El Camino – Student Services Center

Intimidating at first, perhaps even the first semester and even the first year but Student Services Center is one of zeee best resources for students other than the Library!
Aside from always walking pass this building, I never really took advantage of what services it offered. Mondays were the worst to even walk by this building! Before the school started on-​line counseling sessions, Mondays were the only days a student can book an appointment and if all the sessions were booked, students would have to wait until next Monday. Booking counseling sessions are much easier now!
Right when student walks in, there is a front desk with two people ready to help answer questions or give directions to any student! I have been saved so many times by the front desk!
There are two floors. The top floor has the financial aid office, the math and english assessment room, EOP and what use to be a student job center. The student job center is long gone and it is only an on-​line service for students. The financial aid office can be pretty busy and can make a line down the stairs. Other than those main offices, that is pretty much it for the top floor. The bottom floor has the actual counseling center/​transfer office and administration office. Both offices take half of the entire building.
Out of all the services within this building, the counseling center is the most helpful! There are actual students that work in this office and that can relate to students in need. What better people to help students than people that are students themselves.
All the counselors are great for the most part. They all know what they are doing and they love what they do! However, there is one or two counselors that I wish would have followed a different career because they are not made to be mentors! I did not manage to get the name of this one counselor but he was horrible! He was so condescending and made me feel so dumb for not knowing certain thinks about my transfer applications. I definitely watch out for that guy and when I see him, I stay away!
Other than that one horrible encounter with that counselor, my experiences with Student Services have been great!