A new class has been implemented for the 2012-2013 seniors—a mandatory college counseling class that will meet once each nine-day rotation during students’ free periods throughout the fall semester.

The endeavor to prepare students for the trials and tribulations of applying to college was spearheaded by the four college counselors–Cathy Chen, Michael Brody, Mark Clevenger, and Brad Ward–as well as Upper School Director John Schafer. The main goal of the class is to ensure that all students are prepared for application deadlines, which entails eliminating procrastination. “It’s a lot easier for anyone to accomplish something in a supervised setting than at home with all the constant distractions of texting, Facebook, YouTube, et cetera,” Ward said. Students agree. Senior Nico Carrino explained that the class “forces [seniors] to set aside much needed time to work on college apps.”

The class will consist of writing supplements and working on both the Common and UC applications. It will also help students keep track of SAT/ACT scores, keep school lists current, and use Naviance, a system through which seniors can organize their college plans.

Although classes have not started, students have responded with tentative enthusiasm. “For students who aren’t good with procrastination, this class is great,” says senior Lindsay Montgomery.

The downside, however, is that students have not reacted well to the fact that the class is mandatory. “I think that the word mandatory scares people, especially Menlo students who are so used to choosing exactly what we do,” says Carrino. In addition, students are reluctant to give up their free periods. According to senior Brock Burgess, students who have already gotten a head start on college applications—a good portion of the seniors—fear that the class will involve lots of “busy work.” But in the end, the pros outweigh the cons. Without having the class be mandatory, students would most likely opt out, and potentially hurt themselves in the long run.

As this is the first school year with the class, it acts as a trial run. If the class produces positive results and gets good feedback from students, parents and teachers, it will most likely become permanent. A component for juniors could potentially be added as well, as the college process starts early and “there are things [juniors] should be thinking about too,” says Ward.

Classes will start on September 21st and will be directed by college counselors.