Counselors Convene to Tackle Enrollment Bottlenecks Ahead of Senior Surge
City College and SFUSD staff reviewed system updates and advising gaps as thousands of students prepare to apply.
By Qi Mai
City College and the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) held their annual Meet-and-Greet on Jan. 30 at HBB 140. The event was organized by the City College Outreach and Recruitment Office.
More than 80 SFUSD counselors, teachers, and staff joined City College specialists from Admissions and Records, Financial Aid, Multicultural Retention Programs and more to review the City College enrollment system.
They also prepared to help about 5,500 seniors from 15 high schools enroll at City College starting Feb. 2. The effort will guide students through the full matriculation process, including applying to City College and completing all enrollment steps.
Lauren Marshman, SFUSD head counselor for the AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) program, said 45 teachers and 1,800 students participate in AVID. She works closely with AVID teachers to ensure students are supported. “In AVID classes, teachers walk students through the City College application and the financial aid process,” Marshman said.
Marshman worked as a counselor at Galileo High School for 20 years and is very familiar with City College’s enrollment system. “Both teams are trying hard to make things as simple as possible. Every year, there are small changes to make it better for students. I think this year will be even better than last year,” she said.
This year, the enrollment system includes an important update for new students: they may be dropped for non-payment. Fees are due at the time of registration and can be paid through a Nelnet payment plan.
Max Gardner, supervisor of City College partnerships in SFUSD’s College & Career Readiness Department, said the event helps school staff stay on the same page. He noted that 98% of SFUSD counselors returned for this year’s training. “They learn about anything new, review the steps, and are reminded of the support available from City College and from us. The training and workshop arrangements were excellent,” he added.
Gardner said communication between City College and SFUSD has become stronger. “If problems come up, we tell them to fix them quickly, instead of leaving students to figure things out alone,” he said.
Gardner noted that while the enrollment system has improved, some challenges remain, especially technology issues and a shortage of counselors.
Last year, some high school students did not receive responses after applying. Others got stuck in the application process and could not get quick help from City College or virtual counselors.
Some students told The Guardsman that virtual counseling sometimes redirected them without answering their questions. Others waited up to two weeks for counseling appointments, which caused stress during enrollment.
Gardner said City College faces a bottleneck: many students need help, but there are not enough counselors. Most counseling for high school students is done virtually, and SFUSD counselors help students connect to those sessions.
“About 95% of the process works virtually,” Gardner said. “But when students get stuck, it often becomes a tech support issue. Only a few City College staff members can fix those problems.”
He added that many students are unsure whether they will attend City College, so they wait until April, near FRISCO Day, when they can officially enroll in classes and meet with counselors to create an education plan. This causes a rush later in the semester.
To address this, City College introduced a new appointment system. Students can now schedule counseling meetings in advance, so they know exactly when they will meet with a counselor to create their education plan.
“If students go to drop-in sessions and can’t get help, they feel discouraged,” Gardner said. “Scheduled appointments should make the process smoother.”
