CCC counselors have students “Walk in” on Wednesdays

By Anna Real
Circulation Editor

Completing college applications is an overwhelming process, and many seniors put it off until the last minute. But many Costa seniors got ahead of the game every Wednesday with help from the College and Career Center.

Walk in Wednesdays, created by the CCC counselors, were weekly lunch sessions held for seniors in room 241 where they could ask questions and get help with their college applications.

“A lot of students found the program useful,” College and Career Counselor Caryn Ramirez said. “They were able to ask questions and fill out their applications so they knew that they were doing them correctly.”

The program started in September but only a handful of kids stopped by for help. Even though the CCC advertised in the daily bulletin, they did not receive the amount of students that they hoped for.

“Some students would come in to my office and ask questions specifically about their individual applications,” Ramirez said. “They could’ve just gone to Walk in Wednesdays and received the help they needed.”

The counselors assisted with all different types of college applications, with an emphasis on the University of California applications or California State applications. They helped students select schools to apply to, answered any specific questions about applications that students have, and helped with formatting and editing students’ applications.

“The CCC was really helpful in making college decisions,” senior Laura Beasley said. “They were very knowledgeable, and the workshops during school made the process go smoothly.”

The CCC also helped students revise their personal statements. They opened a personal statement drop-off box in the CCC, where students could leave their personal statements and have the CCC counselors thoroughly revise them.

“Personal statements really seem to be a trouble area for most students. Students often need help making the letters personable and often have grammar problems. Since we have experience as college admissions counselors, we are able to critique the statements with strong perspectives.”

Walk in Wednesdays ended on Nov. 12. The CCC is hoping the program will become a yearly occasion and that additional students will come in for help.

“We are hoping that more kids will come,” Ramirez said. “The students next year might have different problems that the students this year didn’t have and, hopefully, we can help them.”