Students at LBCC expressed their thoughts on the pros and cons of academic counseling as the Spring quarter takes off.
“I see a lot of students dropping classes and signing for classes they don’t need. As a result, they make it harder for students to complete their major,” said 34 year old nursing major Jesse Gonzalez on the first day of his last semester at LBCC. Gonzalez explained there are classes like anatomy and microbiology that are being overfilled with students who may not need the course to fulfill their major requirements. Because of this, students who actually need to take the course to transfer or graduate can’t seem to find an open spot.
Destiny Hamilton, 19, business major said “academic counseling is very important and is essential for staying on track with your academics.” She, however, said her experiences with academic counseling have been successful so far: “In my experience of talking to an academic counselor, it was very helpful because I learned a lot about requirements and extra opportunities.” Hamilton says while some students say they feel uneasy about which classes to take, she has left her counseling appointments with knowledge of what is required of her academic plan and a bit extra about opportunities she would have otherwise been unaware of.
21 year old Jai Martinez, who wants to become an elementary school teacher, said, “It’s my personal responsibility to get the information I need to reach my career goals.” Martinez said she feels as though the counselor is there to help her, but it is ultimately up to her to reach out to her counselor and ask the appropriate questions to help her get to where she wants to be academically.
When talking about whether her visits with her academic counselor have been beneficial, Martinez said, “In some ways they have benefited me because I was able to choose the right courses and make immediate actions.” She also admitted, “At the same time I felt like I didn’t ask the right questions.”
Gonzalez said, “It is important to understand that counselors are there to help us and save us money and time.”
The hours of operation is from Monday through Friday at 8 am until 7pm.
For more information, contact (562)938-4561 or (562) 938-3920