New Location Offers Intimate College Guidance
September 19, 2018
The College and Career Center has moved for the 3rd time in 4 years. Prior to the start of the school year, the center moved out of room A8 and into room E13, which is on the other side of campus.
“It wasn’t my choice,” said college and career advisor Joan Batcheller, “It was because we have so many freshmen and sophomores. They needed the space for other teachers.” She believes that there are 4 different teachers now using A8.
The new location is much smaller. “The thing that will affect seniors is that I had 50 seniors each session for Academy period to work on their stuff, and this year, I can only have 25, and with 25, it was crowded,” said Batcheller.
The change affects the ability for the center to hold “mass meetings,” according to junior Alicia Hober. “Now that they have downgraded to that tiny little room, it will be way more difficult.”
Senior Justin Feldman, however, didn’t find the change surprising. “The old college and career center was huge and it was never always used so I guess it makes sense. You will get more 1-on-1 work as not a lot of people will be allowed in there,” he said.
Batcheller advises students limit their use of the center to just once a week to give others who need help a chance to visit. Batcheller is also focusing on individual or small group sessions before and after school, during lunch, and during 7th period.
Although the new space is smaller, it offers several enclosed areas that can be used simultaneously, which helps accommodate multiple college information sessions on the same date.
Batcheller said, “I can have 2 college visits happening at 1 time. I can have a college visit– Northwestern was here, but I was meeting with a parent and their student in there, so I can have 2 things going on at once, 3 things going on at once.”
Junior Ellie Guthrie appreciates the more intimate spaces available in E13. She said, “Now that they have the little offices in there when you have meetings 1-on-1 it’s more private and you get better information.”
Added Feldman, the center allows “for all students to have access to college help.”
