Gunn counseling survey open-ended responses

	A	B	C	D	E	F	G
1	WCDB_ID	What is your current grade?	What can the Guidance Counseling department do differently or more to help you and other Gunn students succeed? (There is no word limit)	What is your gender?	0=negative, 1=neutral, 2=positive, 3=irrelevant	Coding summary: Total responses: 1621 Negative: 722 == 45% Neutral: 124 == 8% Positive: 53 == 3% Irrelevant: 68 == 4% Blank: 654 == 40%	Compiled and coded by We Can Do Better Palo Alto (http://wecandobetterpaloalto.org) from PAUSD survey data collected for March 2012 report on counseling.
2		Response	Open-Ended Response	Response

3	1
4	2	12th grade		Female
5	3	11th grade		Male
6	4	11th grade	Less lines and easier access	Male	0
7	5	11th grade		Female
8	6	11th grade		Female
9	7	12th grade		Female
10	8	11th grade	They should be more accessible as in comparison to the number of students at the Gunn campus there aren't as many guidance cousnelors available in the guidance cousneling department. Furthermore, there should be a designated time in which the student should be able to see their counselors as missing part of class to see the counselor can have a harmful, lasting effect on the student, which twould then most likely lead to more aceademic pressure and stress.	Male	0
11	9	11th grade	I think the guidance office should have at least 2 meetings per person if it is a new student that they have not worked with before because I recently got a new guidance counselor and I haven't met her yet so I don't know her and she probably doesn't know me or understand my goals. I have to start anew with my new guidance counselor. The second meeting would be to check in to see how students are doing. I would like counselors to also give more information about colleges and help students with which colleges would fit them best. Just because a student has good grades, you shouldn't be suggesting all Ivies or top colleges to them. Give them some other options to consider such financially better college options for students.	Male	0
12	10	11th grade		Male
13	11	11th grade	I would like to meet with my Guidance Counselor during times other than when I'm struggling with a class or when I want to change my schedule, I haven't had all that much time to really talk about my future goals with them.	Female	0
14	12	11th grade	I am currently waiting to have a meeting with my counselor even though I arranged it at the start of the semester, so I guess actually having that meeting would be something to change. Apart from that everything is fine.	Female	0
15	13	11th grade		Male
16	14	11th grade	derp	Female	3
17	15	11th grade		Male
18	16	11th grade		Female
19	17	12th grade	A conference about college besides the admissions process. I only received a small amount of information about colleges from my counselor during the Senior Conference. I would prefer to have another conference that talks more about scheduling and priorities for colleges and financial aid. I sometimes feel stress that I do not know what I am doing because I do not know the deadlines and cannot find them properly.	Male	0
20	18	11th grade	Lol I dunno	Male	3
21	19	11th grade		Male
22	20	11th grade	I would like to have more frequent meetings with my Guidance Counselor. I feel like he doesn't really know me, and I want to talk to him about standardized testing and the college search process.	Female	0
23	21	11th grade	More required meetings to discuss progress in classes and the college application process. We are supposed to have a Naviance account but we were never introduced to it.	Female	0
24	22	11th grade	Have more mandatory meetings throughout junior year. Most juniors, including myself, don't have the time to make appointments after school or during breaks, so pulling us out of class one more time would be good.	Female	0
25	23	11th grade	I feel that I've been fairly well helped by the Guidance department; however I'm a bit of a special case, I suppose. I hope that my peers feel equally satisfied.	Female	1
26	24	11th grade	Call students in if they feel they need someone to talk to.	Female	0
27	25	12th grade	dunno, maybe feel more passionate to get to know me i guess, jeau for shrau	Male	0
28	26	11th grade	We need more counselors so they can each concentrate on a smaller pool of kids and be able to do a better job. Private schools have more succes because their counselors have a very small group of kids that they concentrate on. If we can replicate this it would be quite helpful especially in the college application process.	Male	0
29	27	11th grade	Give more extracurricular opportunities through school	Female	3
30	28	12th grade	The students need to know what is expected of them both upon graduation and in their college application. I hate to think this way, but the entirety of high school feels like a dry run for colleges to look at in the applications. For example, the Common application asks about what awards and honors that I've achieved, but I felt like I didn't have enough of them to fill out the forms, and that I hadn't done enough community service to write in.	Male	1
31	29
32	30	11th grade	have meetings with individuals to ask them about plans after high school and help them explore colleges/make recommendations help students with their individual college admissions process	Male	0
33	31
34	32	11th grade	Be more helpful in planning of classes for preparation for colleges	Female	0
35	33	11th grade		Female
36	34	11th grade		Female
37	35	11th grade		Male
38	36	11th grade	they could be more friendly	Female	0
39	37	12th grade	I feel that while there is definitly a general sense that getting a b is equivalent to failing at life, i think the guidance department could bring that point home a little more. for instance they could mention that people who get B's will probably end up as janitors while their more successful peers go on to be lawyers and fighter pilots. I also strongly recommend bringing back corporal punishment, their is no better way to motivate students then a good beating.	Male	3
40	38	11th grade	We need more counselors. Honestly, for the # of students we have at this esteemed high school, counselors can be more accessible if we lower the student vs. counselor ratio. Thank you, and God bless.	Male	0
41	39
42	40	11th grade	be able to talk to students about their needs much quicker	Female	0
43	41	11th grade	There should be more access, especially during the first few weeks of each semester.	Male	0
44	42	11th grade		Female
