According to guidance counselor Laura King, a new session aiming to help students prepare for college has been running since the beginning of the school year.

King said she started the sessions based on student demand for help with applying to college, applying for financial aid and other general college admission needs.

“We are talking about Naviance and how to use naviance as a tool. A big part (of the sessions) is requesting (students’) transcripts (and) we spend a lot of time around Common Apps,” King said. “In addition to that, we go over ACT test scores, how to send their scores to all of their colleges. We cover a huge amount of college related information.”

Senior Skyler Rudelius-Palmer said he learned about the sessions when King came into his English classroom last year.

“(Mrs. King) came to our classes and she was like if you guys need help on doing your Common App or really anything college related, come Thursdays in the morning,” Rudelius-Palmer said.

According to Rudelius-Palmer the Thurs. college prep sessions have also given him motivation.

“(The sessions have) just gotten me to do the Common App, otherwise I wouldn’t have as much time, and I wouldn’t know what to do,” Rudelius-Palmer says.

King said she also started the sessions because students were at different places in the college process and she wanted to help them all in the most efficient way.

“(The sessions are helpful) because we have so many students and our students are all at different places along the CAP continuum,” King said. “I also wanted to create an environment where there’s enthusiasm and excitement over the application process.”

Senior Lillie Albright said King has helped her throughout the entire college application process.

“Mrs. King has been really helpful throughout the (college readiness) process, it’s really nice having her as a resource to ask questions and just get her advice on things and it just makes the process a lot more manageable” Albright says.

According to King, the sessions runs during every hour on Thursdays. She said the senior class’s application rate so far gives her confidence that more students will attend the sessions for help.

“At this point, 12 percent of our students have applied for college, so we are off to a good start,” King said, “this is college knowledge month, and I know that by the end of the month we will be up to 30-40 percent of our student body having applied.”

According to King, the college prep sessions meet every Thurs. in room C153 and will likely go on until winter break.