Antonio Hernandez
The sterile room is quiet, with blue chairs lining the walls and anxious students looking over papers.
Above them, a poster hangs with the quote, “You measure the size of accomplishments by the obstacles you had to overcome to reach your goals.”
This is the waiting room for the counseling office and where most Pierce College students begin their long journey to graduation.
Beyond the waiting room and through the hallway rests the office of counselor Sue Buchbinder. She has offered guidance to many students in her 34 years of working at Pierce.
“It’s very important that the student gets the whole picture and everything that they need,” Buchbinder said.
Most students visit her to receive a wealth of information on graduation requirements.
There are packets upon packets and papers upon papers, with every bit of information that a student needs, most of which Buchbinder has already placed neatly in a folder for students.
Within these folders are the requirements for an associate degree, along with the three pathways that can be taken to earn it.
There is a transfer option for students planning to transfer to a California State University (CSU) or University of California (UC) campus.
The second option is for students planning to complete an occupational degree at Pierce. The third is for students who plan to complete a degree at Pierce but have no plans to transfer.
It may sound daunting to many students, but the counseling office has an online site, www.piercecollege.edu/offices/counseling/, that offers more resources to help.
“With the Internet, we have really improved our accessibility to our students,” said Buchbinder.
By visiting the Pierce Web site, clicking on the students link, then clicking on the counseling link, the student is brought to the counseling office home page.
On the home page are a variety of tools for the user, including information on student success courses, workshops, counseling services, transfer requirements and information on an associate degree.
Another online tool is the Web site, assist.org, which enables students to find community college courses that are transferable to a UC or CSU campus.
It can even be used to explore majors available at CSU and UC campuses.
All of this can be a great help to students who may still find themselves dizzy with information after visiting a counselor.
“The first time I went to the counseling office, they just placed a packet in front of me. I checked assist.org ,which made everything much easier and went to the counseling office a second time, where then they were helpful,” said Christian Mendoza, a California State University Northridge (CSUN) student attending Pierce.
While he is not earning his associate degree at Pierce, Mendoza is taking many of his general education required classes here, rather than at CSUN.
“It’s a whole lot cheaper to finish my general education here,” said Mendoza.
When a student has met all the requirements for their associate degree, they must visit the graduation office located on campus in the Admission and Records building.
Regardless of whether they wish to transfer, students must obtain a petition to graduate and turn it in to the graduation office before deadline.
“Most students think once you fill out the requirements for an associate degree, it is done automatically for you, but it’s not,” said Rocio Rubalcava, the admissions and records evaluation technician.
Graduation is June 4, 2008, and preparations are already under way, as students rush into the graduation office.
However, new students are just coming to grips with the process.
“I’m still used to high school; everything is pretty much done for you. Here though, it’s all up to you and there is so much to do,” said Amelia Castro, a first-year student at Pierce.
First-time Pierce College student Julian Decludt, 19, waits in the counciling office in Nov. 26, to lay out the course for his future. ()