to lessen any stress and ensure students like their schedule.
“We also help facilitate and work closely with our staff and legacy teachers to help provide intentional opportunities for students to plan and research classes and career pathways they are interested in,” Thomas said.
