By: Andrew Dinh
Counselor appointments can now be made electronically, according to an email sent out by Counselor Cory Nakamoto on Mar 18. Students can now make appointments on the counseling website in seconds, Nakamoto said.
Scheduling an online appointment will result in a reminder being sent to the student’s phone, Nakamoto said. If one does not have access to a phone, one can come to the office to pick up a paper pass, he added.
“Appointments are blocked off in 15 minute time slots. For any appointment regarding college planning or if a parent will be joining us, please schedule two (2) 15 minute appointment blocks,” Nakamoto said in the email. “If you do not have computer or internet access, you may contact Julie Martinez (Counseling Secretary – 408-635-2800 x4128) in person or by phone to schedule your appointment.”
The new scheduling system is much more efficient, Head Counselor Beth Harke said. Students and parents simply just go to the counseling website and check availability to make appointments, Harke added.
“We are moving into the next century! It’s time,” Harke said. “You don’t have to wait. Our line is ridiculous.”
Waiting in line for an appointment has been frustrating for students, Harke said. Now, the counseling system is more accessible for all, Harke said.
“It’s nice to be able to pull up our schedule for the day, not that we couldn’t on paper as well, but it’s easier across the board,” Harke said. “I’ve had kids who didn’t know that they could just show their phones to their teachers to come up. Show them your phone, and you can come up.”
Junior Arly Gomez often schedules appointments towards the end of each semester, Gomez said. The new counseling system creates a faster process that’s easier for everyone, she said.
“It’s frustrating because everyone schedules appointments around the end of the semesters. Everyone has to wait a long time for that,” Gomez said. “Sometimes I don’t always carry my ID, so I have to wait even longer to look for it, and that’s really frustrating to me.”
The change to the scheduling system for counselor appointments was a welcome one, Senior Mitchell Wettenstein said. The annoyances of waiting in line for a slow service are long gone, he said.
“If you were late, and there were a lot of people in line, you would have to wait for lunch if you went during break,” Wettenstein said. “I prefer the new system, and I won’t stand in line again because they won’t let me. They just told me to use the online one.”