As course selection season encapsulates Metea Valley students, counselors, and teachers work to recommend students for classes for the upcoming school year. Course selection opened in Student Vue on Jan. 14 for students to finalize their courses. 

Freshman Ava Romero talks about her process for choosing classes for next year.

“I went off mostly of my teacher’s recommendations, and I asked my friends, and they helped me and gave me tips on what to take,” Romero said.

Students look towards their teachers for the strongest advice on recommendations. However, teachers input course recommendations for their respective subjects and are not always aware of a student’s overall course load. This puts the balancing of overall schedules on the councilors when they meet with students after the initial course selection process.

“[Counselors] are the middle person that works with the teachers, parents, students, and community in answering and helping build a full schedule,” counselor Nina Keough said. “Versus how a teacher sticks to the core subject, we look at the overall picture to help build balance and help answer any questions regarding courses that are available in the school.” 

While some students focus on major-specific courses in an effort to better prepare themselves for college, counselors encourage students to pursue a variety of interests and opportunities regardless of what they are planning to continue with in college. Councilor Javier Polavieja talks about directing students outside of their mental college plan.

“We try to have them reflect about their interests, reflect about their abilities,” Polavieja said. “You want to become an engineer or you want to become a journalist, but that doesn’t mean that you don’t have to develop other skills.”

On top of planning a main course schedule, counselors also reiterate the importance of finding balance with classes and activities in and out of school. Prioritizing self-care and reflection are amongst the pieces of advice counselors offer to all grade levels to avoid burnout and build a stable plan for the future.

“The biggest piece is understanding how much you have committed to outside of school and in the building, and then really building a balance,” Keough said. “At what point are you getting rest? Are you able to take time for yourself?”

Some students feel the benefits of having outside support with college preparation on many levels, including when it comes to choosing classes. This not only offers them support in the area of college preparation but also in maintaining a steady balance in school. Junior Rachel Shook explains the positive effect having an outside advisor has given her when planning her senior year courses.

“My parents hired a college advisor who’s been really helpful for helping me plan the courses I want to take based on the colleges I want to go to and what major I want to go into,” Shook said

However, while Metea provides many resources to aid students in the course selection process, counselors and teachers are not fully aware of the student experience in the classes they are recommending them to take. Keough offers another piece of advice specifically for incoming students who may not have prior knowledge of the course they are interested in. 

“I think the biggest advice is make sure that you are talking to other students who are peers, who’ve taken those electives to see at a peer level, what it’s like to be in that class,” Keough said.

Course selection will remain open in Student Vue until Jan. 21, with counselors advising students to prioritize initiating conversations with their parents and teachers about their plan for next year in the coming weeks to prepare for students to meet with their counselor in February.