Months before the beginning of a new school year, students sign up for classes they want to take when school starts back up.

One would think that months would be enough time to get all these classes straightened out.

But among nearly 1,600 students with seven classes each, CAPS, limits to class sizes and the availability of courses at only certain hours of the day, the entire process quickly becomes quite a mess.

When students get their schedules back, they are not satisfied more often than they should be.

Getting these schedules changed is an even bigger mess.

Now, in theory, we, as students, should better prepare from the beginning by not choosing classes we aren’t interested in as our alternates because we “probably” won’t get into them.

But, in reality, students’ interests are constantly changing. Even if we do choose all of our classes according to what we want to do with our lives, that doesn’t mean they’ll apply to what we want to do six months to a year later.

In order to change schedules, students first have to go to the office and see what classes are available in the hour they want to change by referring to the master schedule, which isn’t too easy to figure out when the office is swarming with a bunch of angsty teenagers who don’t know how to say, “Excuse me.”

Not to mention, with multiple students changing their schedules all at once, the master schedule isn’t always correct as far as what classes are and aren’t full — complicating things even further.

Once that’s completed, the students’ parents and teachers have to sign the schedule-change form. When a teacher takes personal offense for your dropping their class, it can be a very uncomfortable conversation.

After that, the counselors do their best to change the students’ schedules in a timely manner.

During this process, students fall behind in the classes they’re trying to switch into and awkwardly sit in the back of a class they don’t want to be in.

So, the question is, why can’t we do something to make this an easier, quicker process?

Why can’t schedule changes take place earlier instead of at the beginning of each semester?

Is it really necessary for students to break a teacher’s heart, when in reality, they’re just trying to take a class that will better prepare them for college?

Altering the process of schedule changing by spreading it throughout the year will make things easier for counselors and students alike — and ultimately less stressful for everyone involved.

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