2008 Woodie Awards
Students Question LAVC Counselors' Competence
The Valley College counseling department is under fire from the students its here to help.
Eduardo Moran
Issue date: 11/16/05 Section: News
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The advice of the counseling department has many Valley College students questioning whether Valley counselors have students' best interests in mind. Some students claim that counselors have misled them.
"The counselor I talked to sounded like a tape recorder," said 21-year-old sociology major Daisy Hernández. "I didn't understand what he told me and when I asked him about it, he told me the same thing over again with a tone that made me feel dumb."
Some biological science majors say that they have been misled by inaccurate information received from counselors. According to life science majors, counselors tell them to follow the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum, a set of UC and CSU transferable courses, and to take Biology 3. However, none of the nine University of California campuses require Biology 3 and only three California State University campuses require it as part of the biology major.
"I find that hard to believe," said Joyce Romero, a counselor at Valley. "Some of the counselors have been here for twenty years or more. I have never heard any counselors say that to students."
Counselors say that many students are undecided in their majors, which makes it harder to guide them. Students that have decided on a major and know which university they want to transfer to have better experiences because counselors can tell them which classes they need. Undecided students are usually told to take general education classes and by the time they choose a major, they've taken unnecessary classes and then blame the counselors.
Counselors, who see from 50 to 75 students a day, say that students could do more to make the most of their counseling experience. Counselors are a key component in helping students transfer to four-year colleges or universities. By scheduling appointments and being prepared with questions, students can help counselors know what they need.
"As a student, you've got to come prepared," said Raul Bautista, a 20-year-old administration of justice major. "Don't come in thinking [the counselors] will do everything. You've got to come with a path in mind and they'll guide you through it."
Counselor Reggie Reed says that students who drop into the counseling offices instead of making a formal appointment are limited to five to six minutes with a counselor, but if they schedule an appointment, they can meet with a counselor for 30 minutes.
"The counselor I talked to sounded like a tape recorder," said 21-year-old sociology major Daisy Hernández. "I didn't understand what he told me and when I asked him about it, he told me the same thing over again with a tone that made me feel dumb."
Some biological science majors say that they have been misled by inaccurate information received from counselors. According to life science majors, counselors tell them to follow the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum, a set of UC and CSU transferable courses, and to take Biology 3. However, none of the nine University of California campuses require Biology 3 and only three California State University campuses require it as part of the biology major.
"I find that hard to believe," said Joyce Romero, a counselor at Valley. "Some of the counselors have been here for twenty years or more. I have never heard any counselors say that to students."
Counselors say that many students are undecided in their majors, which makes it harder to guide them. Students that have decided on a major and know which university they want to transfer to have better experiences because counselors can tell them which classes they need. Undecided students are usually told to take general education classes and by the time they choose a major, they've taken unnecessary classes and then blame the counselors.
Counselors, who see from 50 to 75 students a day, say that students could do more to make the most of their counseling experience. Counselors are a key component in helping students transfer to four-year colleges or universities. By scheduling appointments and being prepared with questions, students can help counselors know what they need.
"As a student, you've got to come prepared," said Raul Bautista, a 20-year-old administration of justice major. "Don't come in thinking [the counselors] will do everything. You've got to come with a path in mind and they'll guide you through it."
Counselor Reggie Reed says that students who drop into the counseling offices instead of making a formal appointment are limited to five to six minutes with a counselor, but if they schedule an appointment, they can meet with a counselor for 30 minutes.
