By: Hannah Ahn

   As the school year kicks off to a start, students find themselves falling back into the swing of seeing friends and diving into exciting new classes. But the fresh year famously arrives with fresh stressors, and this year, scheduling errors have been an issue for many students. However, one group has been largely overlooked when it comes to back-to-school stress: the counselors. 

   One source of this stress results from the master schedule- the set roster of classes planned to run that, once finalized, all schedule changes must be adjusted around. As students try to change classes as the school year begins, complicated requests begin to pile up. “It’s a very fluid process earlier on from December to January, when the master schedule is still being created,” counselor Ms. Bradley comments, “but once you are dealing with the master schedule at the beginning of the school year, with most classes locked in and full, there just is not that much wiggle room. That results in kids getting waitlisted.” 

   One of the most common reasons for schedule changes is that students discover that their course load is either too rigorous, not challenging enough, or doesn’t align with what they plan to pursue after high school. “[The process of choosing a schedule] differs from kid to kid and their respective goals,” Ms. Bradley continues, “Try to listen to your counselor and teacher recommendations to find the schedule that’s the best fit for you.” 

   Some other common reasons students want a schedule change include a desire to be with friends or to change the time at which the class takes place to a more convenient period. However, while the counselors express their sympathies for these reasons, they stress that they are not sufficient for a course change. 

   Ms. Bradley recommends that anyone requesting a schedule change consult the Student Community MRHS newsletter for the Stages document- which describes the range of dates during which students can alter their schedule depending on the type of change they wish to make. Currently, elective changes will only be processed from September 16th to 30th, during Stage 3, after which point students will be unable to change their elective courses. Currently, any elective changes requested must be replaced with an elective course that falls under the same period. Level changes can still be made up to approximately two weeks after midterms, with an actual date to be communicated as the date draws nearer. 

   Ms. Bradley also emphasizes preventative measures to avoid a schedule change in the first place. 

   “Be careful when choosing your classes for the next year,” she states. “Take care when selecting alternates, and make sure to craft a schedule that you would be happy with taking. Additionally, if you’d like to make changes, try to reach out to your counselor during that Dec-Feb period or during the summer. That way, you aren’t rushing to change everything when school starts.” 

   Selecting a course load that students are confident that they will enjoy, as well as good alternates, makes the process of rescheduling smoother and less likely to end in disappointment. Carefully selecting classes also gives counselors a better idea of supply and demand when creating the master schedule, thus influencing which classes are going to run. The master schedule is mostly finalized by June, and so, if the student has a change of heart, they should endeavor to reach out to their counselor before that time. However, in the event of scheduling going awry after the deadline passes, the counseling office encourages reaching out to a counselor ASAP. 

   Above all, the counselors unanimously stress that students remain patient, polite, and utilize the correct avenues when contacting counselors about scheduling issues. 

   “Try to reach out through only one avenue,” counselor Ms. Wonsighl emphasized. “We have a system in place for kids to take the orange-colored slips, fill out the information, and place them in their counselors’ mailboxes. If I tell a kid to follow up through email, it’s fine to [reach out], but in general, please don’t try to contact us in multiple different ways. That creates more redundant information that the counselors have to weed through, which only slows down the process more.” 

   For now, it’s these small measures- filling in your forms, exercising patience, and trusting that your counselor has been keeping you on their to-do list- that can make the process smoother for both students and counselors as they work towards their shared goal: supporting students’ academic success.