About four days before Statesman Start this summer, I got a phone call from my counselor. The problem, she explained, was that one of my classes didn’t fit into my schedule. But when she told me which class, I realized it wasn’t actually a class I’d signed up for. It was a simple administrative mistake, and it was easily remedied. But it got me thinking: why had I been instructed to turn in a list of the classes I wanted to take months earlier?
School starts in early September, but Marshall requires students to turn in course selection sheets months earlier. According to Cindy Blakeley, Director of student Services, the sheets, on which students list the classes they want to take the next year, are due around the time fourth quarter interims are sent home. The early deadline creates an administrative hassle for students and counselors who need to deal with course changes, and it stresses out students who feel pressured to choose a schedule before they know what classes they really want to take.
For the first week or two of school, the counselors’ offices are swamped with students trying to change their schedules during Learn or before school. However, many of these students wouldn’t need to do so if they were given more time to choose their classes in the first place. This is especially true for juniors and seniors, many of whom are planning to get an IB diploma and need to take certain classes. In addition, graduation requirements such as the new Personal Finance class make many students think twice about their schedules. Allowing students to choose their courses closer to the start of the school year would give them more time to think about these concerns in advance, reducing the number of students crowding their counselor’s office to change their schedules.
Another major problem is that the course selection sheets are treated too seriously. It is perfectly reasonable for the school to ask early for the number of students who want to take certain classes. However, this list should not need to be the same as students’ formal schedule picks. The school should distribute a questionnaire early, then ask for course selection sheets closer to the start of the new school year. This would provide administrators with the information they need while allowing students more time to think through their schedules.
Blakeley points out that a majority of students actually don’t change their schedules after submitting their course selection sheets. Although this is true, it doesn’t take a majority of students to seem like a lot, especially since only six counselors serve the entire student body of over 1800. Additionally, some students who change their schedules do so multiple times, raising the number of changes made. The number of students changing their schedules at the beginning of the year may not be a majority, but it still results in long lines outside each counselor’s door, a hassle for both counselors and students.
Unfortunately, the process of choosing courses tends to feel stressful and rushed. The most obvious solution for the school would be to delay the deadline for the course selection sheets, giving students more time to consider their options and make thoughtful choices. This would also reduce the volume of schedule changes counselors must make in the beginning of the school year and over the summer. Course selection is important; Marshall should treat it as such and allow students to take their time on it.