45	43	11th grade	Make sure that they are organized with appointments since I never receive warnings in advance of a meeting and have received notices of missing meetings despite never recieivng information establishing this meeting. Also, making sure that people for who email get hasty replies.	Male	0
46	44	11th grade	meet more often throughout the year be more friendly come to work -- some counselors are never there when they're needed	Female	0
47	45	11th grade	Instead of just accepting who they are, try to motivate them as well. Suggest internships and opportunities to students based on who they are.	Male	0
48	46	11th grade	Well at our school, a VERY academically prominent school and one that has been plagued with suicides and other problems, there are fewer counsellors than at almost any other schools... I have yet to find a person who can explain to me. Our counselors don't have time for us and cannot/will not help us. Reform would be great, because this counselor system is helpless.	Male	0
49	47	12th grade		Male
50	48	11th grade	Making counselors more accessible to students would be better. This could be solved by having more than 6 counselors for 2,000 students. Seriously, it sucks	Female	0
51	49	11th grade		Female
52	50	11th grade	I feel like my counselor is always busy so it would be helpful if they could call us in when they are free	Female	0
53	51	11th grade		Male
54	52	11th grade	Have more frequent meetings with students, preferably before the end of first semester so if you're struggling in a first semester class, there is an opportunity to speak with them about that.	Female	0
55	53	11th grade	Guidance counselors talk to students more	Female	0
56	54
57	55	11th grade	I don't know. I don't usually go to the guidance counselor because I don't really have any issues.	Male	1
58	56	11th grade	list time for the SAT and ACT tests	Male	1
59	57	11th grade		Male
60	58
61	59	11th grade		Male
62	60	11th grade		Male
63	61	11th grade	Fire (staff)	Female	0
64	62	11th grade		Male
65	63	11th grade	The students should have more opportunities to talk about detailed information that has to do with them specifically when applying for a college, not just an hour per year to see what classes the students plan on taking next.	Male	0
66	64	11th grade		Male
67	65	12th grade		Male
68	66	11th grade		Male
69	67	12th grade	Answering e-mails would be a really great improvement to the guidance department. I find that my schedule fills up and the only way I can get in contact with my counselor is through e-mail. I sent an e-mail at the beginning of January about help with the FAFSA and other various financial aid things and I still haven't heard back.	Female	0
70	68	12th grade	Hire more Counselors so that each has more time and fewer students to deal with.	Female	0
71	69	11th grade	be more available during brunch and lunch	Female	0
72	70	11th grade	talk to us	Male	0
73	71	11th grade	Be available for people who need help when they come in and not take us out of class if at all possible. Listen to student point of view and thoughts before suggesting options.	Female	0
74	72	11th grade		Male
75	73	11th grade	Meet more frequently with students More guidance counselors Change counselors only if students wish to Required meetings with students	Male	0
76	74	11th grade		Female
77	75	11th grade	The Guidance Counseling department can help more with switching/dropping classes to help with the process of transferring classes.	Male	0
78	76	11th grade		Male
79	77	11th grade		Male
80	78	11th grade	The Guidance Department could offer easier schedule changing through emails and whatnot	Male	0
81	79	11th grade	Meet more to be more clear on our college path and options	Female	0
82	80	12th grade	Actually do your job	Female	0
83	81	11th grade	idk	Male	1
84	82	12th grade	Make more mandatory counselor visits.	Male	0
85	83	12th grade		Female
86	84	12th grade	honestly, from what i hear around campus and from my own experiences the guidance department is a chaotic and unorganized mess of "help". A huge improvement would be hiring more counselors	Male	0
87	85	11th grade	nothing much	Male	2
88	86	12th grade		Female
89	87	12th grade		Female
90	88	11th grade	Making time to meet with a counselor is difficult. This is most applicable during the first few days of each semester. When i try to switch classes, i have been faced with a counselor who talks down to me. Although a student, I feel that I should be treated with more respect from my counselor.	Male	0
91	89	11th grade	The Guidance Counseling department could make it easier to make appointments to see the counselors.	Male	0
92	90	11th grade	Be more connected with the students More required visits if students are uncomfortable going by their own accord (about college, other stuff)	Female	0
93	91	11th grade	Talk to me more about my summer program options instead of just saying that I need to do something this summer. I also think my counselor underestimates my academic abilities.	Female	0
94	92	11th grade	Know your students names and bring them in more to discuss future plans	Female	0
95	93	11th grade	The counselors can help students be more informed about college requirements (classes, SAT I & II, AP tests) by giving out lists or links to specific resources.	Female	1
96	94	11th grade	I don't know. You tell me.	Male	1
97	95	12th grade	More frequent meetings	Male	0
98	96	11th grade	be more willing to meet with us	Female	0
99	97	11th grade	I had a very difficult time meeting with my counselor. Finally, after many emails from me and my father, I was able to schedule an appointment. It was after I had already decided my classes for junior year and overall it wasn't too helpful. I feel like I barely know my counselor and I do not feel comfortable speaking with her about anything, even school related things, because we are so distant. It would be really nice to have some guidance and be able to talk to my counselor about personal issues but I think it would just be awkward because we don't know each other. I would really recommend getting more counselors so the student to counselor ration would be lower. I don't think my counselor would even recognize my face.	Female	0
100	98	11th grade	My counselor doesn't know much about me, and doesn't make a strong effort to try to connect with me. Also if I had a dollar for every time I went to his office and there was an "Out to Lunch" sign, I would have 8 dollars. I would be able to buy his lunch and bring it to him while we had a meeting.	Male	0