Senior year, for me, has presented itself with a wealth of challenges including deciding where to attend college, making good grades in all of my classes, and most importantly how to get out of bed each morning. Senioritis, which has managed to have its own definition on Wikipedia, has been a very real condition. Luckily, I thought, high school will be over soon and I will be on my way to college. However, I did not expect that applying for college would be such an ordeal.

Fortunately for me and all sophomores through seniors with a last name starting A-C, I have been blessed with a wonderfully helpful guidance counselor who has answered all questions I have encountered throughout the application process. Unfortunately, due to the sheer size of Wando, getting past the iron curtain of the guidance office is no small task.

Music has always been a passion of mine; it is a subject that I take seriously and have devoted much time to studying. Hoping to gain a head start on my college studies, I decided to try to take the AP Music Theory exam for college credit as an independent study, since the course is not offered here. I followed the instructions on the College Board’s website, which specifically states students wishing to take an AP exam on a subject not offered at the school are welcome to do so, and should contact the school’s AP coordinator. That’s exactly what I did, but I was turned away. I was told there are a number of students every year who wish to attempt to take AP exams for subjects not offered at Wando, but it’s against school policy. I imagine this policy exists to prevent unprepared students from failing AP exams, thereby lowering the school’s extremely high passing rate. Nevertheless, the policy hinders educational opportunities for students. The policy -- without question -- should be changed.

But that wasn’t the only problem I had with the application process.

One day earlier this semester, I stopped by school to drop off the application. With the deadline approaching, I came by the guidance office on a day that students had off, but teachers and faculty members were working. In the guidance office, I was greeted by several counselors sitting in a circle chatting in what seemed a casual manner. After asking if one of them could spare the five minutes it takes to print and mail a form, I was told “they weren’t doing that stuff today.” Despite explaining it was necessary for the application to be sent off as soon as possible to meet the deadline, I was given a half-hearted apology and sent on my way.

Now, had this been one of my top choices for a college, my body temperature would have risen to approximately 200 degrees and my head would have exploded, but due to my relatively cool temperament, I tipped my hat and went about my business. But what would have happened if that school had been one of my top choices? Would they have then sent me away?

The last incident actually turned out with a somewhat-happy ending, but gave me quite a scare. After the debacle concerning the aforementioned application, I stopped by (well in advance of the deadline) to drop off the application to one of my top-choice schools. Anxious to make sure that everything was taken care of in time, I made numerous attempts at contacting my counselor, all in vain. As it turns out, she did send off the application on time; in fact, it was sent on the final day before the deadline. Here’s the kicker: my guidance counselor didn’t even receive the forms I dropped off until the day they were mailed, which means they spent a little over a week collecting dust somewhere. It was a coincidence that they were sent off in time; just one day more, and the application would have been sent too late.

My point is not to point fingers, but rather to advise those who will be going through this process. Make sure to always deal with your guidance counselor directly. In as a large a school with as successful a reputation as Wando built by many talented and hard-working students, more personal contact with their counselors is a must. Here are a few things that could grease the gears of our high school’s complex machinery:

First off, seniors need to be better informed about how to apply for college. I was given little information at the beginning of the year about what steps needed to be taken, and for that reason ended up turning in most of my applications in closer to the deadline than I would have liked. I’m sure advisement was intended for this purpose, but each month I find another 45 minutes of valuable time spent discussing words like “character” and “personality” instead of using the time to inform students about something more applicable to what’s going on in their lives.

Second, there ought to be a more efficient system for students to turn in application forms to their counselors. This could be through a clearly set policy of form deadlines within the guidance department and a system of direct drop-offs of forms to one’s own guidance counselor. Also, some type of check-up system could be created easily -- perhaps on Wando’s website -- allowing students to check the status of their application send-off without having to set up an appointment with their counselor.

Last but perhaps most importantly, every student who wishes to commit to an independent study on an AP subject which is not offered as a class at Wando should without be allowed to do so.

I still think Wando is remarkable for being able to succeed in accommodating and carrying almost 3,000 students to success, but there are certain policies and practices that can be adjusted in order to benefit the students’ educations. The first and foremost concern should be to nurture and encourage academic strivings.