There are many reasons why a student might want to meet with a counselor here at De Anza. It could be academic as in planning your next quarter’s classes or verifying how close you are to transfer.

You could be interested in career guidance as in discussing your long-term work goals and options. Your reasons for coming into the Counseling Center might also be of a personal nature.

Some students readily take advantage of our services. They come in regularly and might see a particular counselor or academic advisor they have made a connection with. Some students really know how to work the joint. They know more than one counselor by name, and they have learned how different people have different strengths and can assist them in different ways.

Other students never set foot in the Counseling Center or never take one of the Human Development classes our division offers. Many diligent students successfully navigate through the murky waters of graduation and transfer requirements. Fortified by a passion for education and hopefully supported by family and friends, these take-charge students know what they want to study and where and have assumed the responsibility for tackling the logistics of their education.

Then there are other students who rarely if ever take advantage of our services although they could benefit greatly from doing so.

Perhaps some are unsure why they are at De Anza. Maybe others are not clear about academic requirements or policies such as add/drop procedures as an example. Unfortunately, some students equate the idea of seeing a counselor to that of having a “problem” as if there is a stigma associated with the idea of counseling.

As counselors and academic advisors, we enjoy making connections with the students who choose to see us periodically. There is a satisfaction in witnessing and assisting in the growth of our students and to feel like you are part of their life journey.

Students should know that counselors learn and gain so much from these experiences. You are instrumental in our personal and career development. You probably aren’t aware of what you do for us, perhaps because we don’t take the time to express our thanks and because we’re the ones who are supposed to be doing the helping.

The bottom-line is that you don’t have to have a problem to come in to see a counselor. Think of it as a check-up, just to see where you stand academically. All too often there are updates to educational requirements that we can inform you about. If there is something else on your mind we can talk about that too. And if we can’t help then hopefully we can refer you to someone who can assist you. With all the services that we provide, from academic planning to explaining transfer requirements, we look forward to being partners in your education.